Make the ice cream sandwich of your dreams
Some assembly may be required to enjoy these frozen treats
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 Goodie’s 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.”
Want to sandwich Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food between halved Entenmann’s chocolate-frosted doughnuts? Go for it. Or maybe you’re feeling like Häagen-Dazs Sweet Cream Coffee Caramel between Pepperidge Farm’s lacy, chocolate sandwich Brussels cookies. We’re not
judging you. In fact, we’re applauding you.
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 flavors 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 (check that your freezer is at its coldest setting!). After playing around with our own creations, we agree.
That way you can enjoy your party, too, nonsquishy 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 ziptop bags; this will help the sandwiches retain their shape.
Here are some flavor combinations to get you started, along with lessons we learned.
Twinkies with caramel ice cream
The cream-stuffed packaged pastry is a favorite of Byrd’s. There’s certainly a novelty factor there, and you can make the lunch-bag staple 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. Either way, pre-cutting the ice cream itself would have been tricky here, so we used a small disher to drop three dollops onto the cake, spreading them with an offset spatula.