CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ice cream and cookies. Both bring joy all by themselves. But combine them and the happiness expands exponentially. On sultry sun-baked afternoons, après croquet or slo-mo badminton, or just lazing in a lawn chair with your feet in the kiddie pool, the thrill of an ice cream sandwich consumed in chilly creamy bites limns a moment of sheer summer pleasure.
Building an ice cream sandwich can be a labor of love. There’s an infinite number of recipes for ice creams simple and sumptuous, and even more options for cookies, brownies and other baked goods that holds things together. There’s some fine recipes below for both if you’re ambitious.
But right now we’re deep in midsummer, the most indolent time of the year. That often calls for maximum indulgence with minimum effort. So put on your face mask and head to your local market. A quick march down the cookie and ice cream aisles will yield just about everything you need to create a sunny season’s worth of frozen sandwich joy you can eat out of hand. Enjoy every decadent bite.
Instant pay-off:
Here’s a few ideas for sandwich combos you can pull right off the grocery shelves and make in just a few minutes. To construct the sandwich, let the ice cream defrost on your counter for a few minutes until the edges are melty. Place a scoop of ice cream in the middle of one cookie. Place on a hard surface and lay another cookie on top. Press gently but firmly until the ice cream oozes just to the edge of the sandwich.
Freeze at once on a cookie sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes. When set, you can roll the edges in all sorts of bonus treats (see below for ideas), then wrap in plastic wrap and return to the freezer to harden. Two hours should do it for smaller cookie sandwiches, which is the perfect size. If they’re little, you get to try more flavors!
1. Thin chocolate cookie wafers are ideal because they flatter almost any flavor ice cream filling, from plain vanilla to something dark and deeply voluptuous, like black raspberry with soft chocolate chunks. They also nicely soften to classic ice cream sandwich texture while in the freezer. Roll the edges in almost anything from hot fudge sauce and finely chopped walnuts to brightly colored cookie sprinkles.
2. Round shortbread pure butter cookies have a delicate flavor and a pie-crust-like texture that goes great with fruity ice creams like peach and strawberry. Roll in finely chopped white chocolate or blanched almonds for a crunchier finish.
3. Soft chocolate chip cookies pair well with the rich flavors of coffee or chocolate ice creams. If you’re friends with caffeine, sprinkle a pinch of instant espresso powder into finely chopped chocolate espresso beans for a coffee house finish to your sandwich roll-in.
4. Soda crackers provide a bit of salty overtone to the caramel flavors of dulce de leche ice cream. When frozen, dip your sandwiches into a bowl of chocolate shell topping to coat thoroughly and then quickly sprinkle with a teaspoon or two of crushed English toffee candy bar.
5. Lemon-flavored wafers or cookies sandwiched with cherry or raspberry ripple ice cream, and then rolled in chopped grated coconut, perfectly captures the light lilt of bright summer flavors.
6. Mini-waffles make for fun breakfast sandwiches when layered with maple-nut ice cream. Roll in a little bit of real maple syrup and then a bowl of crushed toasted pecans for a good wake-up crunch.
7. Briefly freeze then carefully split store-bought brownies length-wise in half (or even quarters). Stuff with chocolate-chip or mint chocolate-chip ice cream. Roll the former in finely chopped chocolate crunch bars and the latter in chopped chocolate mint candy wafers, or vice versa!
8. For truly instant gratification, make an ice cream sandwich using a baguette. Spread the inside of a 3 inch piece of the bread with a thin layer of peanut butter on one side, chocolate nut spread (think Nutella) on the other. Add several scoops of chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Tuck in a few slices of banana or strawberries and a light sprinkling of optional sea salt. Carefully squish together and eat immediately.
9. Crisp butter wafers taste like elegant high-end waffle cones. Be respectful and simply fill them with an equally elegant ice cream, perhaps one layered with rich raspberry cordial.
10. A culinary coupe de grace, the stuffed glazed doughnut. Make it simple with vanilla ice cream and just enjoy all that sugar and fat as is…or go for the glory with birthday cake ice cream, a few pieces of crumbled bacon tucked inside and a generous roll in mini-M&Ms or lots of sugar sprinkles. Too much never tasted so good.
