CLASSIC ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
Where I come from, nothing is more of a Summer classic than a soft and creamy ice cream sandwich. Since I can’t seem to find these bad boys over here in Europe, I decided just to make them myself this year. Luckily, many people had the same idea before me so finding lots of recipes to test was pretty easy. This recipe is inspired by a recipe published by The New York Times with a few alterations.
These ice cream sandwiches are always a hot weather hit, and it serves a lot of people. It is also pretty simple to make, especially the second or third time around.
Just remember that since this recipe involves multiple freezing-times you should make them at least a day in advance of when you would like to serve them! (Especially if you’re using your own homemade ice cream as well.) Totally worth the pre-planning!
Enjoy!!
Ingredients:
(Makes 18 2” x 3” sandwiches)
¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus more at room temperature for buttering the pan
1 cup (128 g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (75 g) cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 pints/1 quart good-quality ice cream (whatever flavor you desire)
Tools:
Baking Pan/ Jellyroll Pan sizes that work well:
One 13” x 18” Pan { Keep in mind that most home ovens will only accommodate up to a 17 x 14 inch (43 x 36 cm) pan }
Or
Two 9” x 13” Pans
If you’re altering the serving sizes, you can use any pan that can accommodate your batter at the thickness you want for your cookie slices.
Other Tools:
Medium Mixing Bowl
Large Mixing Bowl
Measuring cups or Scale
Sieve
Whisk
Spatula
Baking Paper
Medium - Large Cutting Board
Heavy Kitchen Knife
Thick Dish Towel*
*(to help apply pressure to the top of the Kitchen Knife when cutting through the solid ice cream cookie sheet. It’ll save your palms some pain… especially if you have high countertops and laughable upper body strength like myself …)
Instructions:
*If you are making the ice cream at home as well, you should make your custard at least 5 hours ahead of time so it has time to mature. If you are using store bought ice cream, you can simply begin with step one whenever you like.
To make the Cookie Slices:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175 °C). Butter your baking pan and line with baking paper.
2. Melt your 1 ½ sticks butter over gentle heat. Once melted, remove from heat and set aside to let cool.
3. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together butter and sugar until well-mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat until combined.
5. Scrape your batter into the pan and, using a spatula (a warm, offset spatula is easiest), smooth to a thin, even layer, leaving a small border of parchment paper around the edges. Bake until the cookie has just set, 10 to 12 minutes. (You want the cookie fairly thin and stable but still brownie-soft). Transfer pan to a rack to cool completely. Once the large cookie is well-cooled, you can move on to the next step.
To assemble the Ice Cream Sandwiches:
6. If you are using store-bought ice cream, you should pull it out of the freezer 5 - 10 mins ahead of time to let it soften slightly, enough to be spreadable but not melting. If you made a homemade ice cream base, now is the time to churn that sucker.
7. Using the parchment, transfer the cake to a cutting board. Cut the cake in half so that you have two identically sized pieces. Dollop the softened ice cream evenly over the top of one half of the cake. Using a spatula, spread ice cream into an even layer. Place the remaining piece of cake on the ice cream, with the top facing down, to make a large sandwich cake. Immediately wrap it well in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 8 hours.
8. Remove the large sandwich cake from the freezer and take off the plastic wrap. Trim a tiny bit off of each side to get rid of any freezer burn (or jagged edges if you’re a perfectionist) and then cut into 12 - 16 smaller sandwiches. Wrap each sandwich well in baking paper or plastic wrap and freeze until firm and ready to serve. (There is also the option of just keeping them all together, unwrapped, in the same air-tight container, but they tend to stick together and are more prone to drying out in the freezer).
These Classic Ice Cream Sandwiches are Best within the First Five Days.
Notes :
+ Although vanilla is the classic ice cream flavor for American Ice Cream Sandwiches, you can switch it out for any other flavor you fancy… Caramel, Black Sesame, Strawberry… even more Chocolate. Go nuts… actually, that makes me think of hazelnut ice cream sandwiches. Not a bad idea in the least… Or pistachio ice cream… with blondie cookie slices…. I feel a new recipe coming on…
+ Baking time for the cookies varies depending on the how thickly you lay the batter and how strong your oven is. It’s a good idea to keep an eye out for it when it’s finished even before the suggested baking time.
+ Don’t over-bake the cookies. Since these cookies will be eaten straight out of the freezer, (with what will probably be a melting layer of ice cream in between if it’s really hot out) it is best if they’re not difficult to bite through to begin with. Basically you’ll want the cookie slices fairly thin and stable but still brownie-soft.
Classic Ice Cream Sandwiches
Laura | June 2019
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 10 - 12 minutes
Chilling time: 9 hours
Total time: 9 hours 25 minutes
Servings: Makes a 9" x 13" sheet of ice cream sandwiches. Cut that into however many individual sandwiches you would like. (Let's just say 18 2"x 3" sammies for now).
Level of Skill: Easy
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus more at room temperature for buttering the pan
- 1 cup (128 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (75 g) cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 pints/1 quart good-quality ice cream (whatever flavor you desire)
Instructions:
{ If you are making the ice cream at home as well, you should make your custard at least 5 hours ahead of time so it has time to mature. If you are using store bought ice cream, you can simply begin with step one whenever you like.}
To make the Cookie Slices:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175 °C). Butter your baking pan and line with baking paper.
Melt your 1 ½ sticks butter over gentle heat. Once melted, remove from heat and set aside to let cool.
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk together butter and sugar until well-mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat until combined.
Scrape your batter into the pan and, using a spatula (a warm, offset spatula is easiest), smooth to a thin, even layer, leaving a small border of parchment paper around the edges. Bake until the cookie has just set, 10 to 12 minutes. (You want the cookie fairly thin and stable but still brownie-soft). Transfer pan to a rack to cool completely. Once the large cookie is well-cooled, you can move on to the next step.
To assemble the Ice Cream Sandwiches:
If you are using store-bought ice cream, you should pull it out of the freezer 5 - 10 mins ahead of time to let it soften slightly, enough to be spreadable but not melting. If you made a homemade ice cream base, now is the time to churn that sucker.
Using the parchment, transfer the cake to a cutting board. Cut the cake in half so that you have two identically sized pieces. Dollop the softened ice cream evenly over the top of one half of the cake. Using a spatula, spread ice cream into an even layer. Place the remaining piece of cake on the ice cream, with the top facing down, to make a large sandwich cake. Immediately wrap it well in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 8 hours.
Remove the large sandwich cake from the freezer and take off the plastic wrap. Trim a tiny bit off of each side to get rid of any freezer burn (or jagged edges if you’re a perfectionist) and then cut into 12 - 16 smaller sandwiches. Wrap each sandwich well in baking paper or plastic wrap and freeze until firm and ready to serve. (There is also the option of just keeping them all together, unwrapped, in the same air-tight container, but they tend to stick together and are more prone to drying out in the freezer).
Nutrition:
(per 2" x 3" sandwich)
Servings: 18 individual sandwiches
Fat: 9.4 grams
Calories: 172
Nutrition estimated by Happyforks.com