Awh, that sounds like a good night, at least. I mean, at least you weren't stressed out or running around and you were able to relax together, albeit doing different things. My boyfriend and I usually have our respective Me time as we mostly stay in and hangout with each other. We're both pretty broke right now, too, so until I get a job we won't be doing too much of anything. I LOVE to bake, and he loves to eat my baked goods, so I would definitely want to bake something for him! Perhaps some tasty mini filled cakes that are root beer float themed-root beer flavored cakes with a creamy vanilla filling. (He has requested that flavor combination to be included in one of my next creations.) Or I could make some mini ice cream sandwiches! Ahhh they're SO cute! These ones are adorable, too! Vanilla cookies with orange cream ice cream, because we just found a half pint ice cream maker at the thrift store (still in the box sealed, $7!!) and I want to use it for something adorable. Of course, if I were baking I would need an oven mitt so I didn't burn myself =P My favorite mitt got a hole right between the thumb and the rest of the mitt. Fail. Let's be honest, this freaking mixer would make my LIFE, not just my night, but that will just have to wait until I win the lottery or something. ;P

After baking, we could both lounge around and I would make some cool crafts. I have been wanting to make coasters using these dyes and/or these dyes or these ones and alcohol on some ceramic tiles. Look! How freaking awesome, right?! Cool times. (How old are your kiddos? These would be SO much fun to make with kids!! Have them sign their names in sharpies with the date!) Plus then our wood coffee table won't be ruined. So, you know, that would be good. While I'm crafting he would certainly be playing some video games. He has been lusting over Dead Space 3 FOREVER. (So, if I happen to win and it is within the budget, that is the top item for me, because I know how happy he would be to have it and I can't afford to get it for him right meow.)

While waiting for the crafts to dry I would play with my kitties. This toy is awesome looking. Once the kitties were all tuckered out, I would seal the tiles and then I would absolutely want to paint my nails. Boyfriend would still be playing video games so I would sit next to him on the couch and paint nails and watch him own. He's so good at shooting games, I love watching him play! I'm sure he would be eating some of the fresh bakery, too =) I would paint them this most amazing green color EVAR with some glitter on top. Then, because I don't know when to stop with anything having to do with my nails, would add these super freaking cool studs to them!

After all that I would be pretty tired, so I would just lounge around on the couch waiting for my nails to dry while he inevitably still played his game. lol. Yes, this would be perfect me time and him time and us time and just a perfect night in! This is a really cool contest idea! <3

Both I find. Just by doing the browned butter will give it the flavor but letting it it sit for 24 hours will make it so much better. I've not heard of others having problems, but something that I run into everytime I do them is that by letting them sit in the fridge for 24 hours the batter becomes like a solid rock. This could be due to:


Home made brown sugar. It's much more "fluffy" than store bought and you can choose how dark/light you want it. Typically I do 2tbps molasses per 1 cup of sugar for 1 cup of dark brown sugar. Some call for 2 1/2 or 3 for dark but its all your choice.


Personally I'm not a fan of them being nutella stuffed. Too strong of a flavor like you said. Skip the nutella part and you got some super tasty plain cookies though.


Lastly, some tips. A friend of my dads asked for the recipe after I made them and found all this out the annoying way.

• Use good chocolate. Nestle, hershey, ghiradelli is all low quality. I used this: https://www.chocosphere.com/default/brand/a-c/callebaut/1kg-2-2lb-fairtrade-semisweet-callets.html . The price may be off-putting but it's 2lbs/32 oz which is almost 3x the amount of the small bags at the grocery store. The quality is also tons better and very worth it.
  
  
• Even though the recipe calls for 3 different types of chocolate, just go with the above.
  
  
• Reduce the amount of chips. There is too many with the default. By taking all of what is there it comes to 1 3/4 cups of chips. I would drop it to 1 1/4 or even just 1 cup. Depends on how much chocolate you like.
  
