These ice cream sandwiches not only show the love, but taste AMAZING, and may be my new favorite dessert. Perfect little chocolate sugar cookies filled with strawberry ice cream will make any day special. I used heart cookie cutters for Valentine's Day, although they most likely won't last that long in the freezer now that the family knows of their existence!
Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches
Makes 9 sandwiches
1 1/3 cups gluten free 1:1 flour (Bob's Red Mill worked great)
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons milk
1 pint strawberry ice cream
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Add vanilla, egg, and milk and beat well. Add flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut dough using a heart shaped cookie cutter. Place hearts on parchment lined baking sheets and chill in the refrigerator about 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and use a fork to prick all over with holes. Bake until just firm, 12-15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet; transfer to a wire rack. Spoon strawberry ice cream onto the undersides of half the cookies. Place a cookie on top. Transfer to freezer to harden; repeat with all the cookies. Serve from the freezer. Keep in an airtight container.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, vanilla, an egg, milk, and strawberry ice cream.
Whisk or sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together 6 tablespoons butter with 3/4 cup sugar. Add 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 1/2 teaspoons milk. Mix to combine.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth and thick. Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. On a sheet of parchment dusted with GF flour, roll out the dough to about 1/8" thickness. Use cookie cutter of choice to cut the dough. Place on baking sheet covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Reroll any dough scraps to get more cookies. Place the tray of cut out dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator and poke holes in the cookies with a fork.
Bake for 12-13 minutes or until set. Let them cool for a few minutes on the pan.
Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. This dough keeps it's shape really well!
Once the cookies are completely cooled, scoop softened ice cream onto the underside of one cookie, then sandwich it with another cookie. Immediately place in the freezer on a tray to harden. Repeat with all the cookies. My size of heart cookie cutter made enough for 9 sandwiches (18 cookies).
After they harden, you can keep them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, or wrap them individually in plastic wrap. When you want to eat one, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes and it will be just perfect. They are so fun for Valentine's Day!
My son was so excited because he'd never had an ice cream sandwich before. Homemade ice cream sandwiches taste WAY BETTER too!
Besides the chilling time, these really come together quite easily. You can mix things up with different ice cream flavors, or just dip these cute chocolate hearts in milk. Enjoy!
Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe
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