Chuckle sandwich

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This article was published 27/07/2016 (3514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the heat of summer here, I decided to make my own ice-cream sandwiches.

Chocolate with mint-chocolate ice cream is a natural, and the ginger cookie and lemon ice cream combo is inspired by an old Recipe Swap favourite, gingerbread with lemon sauce. These are suggestions, but the great thing about homemade ice cream sandwiches is you can freestyle. Ginger cookies would pair nicely with butter pecan, maple walnut, caramel or vanilla bean ice cream. Chocolate cookies work with coffee, vanilla, white chocolate or caramel, as well as fruit flavours such as strawberry or raspberry.

If you’re feeling Martha Stewart-ish, you can go full artisanal and craft your own ice cream along with your own cookies. (Though keep in mind some homemade ice creams, as well as gelato and premium ice creams, can get melty quickly.)

Conversely, if you want an upgrade from standard supermarket-freezer sandwiches with a little less work, you can match bought ice cream and bought cookies, just following the instructions below for spreading, sandwiching and chilling.

Dutch or Belgian waffle cookies pair well with almost any ice cream, and those ubiquitous chocolate wafers are also versatile. Butter cookies are nice with peach and berry flavours.

Any way you want to go, a few simple steps will give you ice cream sandwiches with endless variety and great taste.

 

Chocolate-mint ice cream sandwiches

125 ml (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
125 ml (1/2 cup) light brown sugar, lightly packed
60 ml (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1 egg
2 ml (1/2 tsp) vanilla
250 ml (1 cup) all-purpose flour
75 ml (1/3 cup) cocoa
5-10 ml (1-2 tsp) espresso powder (see notes)
2 ml (1/2 tsp) baking soda
1 ml (1/4 tsp) kosher salt or pinch regular table salt
Mint-chocolate ice cream

 

Preheat oven to 175 C (350 F). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg, beating until combined, and stir in vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt, beating well to get the lumps out of the cocoa. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture by hand, just until combined. Do not overbeat. Form dough into balls about 5 centimetres (2 inches) in diameter. (See notes.) Place on prepared sheet about 4 cm (1 1/2 inches) apart and flatten gently with hand. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until set at edges but still slightly underbaked in the centre. Cool on sheet for about 2 minutes, then gently transfer cookies to cool completely on wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

When cookies have cooled completely, remove ice cream from freezer and scoop onto a plate as many generous scoops as you need to match the number of sandwich cookies. Generally, you want enough ice cream to yield a 2 cm (3/4 inch) layer for a medium to large sandwich cookie. Let scoops soften slightly, then spread one scoop gently onto the first cookie and sandwich with a second cookie. Repeat until all cookies are sandwiched. Wrap each cookie in wax paper and place in an airtight container in the freezer for 2 hours before serving. Can be stored for up to 2 days. Makes about 6 ice cream sandwiches.

Notes: A little fine espresso powder — not the same as instant espresso crystals — deepens the chocolate flavour of the cookies. If you’re planning on pairing the cookie with a mocha-friendly ice cream such as coffee, chocolate or vanilla, you might want to use the larger amount.

When it comes to the size of the cookies, you can go up or go down. The important thing with sandwich cookies is consistency, which is required for a good match. Just remember to reduce baking time if making smaller cookies or increase it for bigger versions.

 

Ginger and lemon ice cream sandwiches

125 ml (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
60 ml (1/4 cup) shortening, at room temperature
125 ml (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
125 ml (1/2 cup) light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 egg
60 ml (1/4 cup) molasses
500 ml (2 cups) all-purpose flour
7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) baking soda
5 ml (1 tsp) kosher salt or 2 ml (1/2 tsp) regular table salt
10 ml (2 tsp) ginger
5 ml (1 tsp) cinnamon
2 ml (1/2 tsp) cloves
1 ml (1/4 tsp) allspice
30 ml (2 tbsp) granulated sugar, for rolling
Lemon ice cream

 

In a large bowl using electric mixer, beat butter, shortening and sugars until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and molasses and beat until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and ginger, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture by hand, just until combined. Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 175 C (350 F). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 30 ml (2 tbsp) granulated sugar in small plate. Roll dough into balls about 4 cm (1 1/2 inches) in diameter. Roll in sugar to coat on all sides. Place on prepared sheet, spacing at least 5 cm (2 inches) apart — these cookies really spread — and flatten slightly with hand. Bake until top is starting to crack, edges are set but middle is still slightly soft, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on sheet for about 2 minutes, then gently transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

When cookies have cooled completely, remove ice cream from freezer and scoop onto a plate as many generous scoops as you need to match the number of sandwich cookies. Generally, you want enough ice cream to yield a 2 cm (3/4 inch) layer for a medium to large sandwich cookie. Let scoops soften slightly, then spread one scoop gently onto the first cookie and sandwich with a second cookie. Repeat until all cookies are sandwiched. Wrap each cookie in wax paper and place in an airtight container in the freezer for 2 hours before serving. Can be stored for up to 2 days. Makes about 10 ice cream sandwiches.

alison.gillmor@freepress.mb.ca