Easy and elegant, crisp butter waffle wafers filled with rich raspberry cordial ice cream. (Beth Segal, special to cleveland.com)
Delayed (and worth it) gratification:
If you’re willing to do the work, these recipes will pay off with a more refined and nuanced ice cream sandwich experience. Enjoy, you deserve it.
Gianduja Mousse Sandwiches
An easy chocolate mousse gets frozen overnight and becomes a rich elegant ice cream by the following morning. Roll the sandwich in chopped pistachios to add a flash of color, a bit of crunch and a nuance of glamour.
1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut paste, such as Nutella
1/4 cup crème fraîche
1 1/2 teaspoons brandy or hazelnut liqueur
1/2 cup heavy cream
About 12 chocolate wafer cookies
1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the chocolate-hazelnut paste with the crème fraîche and brandy at low speed until smooth. In another bowl, beat the heavy cream until firm peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the chocolate-hazelnut mixture until no streaks remain. Spoon the mousse onto six wafers, top with remaining six. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Just before serving, roll sandwiches in pistachios and serve immediately.
Adapted from Food and Wine
French Meringue Ice Cream Sandwiches
An excellent and dependable recipe for French meringue. The shells are exquisitely crisp on the outside, and marshmallow-gooey on the inside. You can use any ice cream to fill them, but something with fruit, maybe blackberry or bing cherry, would be perfect with these feather-light cookies.
6 large egg whites, room temperature
1¼ cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
Preheat the oven to 300°F, with a rack in the center.
Step 1. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, trace 6 circles on each piece of parchment, spacing about 3 inches apart. Flip the parchment upside down so the marking doesn’t end up on the meringue.
Step 2. In the very clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, making sure there is no trace of yolk. Beat on low speed, gradually increasing the speed to medium, until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Beat in the cornstarch. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. Continue beating until the meringue is smooth, glossy, and tripled in volume. Beat in the vinegar and almond extract until just combined.
Step 3. Add dabs of meringue to the corners of the prepared baking sheets to secure the parchment. Using a 1/4-cup measure or ice cream scoop, add a mound of meringue to the center of each circle. Using a spatula or spoon, gently work the meringue into a flat disc that fills the circle.
Step 4. Bake until the meringues are puffed and set but still soft in the center, 30–35 minutes. (After the first 10 minutes, check to make sure the meringues aren’t browning; if they are, lower the oven temperature to 275°F.) Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool completely in the oven, at least 2 hours. Remove the meringues from the oven and carefully fill with ice cream. Place sandwiches on cookie sheet to freeze, serve within 2- 6 hours.
Adapted from Saveur Magazine
Lemon-Poppy Polenta Cookies and Sorbet Sandwiches
The polenta gives these cookies an extra-special crunch, the shortening helps them hold their shape. Any good tart sorbet, like boysenberry or
blood-orange, will complement these cookies beautifully.
1 cup instant polenta
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
About 2 pints tart sorbet
Step 1. In a food processor, combine the polenta, 3/4 cup of flour, confectioners' sugar, baking powder and salt and pulse to blend. Add the butter, shortening and lemon zest and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the egg and poppy seeds and pulse just until the dough forms a ball. Pat the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic; refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm.
Step 2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Generously flour a work surface and rolling pin. Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Using a floured 2 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out 28 cookies as close together as possible. Gather the dough scraps together and gently reroll the dough, then stamp out 4 more cookies. Carefully transfer the cookies to 2 ungreased baking sheets.
Step 3. Bake the cookies on the upper and lower racks of the oven for 18 minutes, or until golden; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets. Step 4 To form the sandwiches, scoop about 1/4 cup of the softened sorbet onto each of 16 cookies. Top the sorbet with the remaining cookies, pressing lightly to help evenly spread the sorbet. Set the sandwiches on a baking sheet and freeze for about 1 hour, or until the sorbet is firm.
Adapted from Food and Wine
The Link LonkJuly 30, 2020 at 08:41PM
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Ice cream sandwiches: Freeze the heat with these real cool treats - cleveland.com
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Butter Cookies
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