PLAY IT COOL
Get creative with DIY ice cream sandwiches
Few frozen treats are as beloved as the ice cream sandwich. You know the kind: rectangular, wrapped in paper, a simple combination of stick-to-your-fingers chocolate wafers and vanilla ice cream.
But while it’s easy enough to grab a box of them at the grocery store, why not try building your own using all the other ready-to-eat components at your fingertips?
DIY ice cream sandwiches are customizable, not to mention fun and a perfect outlet for culinary creativity.
Take a cue from Brandon Byrd, owner of Washington’s Goodies Frozen Custard and Treats, which has featured sandwiches made with such unexpected components as Pop-Tarts and MoonPies, rum cake and red velvet doughnuts.
“I like the ‘wow’ factor,” he says. “I like creating things that most people wouldn’t do.”
Pastry chef Meredith Tomason, owner of Washington bakery RareSweets, suggests a few things to think about as you roam the supermarket aisles. Make sure your cookie and ice cream flavours complement each other and that one doesn’t wash out the other.
“It’s like romance,” she says. “You have to find the right balance.”
She emphasizes texture. Will your exterior get too soggy and fall apart? Or will you crack a tooth on the mix-ins of the ice cream?
She also recommends making the sandwiches well in advance.
That way you can enjoy your party, too, non-squishy ice cream sandwich in hand. Place them on a small baking sheet and freeze until firm, then wrap them individually in wax paper, label and freeze in airtight containers rather than zip-top bags; this will help the sandwiches retain their shape.
Here are some flavour combinations to get you started.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE AND VANILLA ICE CREAM:
A classic pairing, reminiscent of the childhood favourite Chipwich. Any buttery version will do.
We achieved perfect rounds by slicing very firm pints of ice cream into horizontal slabs and punching out circles with a cookie or biscuit cutter (use the scraps in shakes or for snacking). This is much easier with ice cream packed in cardboard cartons that can first be peeled off or cut away.
A slightly messier option: Scoop slightly softened ice cream to press between the cookies.
TWINKIES WITH CARAMEL ICE CREAM:
The cream-stuffed packaged pastry is a favourite of Byrd’s. There’s certainly a novelty factor there, and you can make it more sophisticated by pairing it with a slightly bitter caramel ice cream. Get creative with what you dip the softened ice cream edges in — sprinkles, sure, but also try cookie crumbles, mini chocolate chips and/or finely chopped nuts.
Keep the rounded edges of the Twinkies or trim for a rectangular shape.
RICE KRISPIES TREATS WITH CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM:
Combining the small, storebought bricks (original or chocolate varieties) with chocolate peanut butter ice cream makes for an appealing nostalgia trip. Cut them in half horizontally and fill with rectangles of ice cream created by slicing a naked pint vertically into planks.
We liked that these treats firmed up in the freezer, but were still easy to eat.
VANILLA POUND CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM:
The cake’s mild-tasting canvas provides another opportunity for showcasing your favourite flavour of ice cream, though you can’t go wrong with a good chocolate ice cream.
Quickly searing the cake in a grill pan firms it up and adds toasty flavour. The cake will not completely harden in the freezer, but the contrast between that and the firmer ice cream makes this a winner. Trim the edges for a neat appearance.
BROWNIES WITH MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM:
In this riff on a classic flavour pairing, we came to appreciate the freezing quality of higher-fat ice cream: Think Häagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry’s and those labelled “premium.” The gelato we used did not freeze as firmly — perhaps because of its lower-fat content. It was not sliceable when we released it from its plastic container.
Our best solution was to place a rightsize square cookie cutter directly on the bottom of a brownie cut in half horizontally.
We filled the cutter with gelato, which we levelled with a spoon, then lifted off the cutter, gently pressed on the remaining brownie half and quickly transferred each one to the freezer to set. Trim the sandwiches before wrapping them up.
SUGAR COOKIES WITH A SPICED ICE CREAM:
We grabbed sugar cookies from the bakery and paired them with a pint of cinnamon gelato. The relatively plain cookie let the aromatic filling shine.
Again, we used a cookie cutter to punch out rounds of ice cream. Although freezing the sandwiches in advance is best, you can make this a quick-assembly DIY treat for your guests by offering them sliced rounds of ice cream that have been frozen overnight on a lined baking sheet.