ice cream sandwiches, various sizes

the little ice cream sandwiches are great for little people like Audrey

I’ve been eager to make some ice cream sandwiches to have on hand in the freezer. (not for me, for others! I hate cookies and ice cream- wink wink).  I wanted to have a chocolate/brownie-type cookie for the outside, and I had cappuccino frozen yogurt in the freezer, so I thought it would be a perfect marriage. These cookies are gluten-free, for my gluten-intolerant friends. They taste fabulous, like brownies but in cookie form.  I haven’t tried this recipe with regular flour…I would probably decrease to one egg if I was going to try it with regular all-purpose white flour (and take out the xantham gum).  Obviously, the combination of cookies and ice cream is endless, but I have to say – these cookies, which are double chocolate with pecans, filled with a a thick layer of President’s Choice Frozen Cappuccino yogurt were or-friggin-gasmic, to say the least. So, give them a try, or at least get inspired to make your own combination.  I baked my cookies on a cool day so I didn’t heat up the kitchen. Assemble, wrap and freeze sandwiches individually, and give them at least an hour or two to set up so they aren’t too squishy. What an awesome summer dessert for a bbq or just an amazing snack to pull out of the freezer for the kids or company!  It will elevate you up to ‘rock star’ status for sure. 😉

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies (gluten free)

adapted from A Baking Life 

makes about 4 dozen 2 1/2 inch cookies (24 sandwiches)

2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour

1 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp xantham gum

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened

I cup brown sugar

1 cup white granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with silpats, silicone or parchment paper.

In separate bowl, whisk together first 6  ingredients – (flour through to salt). Set aside.

In large bowl of stand mixer, cream together butter and both sugars, until well blended and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, scraping sides of bowl until well incorporated. Add vanilla and mix.  Add the flour mixture in a few additions until well combined. Using a spatula, fold in pecans and chocolate chips.

Place balls of dough on cookie sheet, flattening slightly. I used a 1 inch cookie scoop, which produced a 2 1/2 inch cookie. You decide if you want dainty small ice cream sandwiches or large ones, or somewhere in between. I found the 2 1/2 inch cookie produced a nice sized sandwich, quite satisfying without being too heavy.  This size required 8 minutes of baking, after which I flattened the cookies down with a pie lifter (see picture) and then  baked for an additional 4 minutes and they were perfect. So about 12 minutes baking time total. Crispy with a chewy center. Adjust your time depending on the size of your cookies.

mix dry ingredients together, set aside.

mix together butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla

fold in choc chips and pecans after mixing flour mixture into batter

1 inch scoop yields a 2 1/2 inch cookie

flatten cookies after 8 minutes of baking, then bake additional 4 minutes

small (2 inch) sandwich - everyone can have one of these!

Anderson gave it 2 thumbs up

3 inch, 2 1/2 inch, 2 inch ice cream sandwiches