  
• Always brown the butter. Guide to do so is on the site. Be sure to use unsalted or it wont work. Butter quality doesnt matter to my knowledge.
  
  
• Try using home made brown sugar. 1 cup brown sugar is 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons molasses. Use a stand mixer to mix otherwise arm will fall off. The freshness will help with flavor.
  
  
• Always put it in the fridge. 2 hours minimum. Doing it for 24 is best for flavor. If doing for 24 it may become very hard to scoop so use something that wont bend. A spoon does not qualify. Using a knife to slash it can help. If buying extra things is fine then look into http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Medium-Cookie-Scoop/dp/B0000CDVD2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393910062&sr=8-2&keywords=oxo+cookie+scoop . A medium scoop is going for standard sized cookies whereas the large is good for gourmet sized cookies/the one I used. Medium is tricky to use when doing nutella stuffed due to size+amount of chips. The one I linked is also very sturdy and wont break trying to scoop out the 24 hour chilled dough.
  
  
• If doing nutella stuffed: get a ziplock back and put nutella in a corner. Squish it all down into a single corner. Cut a very small piece off of that corner. Squeeze the bag to get the nutella out. Any other way you will hate life making them.
  
  
• If doing nutella stuffed: you will want to get a plate with a ziplock bag on it. Scoop out the cookie down, put it roughly into a ball and then flatten onto the ziplock bag+plate combo. The ziplock is so the cookie wont stick to the plate.
  
  
• If doing nutella stuffed: Get parchment paper and cut it to roughly the size of the flattened cookies (before baking.) Do all the cookie flattening in one go and between each flattened cookie put a piece of parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to eachother.
  
  
• Probably overkill but a good pan will help with even heating. Something like: http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Natural-Aluminum-Commercial/dp/B000G0KJG4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393910441&sr=8-1&keywords=baking+pan . Great if you use pans for other things.
  
  
• The lazy tip: Parchment paper when baking them. No need to clean the pan after.
  

For the limited ingredients week, I made soft ginger cookies. The original recipe is all fairly basic pantry ingredients and spices, so luckily I had all on hand to suit this week’s theme.

When I prepared the cookies, I made several modifications to the original recipe. I felt the modifications were fairly significant, so I have included my modified recipe below. For the first change, I converted most of the ingredients to weights, as I do with all recipes I prepare. I then lowered the white sugar quantity slightly and subbed in some brown sugar because I find that I get the best soft and chewy cookies with a combination of white and brown sugars. I also made my cookies a bit larger than the original. To make the dough balls, I used my large OXO scoop which scoops out three tablespoons of dough. With this size, I got 14 cookies rather than the expected 30. For the larger cookies, I had to bake them for about 15 minutes rather than the 10-12 in the original. Finally, I rolled the dough balls in some demerara sugar rather than more white sugar before baking.

These cookies were fantastic. They had a great gingerbread flavor and the perfect-for-me texture. They were soft on the inside with ever so slightly crisp edges. The demerara sugar gave the outside a wonderful crunch. They will be a go-to cookie for me. I imagine they will be quite popular for the Christmas season.

----

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

Recipe modified from Taste of Home
Makes 14 cookies

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons butter, softened
  
• 146g white sugar
  
• 52g light brown sugar
  
• 1 large egg
  
• 170g molasses
  
• 540g all-purpose flour
  
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  
• ¼ teaspoon salt
  
• Demerara sugar (for coating)
  
  

  Directions
  

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
   
2. Form balls with approximately 3 tablespoons of dough, then roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° until puffy and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Source: https://www.chipmonkbaking.com/blog/2019/7/30/low-carb-keto-carrot-cake-whoopie-pie-recipe

Made with fresh carrots and pecans, these carrot cake mini whoopie pies combine the homemade flavor of sweet spiced sponge cake with a rich, maple frosting. They have no added sugar, they’re gluten free, and they have just 1 net carb per whoopie pie. Today’s the day you can bring carrot cake back on the menu without the guilt! Let’s get to it!

