I was going to post this over a month ago and never got around to making actual ice cream sandwiches in order to take a photo, so I gave up and took a pic of just the cookies. Here’s hoping we have another couple of days of heat so that we can enjoy frozen treats again. Apparently August 2nd was national ice cream sandwich day and I missed it! It’s so weird because I was fixated on making them for days but didn’t have the time to bake and then I stumbled upon notice of the “holiday” on twitter. It was a long weekend here in Ontario on August 4th (Civic Holiday) so I decided to have a special meal with ribs made in the Crockpot and these sandwiches for dessert. The finished cookies were HUGE. I didn’t have any cloves so I substituted with allspice and I have a feeling it’s even better than the original (I am not a fan of cloves). The first batch were a little too dark on the bottom, so I watched the second batch very carefully and took them out after 13 minutes. They were still a touch too brown but still soft on the inside. Next time I am going to make a test cookie to make sure they turn out just right. It’s important that you don’t over bake these because you want them to stay soft even after freezing. Taste wise they were delicately spiced and didn’t outshine the vanilla ice cream. They’re also great on their own and remind of Bear Paws (but 10x better!) I actually didn’t make ice cream sandwiches but warmed the cookies and served the ice cream on top, then ate it with a spoon. It’s less messy and has a nice balance of cookie to ice cream. Fresh, homemade cookies warm from the oven are so worth it! Those Walmart ice cream sandwiches that won’t melt – ya, we won’t mention those because they’re not worth comparing to actual food. LOL !! Try these and you will not be disappointed.
Vanilla Ice Cream and Ginger Molasses Cookie Sandwiches
Yield: makes 6
Cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup unsulfured (light) molasses
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
Sugar
Sandwiches
1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened slightly
1/2 cup chopped drained stem ginger in syrup
Fresh strawberries, hulled, sliced
preparation
For Cookies:
Sift first 6 ingredients into medium bowl. Combine butter, shortening and brown sugar in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter mixture until fluffy. Add egg, molasses and peel; beat until blended. Add dry ingredients; mix just until incorporated. Cover; chill 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 baking sheets. Place sugar in small bowl. Using wet hands, form dough into 12 equal pieces; shape pieces into balls. Roll in sugar to coat. Transfer to prepared sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are pale golden and cracked on top but still soft, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 1 minute. Transfer to racks; cool completely.
For Sandwiches:
Place ice cream in medium bowl. Stir in ginger. Freeze until almost firm, about 30 minutes.
Place 6 cookies on work surface, flat side up. Top each with 1/3 cup ice cream. Spread to 1/4 inch from edge of cookies. Top each with second cookie. Press to adhere. Place in freezer. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly; keep frozen.)
Arrange sandwiches on plates. Garnish with berries and serve.
Source: Bon Appetit, March 1996
Heather's Homemade 