EASYROME

Home made is better. You can make better ice cream sandwiches than you can buy. The cookie wafer won't be sticky, you can choose your favorite ice cream, and make the sandwich any shape you like. The cookies will be far better than the thin, gooey wafers that you find on commercial ice cream sandwiches. The kids will love them. And they are easy.

Ice Cream Sandwich Recipe or a Mix

The secret is in the wafer cookie. You want crisp, thin wafers that crumble when bit rather than squishing the ice cream out. Both sugar cookies and shortbread cookies make excellent ice cream sandwiches. Or you can use a mix available online.

The following chocolate shortbread cookie recipe works particularly well. It makes thin, dense, rich shortbread cookies that are sturdy but crisp. The cornstarch in the powdered sugar holds the cookie together to make it less crumbly. (If granulated sugar was used, the grains would cut through the butter leaving tiny air pockets that would tend to leaven the cookie and make it less sturdy.) This dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or frozen for two months.

If you like dark, intense chocolate, you can make a richer cookie. Use four ounces of unsweetened chocolate instead of the semisweet chocolate plus two tablespoons powdered sugar.

Ingredients

3 one-ounce squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup butter 1 cup powdered sugar 1 dash salt 4 large egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour

Ice cream

To make the cookies

1. Melt the chocolate and one tablespoon butter in the microwave. Set aside. 2. Cream the remaining butter and powdered sugar together. Add the salt. 3. Add the four egg yolks, beating after each. Add the vanilla. 4. Add the flour in three parts, beating after each addition. 5. Scrape the dough onto a large sheet of waxed paper. Pat the dough into a square or round log. Wrap it in waxed paper and smooth the edges into a uniform log. Refrigerate the log for at least an hour. 6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the dough into 3/16-inch thick slices. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for eight to ten minutes or just until set. Cool on a wire rack.

To assemble the sandwiches

Once the cookies have cooled, fill them with slightly softened ice cream. The top sides of the cookies should be facing out. Use a small spatula to smooth out the ice cream into an even layer and to help smooth up the edges. You can make them as thick or as thin as you like. Place the sandwiches in the freezer until they are completely firm. They will keep in your freezer for up to two weeks.

Dennis Weaver is the president of The Prepared Pantry, a retailer of baking ingredients and kitchen tools. He has written extensively about cooking. "How to Make Ice Cream Sandwiches" is available in the PP free library. Dennis is a professional baker who started baking over 30 years ago. He uses the ice cream sandwich tool kit and cookie mix to make mint ice cream sandwiches. http://www.preparedpantry.com/ice-cream-sandwich-maker.aspx

Article Source: Make Better Ice Cream Sandwiches than You Can Buy