Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches

 

Who woulda thought you could make crazy delicious Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches at home?!  Well probably everyone so this surely isn’t news.  But, guarantee there will be smiles on everyone's faces.

What is news?  These are a one-bowl wonder, no mixing machines required, no unusual equipment, and really just so super simple!  Albeit, maybe a spot messy but eh who cares.  Delicious and fun!

So wait, you're asking, Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches that are infinitely tastier than the store bought ones filled with airy, gummy ice cream and miles long ingredient list?  Yep!

These taste like actual chocolate, you control the ice cream, the cookie part has a slight familiar (but way better) chew, and with ingredients that you likely have on hand anyway, what’s stopping you?!

Yeah.  Get on this.

By the way, thanks for your patience while I was away.  Everything sucks, completely sucks, I'm feeling not great, and I have not been interested in, well, anything, let alone one of my favorite activities:  baking.  So, my apologies.  But thank you, and thank you for your kind comments.

Hopefully I can stick to my usual schedule of before-times; fingers crossed.  Hopefully.  Please forgive me if I'm not quite there yet.

This was actually the post I had intended to share that week, before my world crashed and burned.

Ok, so.  Back to the Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches. 

I had tried a different recipe years ago that Mike did not like, well, both of us didn't like, so when I said I was going to make ice cream sandwiches, he was apprehensive. 

I get it, he likes the originals, the store bought ones, and hey, I completely get it.  Sometimes they do hit that nostalgic soft spot.  And yeah, they're quite convenient.

Likely we all ate those Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches growing up, or in Mike's case (ok and mine too), as a grown up.  The ice cream truck guy or at a picnic or at home on a warm summer day. 

Tough to beat.  They're nostalgic for sure.

But why not level up and make your own, especially knowing they’re child's play?  Ah, see what I did there?

All you gotta do is mix up the batter real quick, bake, smear, and freeze.  What's simpler? 

And like I said, you control the ice cream so you don't necessarily have to stick vanilla in the middle.  You could do chocolate or Black Cocoa Ice Cream or strawberry or vanilla chip or Mint Chocolate Chip or gah Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream.......gah what the hell, why haven't I done that yet.

Whatever ice cream your heart fancies.  Buy it, make it; either way you're golden.

Granted, this recipe generally makes eight to twelve ice cream sandwiches or uh one giant one ahem, depending on how you cut them but considering the ease with which these come together, ain't no thang to make more if you've got a crowd.  Plus they barely take up any freezer space.

And yes, before you shake your finger at me, this does call for a pint of ice cream plus an additional half cup.  If you buy two pints and have leftovers, make Hot Fudge.  Or Chocolate Syrup.  Or Microwave Caramel Sauce.  Two desserts for the price of one.  You're welcome.

Ok, how easy are these Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches to make?  So.  The steps may seem a lot, but it's really not.  Let's get started.

First, make and bake the giant cookie. 

Melt the butter in a large glass bowl* but be sure not to melt it all the way, maybe two-thirds of the way, then stir to melt the rest.  This way the butter is not too hot.

Toss in the sugar, salt, and milk, whisk* that up nicely. 

Toss in the egg white and the vanilla and be sure to whisk that up real well as the white is globby, likes to stay together.

Next, toss in the cocoa and baking powders.  Ideally use Dutch-process cocoa powder* here since there's baking powder in the mix but natural unsweetened, the kind readily available in stores, is tasty too.  Dutch-process will be more chocolate-y and yeah who doesn't want that?!

Mmk, mix that up then add the flour and gently mix that in with a nonstick spatula* just until you no longer see any flour.

Into your 9x13 metal baking pan,* yes, a cake pan, lay a strip of parchment paper* with the edges overhanging on the two nine inch sides.  Now spread the batter over the whole bottom, nice and even.  An offset spatula* will make this a breeze.

Pop in the oven, pop out of the oven, and pop the pan into the freezer directly.  Oh wait, before doing so, you can poke holes in the top with something like a skewer to mimic the store bought kind's look.  Ok,  now into the freezer.

Yes, horribly blurry, apologies.  This was the least blurry of the bunch but you get the idea.

While you're in that freezer, grab the ice cream and set it out to soften.

Ready to assemble these Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches?  I am, damn I'm hungry.

Ok, remove the giant cookie from the pan, run a knife or that offset spatula around the edges of the paper to release it, then cut it in half across the nine inch dimension. 

Flip half upside down and set it back on half of the parchment and put both back in the baking pan.  Skootch the cookie over up against the side of the pan.

Now the messy part.  Spread your ice cream of choice across the half in the pan, get it even enough, then flip the other cookie half over it.  Fold the parchment up tight against that exposed side and lay it across the top.

Pop the whole thing back in the freezer and pace for four hours waiting for it to set.

I find the easiest way to cut these is with a big knife run under hot water first.  Makes slicing less difficult and the edges nicely crisp and clean.  Or don't slice; go to town on the whole thing, who am I to judge.

You can wrap the cut sandwiches individually if you like, all cute with parchment or wax paper, a nice butcher's twine* tie if you want.  Or just plastic wrap if you're like me with no time for fancy presentation.

You will be hard-pressed to stop cramming these things in your mouth, that I do know.

Happy Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich days to you!

 

*The glass mixing bowls, whisks, Dutch process cocoa powder, nonstick spatulas, baking pans, parchment paper, offset spatulas, and butcher's twine are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.