It just keeps getting hotter. I think to myself, There’s no way it’ll get any hotter than this. Then it does. Plus, it hasn’t rained much and when it eventually does the rain comes with the price of disgusting humidity.
To be honest, I would like it if the oven wasn’t on all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I love baking but it doesn’t help with the overheating problem. I should probably be working on some no bake desserts, but I always feel like those aren’t very good. If you’re going to make a baked good, it seems like you should have to turn on your stove or oven. So we shall struggle through the heat.
But you know what helps get through these hot days? Ice cream. And better still, some ice cream sandwiches.
Now, I have to be completely honest with you. These were inspired by a lip balm. That might sound bad, but let me explain. My mom has had this vintage lip balm tin on her dresser since I was a baby. When I was a toddler, I always felt so fancy wearing it because it was tinted (gasp). But really, I wore it because I liked the way it smelled. I still use it from time to time now. The scent in question was mocha rose. It struck me a few months ago that that might make an interesting ice cream flavor, so here we are.
Describe these Sandwiches to Me
Taste: There are two main flavors going on here. You have the sweet ice cream, flavored with rose water for the perfect floral touch, and speckled with vanilla bean. Then the cookies are filled with rich cocoa and warming espresso for a perfect bittersweet contrast to the ice cream.
Texture: The ice cream is fluffy and soft, despite being a no churn recipe. For the cookies, they will be a little soft right out of the oven. This is perfect because when we freeze them, they won’t be rock hard.
Ease: It might look hard to make your own ice cream sandwich from scratch, but I promise it isn’t as bad as it may seem. The ice cream is a no churn recipe, which makes it much quicker and easier than a classic custard base ice cream. As for the cookies, the dough doesn’t need to be chilled before you roll it out so they’re pretty quick to make. The only thing to keep in mind with this recipe is that it requires a lot of freezing time, which is to be expected given that this is an ice cream recipe.
The Ice Cream
So this is a no-churn recipe, meaning you don’t need an ice cream maker. When I was testing out this recipe, I used the same base I used for my wild blueberry ice cream. It’s basically just whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk, plus whatever flavors you’re using. Today we’re adding rosewater for a delicate floral touch, and a little malted milk powder, vanilla, and salt to even out those flavors. I also add a little pink food coloring for a pretty color. Then you just spread that out into a sheet and freeze it. From that, we’ll cut out circles to sandwich!
The Cookie
This is a pretty simple cookie, and it isn’t very sweet which makes it perfect for going with the ice cream. It’s got all your classic ingredients, like butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. Plus a whole cup of cocoa powder and plenty of espresso powder for a bittersweet and rich flavor. Roll that out, cut into circles, and bake those cookies!
Assembly
These are pretty simple to assemble, but you’ve got to make sure you’re moving quickly or else the ice cream will start to melt. Use the same cookie cutter you used to shape the cookies to cut out disks of ice cream, and sandwich those between two cooled cookies. Then throw that in the freezer ASAP. You can roll the edges of the sammies in some sprinkles if you want that classic ice cream truck experience.
Mocha Rose Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
Rosewater Ice Cream
- 2 ½ cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Tablespoon malted milk powder
- 4 Tablespoons rose water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
- a drop of pink food coloring optional
Mocha Cookies
- 1 cup salted butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 ½ Tablespoons espresso powder
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the ice cream
- Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Make sure to leave enough of an overhang so that you can lift it out of the pan later. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream into stiff peaks on medium high speed. Add the sweetened condensed milk, malted milk powder, rose water, vanilla, salt, and a drop of pink food coloring if using. Whip until just combined and fluffy.
- Spread the ice cream evenly in the previously prepared baking pan. Place in the freezer for 3 hours, or until completely firm.
Make the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using either a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract together on medium high speed until smooth and combined. Add the eggs and espresso powder and beat until just combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and beat on low speed. It may seem too dry at first, but the dough will come together. It will be very thick.
- Place roughly half of the dough on a floured work surface. Roll it out to a little less than 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 or 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out the dough. Re-roll and cut the scraps. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Place the cookies an inch apart on the previously prepared baking sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes. You want them to still be a little soft so they're easier to eat when frozen.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the sandwiches
- Remove the block of ice cream from the freezer. Using the same cookie cutter you used for the cookies, cut out circles of the ice cream. Sandwich one ice cream disk between two cooled cookies. Roll in sprinkles if desired. Try and do this as quickly as possible as the ice cream will melt quickly. Immediately transfer the ice cream sandwiches to the freezer and allow them to freeze for one hour before serving. Make sure they are lying flat in the freezer, or they may slide around. Freeze any remaining scraps of ice cream to enjoy later!
- Store in the freezer covered tightly for up to 1 month. Let sandwiches thaw for 5 minutes or so before serving so they aren't rock hard.