INGREDIENTS

Whoopie Pies

• 1 stick (113g or 8 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter
  
• 3/4 cup Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener (Buy on Amazon Here)
  
• 1 Large Egg
  
• 1.5 cups Almond Flour (Buy Nature’s Eats Blanched Almond Flour on Amazon Here)
  
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (Most groceries stores sell McCormick which works great)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Fine Salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum (Buy Anthony’s Brand on Amazon Here)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
  
• 1 cup (130g) Carrots, peeled and finely chopped or grated
  
• 1/2 cup (60g) Pecans, finely chopped
  
  Maple Frosting
  
  
• 4 oz (113g) Cream Cheese
  
• 1/2 stick (57g or 4 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter
  
• 1/4 cup Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener (Buy on Amazon Here)
  
• 1 teaspoon Maple Extract (Most grocery stores sell McCormick which works great)
  
  
  

  INSTRUCTIONS
  

  
  Whoopie Pie “Halves”
  
  

1. Use a food processor to chop up your carrots and pecans into tiny pieces that can mix well into dough
   
2. Heat oven to 350°F. Microwave the butter for 30 seconds to soften, but it should not be melted if possible.
   
3. Place the butter into a mixing bowl and beat with the sweetener and salt. Add the vanilla extract and egg. Mix together.
   
4. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (almond flour, xanthan gum, cinnamon, and baking powder)
   
5. Beat in the dry mixture into wet mixture (do this in stages; mix in half then the other half)
   
6. Stir in your chopped carrots and pecans from step #1
   
7. Using a cookie scooper (2 tsp size; 1 1/8" diameter like this one on Amazon), place scoops of dough onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper
   
8. Gently press the balls of dough down to flatten them out slightly. Bake for 12 minutes (at 6 minutes, take pans out, rotate positions, and put back in the oven)
   
   Frosting
   
   
9. In a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer until fully combined. It helps if the butter and cream cheese have softened some before doing this (you can zap them in the microwave for 15 seconds to help)
   
10. OPTIONAL: Pour the granulated sweetener into a blender or food processor. Blend the sweetener until it is fine, fluffy, and powdered. Powdering your sweetener makes for a smoother frosting.
    
11. Add the sweetener and maple extract to your bowl and beat slowly until the sweetener is incorporated (go slow to avoid it getting blown into the air)
    
12. Once the sweetener is incorporated, beat on high for 2 minute or until fluffy
    
13. Use a piping bag (something like these) to pipe the maple frosting onto the whoopie pie “halves” you baked in the steps above. Make a sandwich with each “halve” with the icing in the middle.
    
14. Enjoy! Keep any remaining carrot cake whoopie pies in an airtight container in your fridge. If refrigerated, they should be good for about a week.

I've been mixing PB and ice cream since I was a kid. Can't eat vanilla IC without it. Am PB addict. Here's some tips I've gathered over the years:

• Don't bother microwaving, just take a big spoonful of PB and stir it into your IC. Experiment with the IC/PB ratio. With about 2 scoops of IC, I add about 2tbsp PB.
  
  
• It's easiest to start with your IC a bit softer, so either: turn your freezer down a notch, leave your ice cream out for awhile, or nuke your IC and bowl.
  
  
• Now you get to work up an appetite. Stirring the PB in takes a bit of work, but you want it completely mixed into a homogeneous mix, about as thick as a DQ Blizzard.
  
  
• I prefer chunky, but creamy is interesting because it blends with the IC better, making it really smooth.
  
  
• Don't bother adding chocolate, it usually doesn't add much as the flavors are already so strong. One potential interesting addition is jam, preferably something with a lot of chunks of fruit; it's a frozen PB&J.
  
• Do experiment with things to add texture, one of my favorites is a bit of nice, crunchy granola (not that really hard stuff). Try other cereals maybe.
  
