Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

I have a problem with thieves. Dessert thieves, to be exact. And some of the desserts stolen aren't even finished being made! This isn't a new thing, either.

First it was Olive Garden breadsticks (yes, I know, not dessert, but still stolen), then donuts, then chocolate cupcakes – and now three chocolate cookies that were destined to become ice cream sandwiches, stolen from the counter that I thought we had made clear was the no-eating counter.

Apparently not.

I suppose this says something about how good the food is, but I would rather not have my plans tangled with.

This time, however, the thief was not my brother. It was my dad. I can see why he couldn't stop at one cookie...these cookies are crunchy with a rich chocolate flavor. Even so, they are better with ice cream! And I would have had 24 of these delicious sandwiches and a cookie for Dad to eat, but instead we are left with 23 sandwiches, some extra ice cream, and a thief.

Although time consuming, these ice cream sandwiches are a real treat! If you don't have much time (or an ice cream maker) you can also use store bought ice cream.

We sandwiched homemade mint chcolate chip ice cream between the cookies, and it was a great choice! The crunchiness of the chocolate cookies and chocolate chips together with the minty creaminess of the ice cream blended to create the perfect sandwich!

With one week left until school starts, these are the perfect summer treat (though a little difficult to eat because of the crispness of the cookies)!

Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

Makes: 24 2-inch diameter sandwiches

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cookies:

12 Tbs. butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup dark cocoa powder

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Extra flour and cocoa for dusting

Ice cream:

2 quarts ice cream (homemade or store bought)

Directions:

Ice Cream:

1. Line a 9 x 13" pan with plastic wrap. Spread softened ice cream evenly in pan, then cover with more plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 12 hours.

Chocolate Cookies:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the cocoa powder and reduce speed to low, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

3. On medium speed, beat in the vanilla and egg.

4. Mix in the flour on low speed until well combined.

5. Wrap cookie dough in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 4 hours.

6. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF.

7. In a small bowl, make a mixture of enough cocoa powder and flour (50/50) to dust the surface of the counter to prevent sticking (the cocoa powder will keep the cookies dark brown once baked).

8. Remove dough from refrigerator; if it is rock hard, allow it to warm up a little bit. Roll out dough until about 1/8" thick. Cut into desired shapes; the cookie cutter used to cut the cookies will also be used to cut the ice cream.

9. Place cookies on a parchment paper or silpat-lined cookie sheet. The cookies do not spread much in the oven so do not worry about crowding them. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

10. Cool cookies completely on wire racks before assembling the ice cream sandwiches.

Ice Cream Sandwich Assembly:

1. Remove ice cream from freezer and allow to soften for 5 minutes. Remove the top layer of plastic wrap.

2. Using the same cookie cutter as used for the cookies, cut out the ice cream, and use a spoon to remove it from the pan if needed. Sandwich the ice cream between two cookies.

3. Return sandwiches to freezer until firm, then eat.

Recipe from: http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.ru/2010/04/perfect-ice-cream-sandwich.html