Ice Cream Sandwiches

Whether wading into a pool, diving off a boat, or jumping off a pier, we grew up constantly in the water. While we always loved staying active, we also looked forward to break time with a frozen treat at the snack bar. Depending on our mood, we often opted for frozen fruit bars, Italian Ice, mini sundaes, or the always popular, La Chip. You can’t beat two gigantic chocolate chip cookies filled with vanilla ice cream and rolled in mini chocolate chips. The perfect sweet treat.

Although we’re not always fortunate to have a daily ice cream break, we decided to celebrate our childhood dessert with our own take on a La Chip. Our version pairs refreshing SoCo Creamery’s (a family run microcreamery in the Berkshires) Mint Chip sandwiched between two freshly baked Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies (adapted from Food52).

Double Chocolate Espresso Mint Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 c granulated sugar
1 c light brown sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 T instant espresso powder (we like Lavazza’s)
12 oz semisweet chocolate chunks
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (we like SoCo Creamery’s Mint Chip)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at time, and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder).

With the electric mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Mix to create a combined, sticky batter. Then, stir in the chocolate chocolate chunks with a wooden spoon.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop balls of dough on a lined baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart. Bake until set, about 12-14 minutes.Cool on a wire rack and repeat with the remaining dough.

To assemble the sandwiches, take one cooled cookie and top with a large scoop of slightly softened ice cream. Top the ice cream with another cookie and press gently together. Place the sandwiches on a tray in the freezer for 25-30 minutes to set before serving.

Keep these decadent ice cream sandwiches in your freezer all summer long for a frozen afternoon treat!