  
• My preferred, widely available PB is Chunky Skippy Natural, but there are dozens of good local, small time batches that might be good to try. I find the quality (and price) of those is lost in the flavor of the IC though.
  
  
• I consider those my "sipping PBs" that are best enjoyed straight. If you're into PB, I highly recommend the Peanut Butter of the Month Club.
  
  
• Only two downsides to this: it's a lot of calories and sugar, and it leaves a bad aftertaste when you're done. Not much you can do but go brush your teeth and tongue soon after. Water makes it worse.
  
  
• If you're serious about your ice cream, step it the fuck up and get a Zeroll scoop. This is the right size. Made in the USA, fluid in the handle helps it cut through ice cream like... melted ice cream.

If she bakes a lot you could get her something that she probably wouldn't buy for herself like this cookie baller. You could include it in one of those cool "gift basket" ideas that some of the people on this thread suggested.

Like, a cookie baller, a nice wooden cooking spoon, a rubber spatula (can never have too many of those lol), all tied with a pretty ribbon in a new (or vintage!) pyrex mixing bowl with a bag of chocolate chips. That would be a kick ass "non traditional" gift for me, as someone who also makes most of my own food.

Really though, all the ideas on this thread that I read through are pretty awesome. Good luck! :-)

Sorry, it took a while for me to do my write-up - got home late! I've been mealprepping for the past year after discovering this sub, and yesterday, I took it to a whole new level. I do usually do 7 lunches for me + my husband (4X full 28oz containers for him and 3X smaller portions for me for me). I got these from Amazon since they connect in the middle and keep the veg separate from the meat + starch, but they're currently unavailable but these look similar. I got these 1 lb aluminum tins for the freezer-ready dinners. They're about enough food for like an entree with room for dessert (I'm 110lbs so it might not be big enough for big appetites).

I made a turkey shepherd's pie. A 9x13in casserole was enough for 6 servings of the aluminum pans - I used an ice cream disher to help with portioning it out before baking.

For the lasagna, you can use your favorite recipe like this for the sauce and ricotta cheese layers, but in terms of volume - the tins could really only support 3 layers. I had to cut the noodles into thirds and could only do one ricotta layers and two sauce layers. Each tin took about 2 noodles. I used a 16oz of ricotta mixed with some frozen spinach and parmesan and made a simple meat sauce of 20oz of italian sausage, red bell pepper, and tomato sauce. I ended up with enough materials for 8 servings.

We usually eat a big lunch since it has to last us until 8PM on most days. I followed this recipe for soy sauce chicken except I used entirely chopped up thigh meat and skipped the marinating step (because it's faster). I also added a cornstarch slurry at the end to make more of a "sauce" to coat the chicken. If you don't have dark soy sauce, I would skip it - it is mainly for adding color and some caramel flavoring. If you replace it with normal, light soy sauce, this might turn out too salty since light soy sauce is for seasoning. For my husband's portion, I ended up with about a cup of chicken + sauce over 3/4 cup of rice. Green beans were boiled with salt and sauteed with minced garlic and olive oil.

I think that about covers it! Please let me know if you have more questions about specific stuff.

I bought these and they worked well. I still have them and would offer them but based on price vs shipping you might consider just purchasing them. But still happy to part from mine :)

This set of 12 isn't actually David Tutera btw. I have a set of those too and they're a bit nicer.

Candy Scoop Set - Package of 12 Shiny Gold Plastic Scoops for Wedding and Party Candy Buffets https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007D9PENE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_V1iFyb455HAC7 http://i.imgur.com/lnR1HWL.jpg

I've found (what I think is) the best chocolate chip recipe ever. Depends on if you like your cookies crunchy, though, or softer. I like softer.

