STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM CHOCOLATE HEART SANDWICHES: National Strawberry Ice Cream Day

Today is Strawberry Ice Cream Day. This seems a little odd coming in the middle of January, but ice cream is great all year round, so why not?

I chose a recipe for today's holiday that will also be great for Valentine's Day, so be sure and bookmark it. Recipe is from Martha Stewart. Her recipe calls for homemade vanilla, which is really lovely, but if you don't have time for that, you can always use whatever vanilla you have.  I have lots of heart shaped cookie cutters, but you can use any cookie-cutter shape you'd like for these ice cream sandwiches. I especially like strawberry ice cream that has bits of strawberry in it. Much richer and luscious.

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM CHOCOLATE HEART SANDWICHES

Ingredients 
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 -1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp milk 

2 to 2 1/2 pints strawberry ice cream, softened

Directions
In medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, vanilla, and sugar. Add eggs and milk, and mix until combined. Add reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping sides of bowl at least once.
Divide dough in half, and shape each half into flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out on floured surface, sliding offset spatula under the dough to release every few turns of rolling pin. Roll dough to 1/8 inch thick.
Cut dough using variety of heart-shape cookie cutters 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, making sure each cookie has a match to make a sandwich.
Place hearts on parchment-lined baking sheet; chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator; use fork to prick the cookies all over with holes. Bake until just firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet; transfer to a wire rack.
With underside of half cookies face up, spoon softened strawberry ice cream about 1/2 inch thick to cover one side. Place matching cookie on top of ice cream, top side facing out. Transfer immediately to freezer to harden; repeat with remaining cookies and ice cream. Serve directly from freezer.
Sandwiches can be kept stored in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 to 4 days.

S'MORES ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Ice Cream sandwiches are perfect for summer, and since today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, here's an easy recipe from Betty Crocker that's a twist on S'mores: S'mores Ice Cream Sandwiches. This recipe feeds a crowd! Invite the neighbors.

S'MORES ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Ingredients
32 graham cracker squares
1/2 cup Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup Marshmallow creme (or Marshmallow Fluff)
1/2 gallon brick-style chocolate ice cream

Directions
Arrange 16 of the graham crackers in bottom of ungreased jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch. Spread chocolate frosting on top of each cracker. Spread marshmallow creme on one side of remaining crackers.
Cut ice cream crosswise into four 3/4-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into fourths to make 16 pieces. (Freeze remaining ice cream for another use.) Place one ice cream piece on each cracker in pan. Top with remaining crackers, marshmallow sides down, pressing lightly.
Cover and freeze about 2 hours or until firm. Wrap each sandwich in foil or plastic wrap; store in freezer.

S'MORES ICE CREAM SANDWICHES: National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Today's National Ice Cream Sandwich Day! Ice Cream sandwiches are perfect for summer! Here's an easy recipe from Betty Crocker that's a twist on S'mores: S'mores Ice Cream Sandwiches. This recipe feeds a crowd! Invite the neighbors.

S'MORES ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Ingredients
32 graham cracker squares
1/2 cup Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup Marshmallow creme (or Marshmallow Fluff)
1/2 gallon brick-style chocolate ice cream

Directions
Arrange 16 of the graham crackers in bottom of ungreased jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch. Spread chocolate frosting on top of each cracker. Spread marshmallow creme on one side of remaining crackers.
Cut ice cream crosswise into four 3/4-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into fourths to make 16 pieces. (Freeze remaining ice cream for another use.) Place one ice cream piece on each cracker in pan. Top with remaining crackers, marshmallow sides down, pressing lightly.
Cover and freeze about 2 hours or until firm. Wrap each sandwich in foil or plastic wrap; store in freezer.

Photo: Betty Crocker

CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM SANDWICHES: National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

I've posted lots of easy Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich recipes including one for making your own Chipwich, but here's another recipe from Martha Stewart for a very sturdy chocolate chip cookie which is essential for chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches. I'm always looking for new chocolate chip cookie recipes.

One change I would make is to use either Chocolate Chip Ice Cream or in my case Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. One other TIP for making ice cream sandwiches is to soften the ice cream and use a cookie cutter to get the size you want rather than just spreading on the cookie. This is great because when you squeeze, ever so lightly, you'll have a perfect center with very little cookie crumbling.

