Whether you want to be a star at the Summer Block Party or you are looking for a fun recipe for baking with kids this summer, making homemade ice cream sandwiches is sure to be a new family favorite.
Following are some tips and shortcuts for making and personalizing your own homemade ice cream sandwiches:
* Dress it up: Roll the sides of finished ice cream sandwiches in mini chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, sprinkles, toasted coconut or nuts to add color and texture.
* Take a shortcut: If you are short on time, purchase bakery cookies to use with the homemade strawberry ice cream recipe, below, to build your own ice cream sandwiches.
* Chill out: Keeping your homemade ice cream cold is the secret to a sandwich that won’t fall apart or get soggy. Take the time to re-freeze ice cream between steps - your patience will be rewarded with perfect sandwiches every time.
* Keep them fresh: Wrap each sandwich individually in plastic wrap immediately after building each sandwich. Keep them in the freezer until just before serving.
Ice Cream
(Yield 1½ Quarts)
1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and washed
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Tahitian Pure Vanilla Extract
¼ teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Lemon Extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
In a 4 quart glass measuring cup, add berries, sugar, vanilla and lemon extracts, and salt. Smash with a potato masher; stir in cream and milk; set aside. Assemble ice cream maker. Turn ice cream maker on and pour ice cream mixture into *frozen container. Let mix until ice cream thickens, about 20 minutes.
Transfer ice cream into an air tight container; freeze for several hours, or for a firmer ice cream, freeze overnight. Scoop ice cream, place between 2 cookies and gently press.
Or, for a prefect ice cream round; line a 9x13-inch pan with foil then evenly spread ice cream with a rubber spatula; cover and freeze overnight. Then use a cookie cutter to cut desired diameter of ice cream rounds and place between 2 cookies.
*Follow manufactures directions for freezing container, 24 hours or longer is ideal.
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
(Makes about 3 Dozen)
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
⅓ cup cocoa powder (Dutch processed)
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1¼ sticks) butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1½ tablespoons Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Chocolate Extract
1 egg
¼ cup unsulphured original molasses
¼ sugar to dip glass bottom
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 light-colored heavy baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, cardamom, and salt, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add butter, powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and chocolate extracts; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Beat in egg. Add molasses; beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients in three batches, beating after each addition until combined.
Roll 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheets. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar, lightly press each cookie flat. Bake one sheet pan at a time on center rack until done, about 8-10 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
*Recipe courtesy of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas.
I got out my grandmother's recipe and mixed up all of the cookie ingredients. The first thing I noticed about this vanilla is how sweet it smelled as soon as I took the lid off of the bottle. Yes, I always smell my extracts! When using it in your recipes...1 Tbsp. of vanilla extract = 1 vanilla bean.
After I baked the batch of cookies I gave a few of them to my family to taste-test for me. They all gave them a big two-thumbs up! I sent the rest of the cookies into school for Gia's classmates to enjoy during their party. She came home from school that day with a completely empty cookie container. That means...the cookies were a big hit with the kids!
Next week I am going to try out their vanilla in a few batches of homemade ice cream when we host a little family get-together here at our home. I will share that with all of you next week.
Head on over to the Nielsen-Massey web site to learn more about their fabulous products and to check out all of their delicious recipes that you can find & print out. YUMMY!
Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Shelly did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ. The Shakin N Bakin Blog is not responsible for delivery/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.
