Ice Cream Sandwiches

When I was a kid, my uncle Bob would take me and my little brother Jonny to the little market near he and my Aunts house. We always got these frozen treats called “mud pie”- does anyone remember these? Massive ice cream sandwiches dipped in chocolate and stuff? Circa early to mid 80’s? If it rings a bell please call me and give me the specifics so I can stop bothering my little brother at work about an ice cream treat that he ate 25 years ago…

We used to chow down on those giant ice cream treats as we walked down to feed the ducks. Nice childhood memories. They are making me hungry…

This mud pie obsession doesn’t seem to be going anywhere cause I can’t remember what’s in it! so I gave way to a good old fashioned ice cream sandwich. To me that means a soft chocolate wafer cookie. The kind that gets cakey on your fingers when the sandwich gets warm- you know what I mean? And then you have to suck the chunks of cakey cookie off your fingers…. Sorry- gross. I know you know what I mean.

Anyways, I thought that with the summer coming up, which is our most popular time of year to entertain- that it would be fun to come up with some really wonderful ice cream sandwiches that were appealing to both kids and adults. When I dished these up for dessert last weekend, people were thrilled with them. It makes me so excited when things are a huge hit! Let these do the same for you whether it is for a Memorial Day BBQ or any fun summer night you have planned ☺

Here are some ice cream recipes you might enjoy if you want to make these completely from scratch!

Mint Oreo

Peanut Butter

Nutella

Ice Cream Sandwiches, makes 12

Chocolate wafer cookie, makes 24 cookies
(Adapted from foodnetwork.com )
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 egg whites
1 ½ cups dutch cocoa
1 ½ cups AP flour
½ tsp salt

Powdered sugar for rolling the dough out.

Ice Cream- 3-4 pints in the flavors of your choice. (I used Pistachio, cookies and cream and coffee).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 3 sheetpans with silpats or parchment.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars until fluffy.

Add the vanilla and beat to combine,

Add the egg whites one at a time and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture.

When you have created a uniform dough, turn the dough out onto a sheet of wax paper. It will be sticky!!!

Wrap the dough in the wax paper and put it into the refrigerator.

Let the dough chill for about an hour or up to overnight.

Use the powdered sugar (instead of flour) to roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick.

Cut the dough out with a 4” round cookie cutter and place the dough on the sheetpan.

Use a fork to poke a few holes in the dough so that the cookies don’t puff up.

Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, rotating the pans at the 10 minute mark.

At 20 minutes remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on a rack.

When the cookies go on the cooling rack, put the ice cream in the refrigerator to soften.

When the cookies are completely cool spread them out, bottom facing up, on a sheet pan covered in wax paper.

Spread a large spoonful of ice cream on the top of each cookie. Immediately put the sheet pan in the freezer. Wait 20 minutes and then sandwich together the two cookies, (so that there is a double layer of ice cream in the middle). Use an offset spatula to smooth the ice cream around the sides of the ice cream sandwich.

Put the ice cream sandwiches back in the freezer and keep them there until they are ready to be served.

I handed them out to my guests in a wax sandwich bag.

Enjoy!!