The chocolate chip cookie. Soul-mate to a good vanilla ice cream.
I believe the original chocolate chip cookie recipe is attributed to Ruth Wakefield, who gave rights to Nestle in the late 1930’s to use both her recipe and the name “Toll House.” (Do you suppose she imagined it would become so famous?) Ever since, the Chocolate Chip Cookie has been a staple in the kitchens and recipe boxes of home bakers everywhere. For decades, the original recipe has been tweaked and modified to yield different results in the finished cookie. Some chocolate chip cookies are smaller, puffy, and soft. Others are large, chewy, and thick. Yet other recipes yield a thin cookie with crispy edges and a soft center. For more on those differences check out “C Is for Cookie…” Most of us have our favorite recipe. (Ahem…”The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie.”)
However, when the cookie is an ingredient (as in these ice cream sandwiches recipe), it’s important that the attributes of the cookie fit with the overall recipe. For instance, I personally like a big, bakery-style chocolate chip cookie if I’m enjoying it with milk. But if I used my favorite bakery-style recipe for these sandwiches, I’d break a tooth.
Why it Works:
These Classic Chocolate Chip cookies are perfect for ice cream sandwiches because they have good spread, are on the thin side, and have crispy edges. It’s a good cookie to pair with a glass of milk, but they really shine with ice cream. 🙂
When you bake these cookies for use in ice cream sandwiches, be sure to under-bake them a bit. The centers should be set, but slightly soft. Under-baking the cookies will also help ensure a softer bite once the sandwiches are assembled and frozen.
I love making this recipe into big cookies, thus the 1/4 cup spoonfuls. However, that makes a really, really big ice cream sandwich. You may want to cut it in half for a more reasonable portion size. …or maybe not. 😉
Check out those chubby fingers in the corner of this photo. Needless to say, that cookie tower didn’t last. Before long, I was looking into a gleeful, chocolate smeared grin. Life is good, foodie friends.
Gigantic Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches
The best chocolate chip cookies for homemade ice cream sandwiches
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 2 1/2 c. All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 c. Butter, softened in microwave
- 1 c. Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1 c. Chocolate Chips
- 1/2 c. Chopped Nuts (Walnuts or Pecans), optional
For the Ice Cream Sandwiches
- 2 Cookies per sandwich
- 1/2 c. of ice cream per sandwich (use your favorite ice cream)
For the Chocolate Dip
- 3/4 c. Chocolate chips
- 1 Tbs. Coconut oil
- Decoration of your choice (chocolate chips, sprinkles, coconut, nuts, etc)
Directions
To make the cookies:
- In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt). Sift dry ingredients together, or fluff with a fork until completely combined.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- In a stand mixer, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, to the mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
- Carefully add dry ingredients from step 1, and mix to combine.
- Add chocolate chips and chopped nuts to the cookie dough, and hand mix to incorporate.
- Drop 1/4 c. spoonfuls of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. (These make pretty big cookies!) Bake at 350F for 12-14 minutes, or until golden (and slightly soft in the centers).
- Let cookies cool.
To assemble the cookie sandwiches:
- Scoop ice cream onto the flat (bottom) side of one cookie. Gently place second cookie on top, like a sandwich. When finished making the cookie sandwiches, place them onto a baking sheet and transfer them to the freezer.
- Freeze sandwiches several hours or overnight. Once ice cream freezes hard, they are ready for the chocolate dip!
To add the chocolate dip:
- In a small bowl, mix together the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Remove sandwiches from freezer, working with them one at a time to prevent them from melting too quickly. Dip half of the sandwich into the melted chocolate and top with your sprinkles (or other decorations). Set the dipped sandwich on the waxed paper until the chocolate has set.
- Return the sandwiches to the freezer until you are ready for a treat!
I love when ice cream sandwiches are covered in chocolate