Anyway, it's this recipe here, with the only difference being I use half the margarine (use Earth Balance). Scoop them with your standard melon ball ice cream scoop thingy, and they bake just right :)

From Cooks Illustrated magazine, circa 1995.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temp

1 cup of light or dark brown sugar packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

optional, parchment paper

Preheat oven 325 degrees

Whisk flour, soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

In mixing bowl, use hand or stand mixer to mix butter and sugars until well blended. Add egg, the yolk and vanilla and blend. Add flour/soda/salt mixture and beat on low speed just until combined.

Mix in choc chips with just a few turns of the beater of by hand mixing.

Use a scoop (link below) to form consistenly sized cookies. For 1 tablespoon scoop, bake cookies for approx 15 minutes until they are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden but centers are still soft and puffy.

1 tablespoon is a pretty big cookie. That's how we like them at my house.

Bottom line was buying some new equipment (shiny insulated sheet pans with not sides plus spring loaded scoop) plus the ATK recipe changed my chocolate chip cookie game.

https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Stainless-Cookie-Baller-Washing/dp/B00004UE85

I love using Tovolo too but I like the 1.5 quarts Glide A Scoop ones better because it's much easier to scoop from since they are so long and skinny. My only complaint is that the plastic is brittle when the bins are frozen so if you drop them from countertop height, they do crack. I continue to use my cracked one too, so it's not the worst.
https://www.amazon.ca/Tovolo-Glide---Scoop-Strawberry-Sorbet/dp/B00CBFZWHS/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1466431366&sr=1-2&keywords=tovolo

How about The Midnight Scoop?

I supported their original Kickstarter. Kept one for myself, gave three as gifts. It is a well engineered scoop and solidly made.

Because it is such a high quality item I keep it in the box as opposed to a drawer. Despite the engineering behind it; some of the ice cream I make myself is still too hard for this to cut through easily. It did not live completely up to the hype.

I keep this one in the drawer. I think it was a wedding gift; so I've used it for ~6 years w/o no sign of it going under.

I also inherited a scoop from my grandparents that some type of liquid in the handle. As you hold it; your hand warms the liquid; which will warm the whole scoop; which makes it easier to cut through cold/hard ice cream. A pretty creative approach. No idea how old it is or what brand or anything else about it; but this is a similar item.

Edit: Removed a lot of URL variables at the end of the Amazon links

That looks like my Zeroll scoop. One nice thing about it is the fluid in the handle; it conducts heat from your hand to the scoop head to make it easier to cut into ice cream.

Fissler. It's on the expensive side, but holy crap, it's by far the best ice cream scoop I've ever used. Solid 18/10 stainless steel, none of that liquid crap in the middle, and a blade that's thin and strong enough to cut through the hardest ice cream like butter. Nothing else suggested in this thread is even remotely worth considering in comparison.

Yep, I use a cookie dough scooper. This one feels nice and makes a side I like:
OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CDVD2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_jRI66pXHP3xrV

Amazon to the rescue! You can buy ice cream spoons in bulk, like the disposable ones Coldstone gives you when you sample flavors. I've heard a lot of girls get these for their moisturizers that are in big tubs. :)

Yeah, i was considering the volrath brands, they still sweep - but the mechanism of how is just different (where it comes from). There's a restaurant supply place around the corner from where I work, i got a 60 and 70 this week - 21 bucks after taxes for both. Also the vollrath link stops at 40 - that's a big arse cookies (I also learned what the number rating meant at the place :) )

The smaller vollrath scoops look like this

I also learned that the 'ejector' kind might still be exclusive to thrifty?

Most of the cool ice cream stuff she will already have or is way above $40.

If she doesn't already have a good ice cream scoop, we really like this one: https://www.amazon.ca/OXO-Good-Grips-Solid-Stainless/dp/B003BEDQL2/

No more bent spoons!

To go with it, get some nice dessert bowls, or if she swings that way, stuff for ice cream cones? (That would be a cream horn roller, something like this: https://www.amazon.ca/Fox-Run-4507-Pizzelle-Roller/dp/B00BGR7PJ0/)

Thanks for the Halloween contest! I'd love this cookie dough scoop!

