Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches

Today I'm posting another Lindsey Special -- just like the Nutella Ice Cream and Nutella Brownies. On New Year's Eve, Lindsey brought over gingerbread cookie dough she had made the night before. It was perfectly chilled and ready to be made into what you see above. She also brought her ice cream maker . . . and THIS TIME the barrel was sufficiently frozen.

It didn't take long for us to get to work . . .


Even if you don't have an ice cream maker -- the gingerbread cookies are worth a bake -- just make sure you read the directions first, as they call for you to chill the dough for 4 hours or overnight (just FYI -- I usually skip this step, but thought I'd include it for any purists out there). They're tiny and crispy. Perfect for a nice, but small dessert . . . if you're trying to watch your sugar these days. (Which it seems most people are.)

What you'll need . . . (for the cookie dough, recipe originally from Pardon My Crumbs)

• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

(Want to make 'em vegan? It's possible -- just check out these common substitutions in baking.)




Method . . .

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.
2. In another large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer (or just use your stand mixer) on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add molasses and egg to wet ingredients; beat well.
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.
5. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a nonstick Silpat sheet.
7. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. (Christie from Pardon My Crumbs found it was easiest to cut the gingerbread dough into 1" strips, then into 1" squares and then roll them between her hands -- we used the same method.)
8. Once they resemble 1" balls, roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
9. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown.
10. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. AND MAKE THE ICE CREAM (below...)

What you'll need for the vanilla ice cream . . .

• Ice cream maker
• 2 cups heavy cream (chilled)
• 1 c whole milk (chilled -- we actually used soy milk because that's all I had)
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

(Silk makes a great vegan soy heavy cream that would work wonderfully in this recipe. Try it out if you're vegan!)

Method . . .

1. Place ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and combine until well blended.
2. Prepare according to machine's instructions (Lindsey's calls for mixing between 20 and 25 minutes).
3. Rock out with your best friend while you wait . . .
   

ASSEMBLE YOUR SANDWICHES: Take one cooled gingerbread cookie and top with a heaping tablespoon of vanilla ice cream. Top that with another gingerbread cookie. I found it was a quick process . . . and not necessarily because it was easy. No, it was, instead, a necessity -- the ice cream melts relatively quickly. That's why you'll want to chill these guys a bit before eating. (Of course, you can have some right away -- but to let everything firm up, I recommend putting them in the freezer for an hour or so.)

Thanks, Lindsey! If you haven't yet, check out the Something for Nothing Giveaway. You still have until 9:00PM tomorrow (EST -- Thursday) to enter!

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