Ice Cream Sandwich Series Part 2

Welcome back!

I’m so happy you’re here! If you’re just visiting, Tuesday we started the beginning of Ice Cream Sandwich Week!

Like I stated in Tuesday’s post, I have decided to have 3 separate posts because 1. things were getting too long and 2. each of these posts can be their own thing (separate from ice cream sandwich making).

Day Two: The Cookie

When I was thinking up cookies to go along my coconut ice cream, I knew I wanted something subtle in flavor. I didn’t want to take away from the sweet coconut flavor I had really emphasized in my ice cream, so I knew something like chocolate chip (although delicious) wouldn’t do. Sugar cookies though, now that might work. What a perfect combo!

So I ran to my favorite cookie recipe book and searched thoroughly. Sure enough, trusty old Martha came through with flying colors.

I decided to try her “Old Fashioned Sugar Cookie” recipe because of it’s simplicity in ingredients and classic quality it holds.

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies book

Makes approx 21 cookies, when using a 1 1/2″ scoop (Enough for 10 of our Ice Cream Sandwiches)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 oz vanilla sugar

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 stick (4oz) butter (room temp)

1 egg (room temp)

1 1/4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (room temp)

1/4 cup vanilla sugar (for rolling)

First things first, preheat your oven to 350*F. Get your sheet pan(s) ready as well. For these cookies, I used a silpat, but feel free to use parchment paper! Just watch the bottoms of your cookies :)

Next, get your mixer out (I guess you can do this by hand- you’ll develop serious muscles!) and cream your room temperature butter and sugars with a paddle attachment. While your butter/sugars are creaming, sift together your flour, baking soda, and salt.

Once your butter mix is light and fluffy, add your room temperature egg. Mix well and scrape down bowl. Mix again.

Add your zest and your lemon juice; mix and scrape bowl again :)

Lastly, on a slow speed, add your flour mix and beat until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, this will make a tough cookie (and not in a good way).

For my ice cream sandwich cookies, I used a 1 1/2″ ice cream scoop. Feel free to use whatever you want, but keep in mind using something different will change the amount of cookies you get AND might alter the baking time.

Scoop dough, place mound into hands and roll around until smoothed out and a ball forms. Next, roll your little ball into that remaining 1/4 cup vanilla sugar! Place on a cookie sheet about 2″ apart from each other. They will flatten out. For my standard 1/2 sheet pan (what you probably have at home) I baked 12 cookies.

Once all your dough is formed into balls, place in oven and bake about 15 minutes. What you’re looking for is a flattened out cookie, cracking on the top and slightly golden brown around the edges. This will make a chewy cookie (perfect for ice cream sandwiches). If you want them a little crispier, bake another minute or two.

Let cool completely!

Now here you can either be done and enjoy some seriously delicious sugar cookies, or you can save them (maybe in an air tight container) for your sam’mich making. I snuck one away and shared with Bill. It was absolutely delightful, especially with green tea. They were chewy with the slightest vanilla sugar crust. Slightly lemony and totally awesome. I wanted more. I wanted to ravenously eat them all. But I knew sandwiches were the goal…so I held off. I’ll have to make more.

See you next Tuesday for the conclusion to Ice Cream Sandwich Series!!! ;)