And, of course, you can use packaged big chocolate chip cookies if you're in a hurry.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
1 pint Ben & Jerry's Jerry Garcia ice cream (or whatever you like)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center.
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Using  electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add sour cream, egg, and vanilla; beat until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; mix in 1 cup chocolate chips.
Using 1 rounded tablespoon per cookie, drop mounds of dough, about 1 1/2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. (You'll have 25 to 30 cookies.) Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes; transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Scatter remaining chocolate chips on a plate. Place about 2 tablespoons ice cream between 2 cookies--or cut a chunk of ice cream using a cookie cutter the approximate size-pressing slightly until ice cream exceeds or matches the size of the cookies, bottoms facing in; press gently.
Roll sides of each sandwich in chips. (If ice cream is melting, place sandwiches in freezer until firm enough to roll in chips.) Transfer sandwiches onto baking sheets. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours; then wrap individually in plastic.
Freeze up to 2 weeks.

BROWNIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES: National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

I've subscribed to Sunset Magazine forever. I love this 'Western' magazine for its home and travel tips and, of course, for the recipes! Over the years the recipes have changed from using heavy ingredients to producing lighter, healthier fare. Chocolate has been a constant, and the writers and editors at Sunset are always discovering new and delicious combinations.

So, since today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, I thought I'd post this fabulous twist on the ice cream sandwich from Sunset -- Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches. You can even freeze these for up to a week. If you plan to make brownies anyway, this is a great way to elevate them!

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Brownies

Ingredients
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt

1 pint ice cream, softened (any flavor you like--I love Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, but vanilla is great, too)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
In medium pot, bring 1 inch water to simmer. Put chocolate and butter in a medium metal bowl and set bowl over pot, being careful not to let bottom of bowl touch water. Heat until chocolate is almost completely melted, then add sugar and eggs and mix thoroughly. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt, then add to chocolate mixture, stirring well. Pour batter into a greased 10- by 15-in. baking pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Invert brownie sheet onto work surface and cut into 1 1/2-inch squares; arrange on pan.
Freeze brownies 30 minutes.
During last 10 minutes, remove ice cream from freezer to soften.

Working in batches, scoop 1 heaping Tbsp ice cream onto half of brownie squares. Set remaining squares, shiny side up, on top of ice cream and press gently.

Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Straighten tops of brownies and trim oozing ice cream with paring knife if you like. Freeze, covered, up to 1 week.

Photo: Sunset Magazine, Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Karen Shinto

Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Heart Sandwiches

Photo: MarthaStewart.com

Today is Strawberry Ice Cream Day. This is a little odd coming in the middle of a cold January, but ice cream is available all year round, so why not?

I chose a recipe for today's holiday that will also be great for Valentine's Day, so be sure and bookmark it. Recipe is from Martha Stewart. Her recipe calls for homemade vanilla, which is really lovely, but if you don't have time for that, you can always use whatever vanilla you have. I will be doing a post on vanilla in the near future. I have lots of heart shaped cookie cutters, but you can use and cookie-cutter shape you'd like for these ice cream sandwiches. I especially like strawberry ice cream that has bits of strawberry in it. Much richer and luscious.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM HEART SANDWICHES

Ingredients 
2 - 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 -1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp milk
2 to 2 1/2 pints strawberry ice cream, softened

Directions
In medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, vanilla, and sugar. Add eggs and milk, and mix until combined. Add reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping sides of bowl at least once.
Divide dough in half, and shape each half into flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out on floured surface, sliding offset spatula under the dough to release every few turns of rolling pin. Roll dough to 1/8 inch thick.
Cut dough using variety of heart-shape cookie cutters 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, making sure each cookie has a match to make a sandwich.
Place hearts on parchment-lined baking sheet; chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator; use fork to prick the cookies all over with holes. Bake until just firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet; transfer to a wire rack.
With underside of half cookies face up, spoon softened strawberry ice cream about 1/2 inch thick to cover one side. Place matching cookie on top of ice cream, top side facing out. Transfer immediately to freezer to harden; repeat with remaining cookies and ice cream. Serve directly from freezer.
Sandwiches can be kept stored in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 to 4 days.

Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Heart Sandwiches

Photo: MarthaStewart.com

Today is Strawberry Ice Cream Day. This is a little odd coming in the middle of a cold January, but ice cream is available all year round, so why not? I chose a recipe for today's holiday that will also be great for Valentine's Day, so be sure and bookmark it. Recipe is from Martha Stewart. Her recipe calls for homemade vanilla, which is really lovely, but if you don't have time for that, you can always use whatever vanilla you have. I will be doing a post on vanilla in the near future. I have lots of heart shaped cookie cutters, but you can use and cookie-cutter shape you'd like for these ice cream sandwiches. I especially like strawberry ice cream that has bits of strawberry in it. Much richer and luscious.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM HEART SANDWICHES

Ingredients 
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 -1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp milk 2 to 2 1/2 pints strawberry ice cream, softened

Directions
In medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, vanilla, and sugar. Add eggs and milk, and mix until combined. Add reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping sides of bowl at least once.
Divide dough in half, and shape each half into flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out on floured surface, sliding offset spatula under the dough to release every few turns of rolling pin. Roll dough to 1/8 inch thick.
Cut dough using variety of heart-shape cookie cutters 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, making sure each cookie has a match to make a sandwich.
Place hearts on parchment-lined baking sheet; chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator; use fork to prick the cookies all over with holes. Bake until just firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet; transfer to a wire rack.
With underside of half cookies face up, spoon softened strawberry ice cream about 1/2 inch thick to cover one side. Place matching cookie on top of ice cream, top side facing out. Transfer immediately to freezer to harden; repeat with remaining cookies and ice cream. Serve directly from freezer.
Sandwiches can be kept stored in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 to 4 days.

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches!

Photo: Sunset Magazine, Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Karen Shinto

I've subscribed to Sunset Magazine forever. I love this 'Western' magazine for its home and travel tips and, of course, for the recipes! Over the years the recipes have changed from using heavy ingredients to producing lighter, healthier fare. Chocolate has been a constant, and the writers and editors at Sunset are always discovering new and delicious combinations.

So, since today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, I thought I'd post this fabulous twist on the ice cream sandwich from Sunset -- Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches. You can even freeze these for up to a week. If you plan to make brownies anyway, this is a great way to elevate them!

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Brownies

Ingredients
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt

1 pint ice cream, softened (any flavor you like--I love Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, but vanilla is great, too)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
In medium pot, bring 1 inch water to simmer. Put chocolate and butter in a medium metal bowl and set bowl over pot, being careful not to let bottom of bowl touch water. Heat until chocolate is almost completely melted, then add sugar and eggs and mix thoroughly. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt, then add to chocolate mixture, stirring well. Pour batter into a greased 10- by 15-in. baking pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Invert brownie sheet onto work surface and cut into 1 1/2-inch squares; arrange on pan.
Freeze brownies 30 minutes.
During last 10 minutes, remove ice cream from freezer to soften.

Working in batches, scoop 1 heaping Tbsp ice cream onto half of brownie squares. Set remaining squares, shiny side up, on top of ice cream and press gently.

Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Straighten tops of brownies and trim oozing ice cream with paring knife if you like. Freeze, covered, up to 1 week.

S'mores Ice Cream Sandwiches and more!

Today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day. Every day can be a gourmet ice cream sandwich day as long as you have great cookies and great ice cream. One of my favorite ice cream sandwiches is made with Dark Chocolate Pepperidge Farm cookies and Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice-cream. How easy is that?  Try it with Chocolate Cookies and Chunky Monkey Ice Cream, too.

You can always make your own cookies and ice cream, but putting good quality cookies together with wonderful ice cream works well and is fast and easy. Hint: depends how big your cookies are, but you can cut a softened chunk of ice cream using a cookie cutter the approximate size of the cookie. Press lightly until ice cream matches or is just a bit bigger than the size of the cookies, bottoms facing in. Roll the sides of each sandwich in chocolate chips. (If ice cream is melting, place sandwiches in freezer until firm enough to roll in chips.) Transfer sandwiches onto baking sheets. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours

Here's a link to Two Ice Cream Sandwich recipes I've posted:

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich 

Peppermint Patty Ice Cream Sandwiches

And here's another! Summertime is all about S'mores on the Grill, but these S'mores Ice Cream Sandwiches from AllYou July 2008 are frozen, easy and delicious! Graham Crackers work well in ice cream sandwiches because they're sturdy when you make the sandwiches, but then they soften up when you freeze them. I will admit that I usually have a jar of Marshmallow Fluff in the pantry for times like this. Using Rocky Road Ice Cream is perfect in these S'mores Ice Cream Sandwiches, but as always, use what you have. I always have high quality dark chocolate on hand, but if you want a more traditional S'mores, chop up a Hershey Bar!