Stop weighing the dough and use a scoop. Make sure the dough is packed in and flattened well and Bam. Perfectly uniform cookies.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CDVD2/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_r..Hub0HXW92R

This is what you need for ice cream. No hassle, and transfers the heat from your hand to the ice cream so you never have to worry about rock hard ice cream. Non Stick Anti-Freeze Ice Cream Scoop

Edit: Leave it to an ent to make eating easier :)

or just invest in a good ice cream scoop like this one: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Solid-Stainless-Steel/dp/B003BEDQL2

All ice cream will soften itself in the face of this bad boy

They still sell these.

Like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Stainless-Steel-Scoop-Tablespoon/dp/B00004UE65/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1347857799&sr=8-5&keywords=ice+cream+scoop

Or this one:
http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Lever-Cream-Scoop/dp/B00004OCIY/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1347857799&sr=8-11&keywords=ice+cream+scoop


Or this one, like the old school style:
http://www.amazon.com/Chef-Select-Lever-Cream-Scoop/dp/B00472N87O/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1347857799&sr=8-16&keywords=ice+cream+scoop

Personally, I use one like this. 30 seconds under hot water and it's golden:
http://www.amazon.com/Zeroll-Original-2-Ounce-Aluminum-Scoop/dp/B0002U34EW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1347858074&sr=8-4&keywords=ice+cream+scoop

get yourself a tiny metal scoop like for candy and it'll feel that much more special. Also, hygiene

Oxo makes a fantastic one, solid stainless, will outlast you.

They're great ice cream scoops and they come in a few different sizes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002U34EW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2XzKybDF4Y446

Edit: Just don't put them through the dishwasher and they will stay shiny forever.

This is what I use for portioning, it’s like a mini ice cream scoop:

Stainless steel scoop 1 tbsp

No, i use an ice cream scoop so i dont bend my spoons. Couple of bucks, save yourself some effort.

https://smile.amazon.com/Norpro-Nonstick-Anti-Freeze-Cream-Scoop/dp/B0000VLWD8

Just dont put it in the dishwasher.

Soemthing like this

do you ever use cookie scoops like these https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Medium-Cookie-Scoop/dp/B0000CDVD2? Well basically ice cream scoops, but smaller. that makes all the difference for making cookies for me. Everything comes out even, equally sized, without having to form them one at a time.

I got mine off of amazon, I spent a little more for the metal ones instead of the plastic and I think they're worth it. I got 12 for around $40 here but it looks like these ones are sold out :/

Get a Zerroll ice cream scoop. It'll change your life.

Not possible with a proper scoop.

Welcome to adulthood.

Two things, both for the kitchen, if you ever have Canned Ice Cream

Similar to that, except roughly half the width. It was a similar shape to this except with a similar design to what you posted.

So long/skinny but similar to yours.. idfk.

Buy one of these. Spoons aren't made for doing that.

Adding to /u/mr_richichi: Cookie scoops!

Yes, surgery

Problem solved: Anti-freeze ice cream scoop.

Are you using something like this? I use this and I'm left-handed and have never run into an issue with mine.

I have a lot of kitchen gadgets and the only thing I've ever been seriously angered at about due to being a leftie is [spreaders](http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIzM1gxNjAw/$(KGrHqN,!oME8Vb!EgeUBPIFn8Msqw~~60_35.JPG). They FORCE you to hold it in your right hand, or at least the one I own does. I also get irritated with liquid measuring cups because the labels are always facing away from me when I use them. All that being said, I do not own a single piece of "left-handed" anything in my kitchen because I don't see a need for it.

And don't fuck around with self-cleaning and multi-piece shit. Unibody metal scoops or nothing. Go for this one if you don't want to think.

Those self cleaning scoops are for restaurants. They use them for sour cream and peanut butter and other soft shit. They have solid metal scoops for their ice cream.