Ice cream sandwiches

I know fall is fast-approaching and it's time for pumpkins and earth tones but can we squeeze in one more summer treat?  Let's sit back and have an ice cream sandwich, as we flip through our summer photos and reminisce (because it already feels like a long time ago).

I finally made ice cream sandwiches this summer.  My son adores a good ice cream sandwich and it's one of those things I've been meaning to make - instead of buy - for so long now.  After tackling ice cream tacos, I figured it was past time.  And really, this is just a matter of making the thin, brownie-like, cake layer, then a little quick work (and okay, a teeny bit of mess) spreading some good ice cream in between.  Extra credit if you feel like adding some chocolate magic shell and sprinkles.  

I went with a recipe from The New York Times - it's really simple and I liked the appeal of thin brownie-like cake that's soft, slightly fudgy and chewy, as the cap between some good vanilla ice cream.  And when I conferred with my son, we agreed that a classic vanilla ice cream is the best choice for an ice cream sandwich; it's hard to beat that simple contrast between chocolate and vanilla that somehow seems to make both taste better.  

If you want to make it a real project, homemade ice cream is an option, but to save a ton of time, buy a high-quality ice cream to use here.  You want the denser kind that has a higher fat content and less air/overage.  Not only will the ice cream sandwich taste better and be more substantial, it will be easier to work with and less mess, as the ice cream melts a bit slower.  We liked Haagen Dazs ice cream best for this job; Ben & Jerry's is a good second choice in this case.  

You'll feel great having these treats wrapped up and stocked in your freezer.  They will go quick!

Soft chocolate sugar cookies (and ice cream sandwiches)

The other week, I made a batch of vanilla ice cream with the idea of using some of it to make ice cream sandwiches with these cookies.  Well, I used the ice cream to make hot fudge sundaes and it wasn't until we were nearly finished with the batch of ice cream that I remembered what I originally had in mind!  Luckily, there was enough left to make a couple of these little ice cream sandwiches happen. 

So small batch baking continues at my house!  This is a small-batch recipe that makes 8 cookies but you can certainly double the recipe; it's a good idea because my family and I found them quite delectable!    

While I'm very familiar with the delicious, crisp "plain" vanilla sugar cookies, I really hadn't had soft chocolate sugar cookies before.  I'm very happy I tried these because they're easy to make and have a wonderful texture - soft and slightly chewy.  The chocolate flavor is strong - almost more so than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise.  A coating of granulated sugar on the outside give the cookies a little sparkle and a nice textural contrast with a little crunch.

The original recipe pairs these cookies with a raspberry curd but my mind went straight to ice cream sandwiches.  I find cookies with a soft texture very compatible for making ice cream sandwiches; while they certainly do firm up, the cookies don't turn rock-hard even after freezing and still have "give" or softness to them when you bite into it.  They're easy to eat.

What can I say...this is a great little batch of cookies to make!  The cookies are tasty all on their own but make great little ice cream sandwiches.  Just pull them out of the freezer after dinner for a fun treat.