S'mores Ice Cream Sandwiches
Makes 8 sandwiches (because 1 is not enough!)

Ingredients
8 graham crackers, broken in half
1/2 cup Marshmallow Fluff
1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (65-75% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped
1 pint rocky road ice cream, softened

Directions
Spread 8 graham cracker halves with Marshmallow Fluff and set aside.
 Put dark chocolate in microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for about 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. With a spatula or knife, spread melted chocolate on remaining 8 graham cracker halves. Let cool slightly.
Spoon 1/4 cup softened Rocky Road ice cream onto each marshmallow-topped cracker.
Top with chocolate-covered graham, chocolate side down, pressing gently.
Serve immediately, or wrap in plastic and return to freezer.
Sandwiches will keep, frozen, for 2 days.

Celebrate Ice Cream Sandwich Day!

Peppermint Patty Ice Cream Sandwiches

I love ice-cream sandwiches, and I couldn't get over how much those Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cookies I wrote about yesterday looked like an Ice-Cream sandwich, so I thought I'd try making one. Here are a few variations based on my original ice-cream sandwich recipe.

Peppermint Patty Ice Cream Sandwiches

For the holidays and to continue the Chocolate Peppermint theme, take 6 big Chocolate Chunky Cookies (Pepperidge Farm Brownie is what I use, but any big firm chocolate cookie will work).
Lay out 6 cookies, flat side up.
Scoop slightly softened peppermint ice-cream onto the cookies.
Using a butter knife spread the ice cream to the edge.
Cover with another cookie, flat side down.
Spread smashed pieces of candy canes on a plate.
Roll the sides of the sandwich in the candy cane pieces until covered.
Wrap each sandwich and freeze.

Peppermint ice cream seems to be seasonal these days. When I grew up it was a year-round flavor. On long turnpike trips, my family would stop at the Howard Johnson's, and I would order Peppermint Ice Cream. It was the reward, I guess, for not fighting with my sister. Peppermint was my favorite. I know, a big surprise for a chocoholic. Maybe I developed the love of chocolate later?

For the ice-cream in the ice-cream sandwiches, Haagen-Dazs has a Peppermint Bark Ice Cream that's a rich white chocolate ice cream blended with crunchy dark and white chocolate peppermint bark and peppermint candy pieces. It's fabulous! Available September through December, so get some in the freezer now.

Baskin-Robbins has Peppermint as a flavor of the month. Peppermint Ice Cream with pieces of pink peppermint candy.

Dreyer's has a silky cool Peppermint ice cream mixed with pieces of peppermint candy. I think Edy's is the name of the same brand in other areas of the U.S.

Ben & Jerry's used to have Peppermint Schtick. It's a retired flavor, but you can always send them an email and ask for its return.

Check out your favorite local ice cream shop for Peppermint ice-cream. I bet they'll have some yummy ones. It's the season. Enjoy!

Easy Ice Cream Sandwiches

Easy Ice Cream Sandwiches

Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich with Chocolate Cookies

Freeze 12 Big Chocolate chunky cookies (I use Pepperidge Farm Brownie cookies) that you've frozen at least a day ahead of time or some of your own chocolate fudgy cookies.
Lay out 6 of the cookies, flat side up.
Scoop strawberry ice cream (I like Ben & Jerry's Strawberry ice cream) onto the cookies.
Using a butter knife gently spread ice cream to the edge.
Layer fresh strawberries cut into small pieces onto the ice cream. (sometimes I use thick strawberry preserves if fresh aren't available)
Cover with another cookie, flat side down.
Press down lightly. Repeat with other cookies.
Spread chocolate chips or small pieces of broken chocolate on a plate.
Roll the sides of the sandwich in the chocolate chips until covered.
Wrap each sandwich and freeze.

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream Sandwich with Chocolate Cookies
I'm a big fan of chocolate and bananas. My particular favorite ice cream is banana with chocolate chunks and walnuts: Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Monkey (Fairtrade). Repeat as above, leaving the strawberries out and substituting the banana chocolate chunk ice cream.

Let's face it. Almost any good ice cream would work. Try Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Macadamia or Cherry Garcia or Mint Chocolate Chunk.

So none of this is really home-made, although you always have that option. These taste treats are fast, easy and delicious. The chocolate 'chips' I add are premium high end dark chocolate from the best chocolate makers! Really adds to the taste.

No photos. The last batch was eaten before I could find the camera or the phone.

Yum!!!