Happy Friday everyone! It’s hard to believe August is almost over, but here we are! I consider August to be the last month of summer, so I feel like as it winds down, an Ice Cream recipe is the best goodbye to summer recipe. No more hot sticky days, no more sunburns and bug bites, it’s time for crunchy leaves, cozy sweaters, and pumpkins!
I’ve just finished my first full school week and I feel like I’m starting to settle back into my routines. Dance starts up again next week so that’s when things will get really busy, but I believe I can still stay on track with my recipes. I’ve got a great cozy lineup for September, and then it’s time for a month of spooky treats!! If you didn’t catch the memo, I’m very excited for fall and October.
But enough about that, let’s talk about these ice cream sandwiches. As promised at the beginning of the month, this is my final installment of my unplanned ice cream series. We had some chocolate hazelnut ice cream sandwiches as well as some coconut plum ice cream bowls. And these sandwiches are just as delicious as their predecessors.
Describe these Sandwiches to Me
Taste: The cookies of these sandwiches provide a deep, bittersweet chocolate base. Meanwhile, the ice cream has a beautiful salty-sweet caramel swirl amid a sweet Baileys coffee base. These flavors compliment each other beautifully to give us a gorgeous, decadent sweet summery treat.
Texture: The cookies have a soft and gooey texture, which hardens a little when frozen, but not so much that the whole thing is impossible to eat. The ice cream is perfectly soft and creamy while the caramel ribbons just melt into the whole thing beautifully.
Ease: These sandwiches are of medium difficulty. The ice cream base isn’t too difficult, but it does require you to make a caramel which can be a little tricky to throw together. The cookies are also pretty simple, it’s more the construction that gets a little sticky because you have to move quickly before the ice cream melts too much.
The Ice Cream
This ice cream uses my usual no churn base, with whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk. We add in some Baileys, espresso to cut through the sweetness, and a bit of vanilla. Next, we swirl in some homemade caramel. Now I know homemade caramel may seem a little daunting, but this caramel recipe is my go to, and if you follow the instructions carefully and patiently, everything will be A-OK. Make sure when you add it to the ice cream base you are swirling it in however. If you mix it in fully, it could mess up the structure as a whole.
The Cookies
These are some pretty classic, straightforward cookies. They use all the kitchen staples, including a whopping 1 ⅓ cups of cocoa powder. This gives us a beautifully fudgy, stable, bittersweet, and decadent base that offsets the sweeter ice cream beautifully. This dough does require some chill time just so that it can hold a nice firm shape after baking, so make sure to leave some time for that.
Chocolate Caramel Bailey’s Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
Method
- Read the instructions completely before starting. Start by microwaving your heavy cream for 30 seconds. You want it warm when you add it to the hot sugar so it doesn't cause your caramel to harden and split. Make sure your butter is at room temperature as well, or it will have the same effect.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the sugar while stirring with a wooden spoon frequently. It will take a while for it to start to melt, and it may seem like nothing is happening at the beginning but be patient. Once it begins to melt, the sugar will become clumpy, and you should start stirring constantly. The sugar will eventually completely melt to an amber colored liquid. Once the clumps of sugar are dissolved, immediately remove from the heat and stir in the butter. It will sizzle and splash rapidly, so be careful! Stir vigorously until butter is melted. It may not look combined yet, that's ok. Immediately stir in the heavy cream and whisk vigorously until the caramel is smooth and combined. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Let the caramel cool for at least 30 minutes before using in the ice cream.
- Line a 9×13 inch rectangular baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the heavy cream to a large mixing bowl and, using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip on high speed until the cream reaches stiff peaks. Add the sweetened condensed milk, espresso powder, Baileys, vanilla, and salt and mix until just combined. Finally, fold in ½ cup of the cooled caramel. It's ok if there are some streaks. Pour the ice cream into the previously prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer. Cover with cling wrap and place in the freezer for 4 hours, or until firm.
- While the ice cream freezes, make the cookies. In a large bowl using either a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until almost combined. Add the milk and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough will be thick and sticky. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
- Once chilled, scoop the dough into balls of roughly 1-2 Tablespoons in size. Place on the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Repeat with all of the dough (it may take two batches). Bake for 11-12 minutes. I like to take the trays out at about 9 minutes and bang them on the counter a couple times to help flatten them a little. Cookies are done when the edges are set, but the center is still a little gooey. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling wrack to cool completely before assembling.
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer. Using a round cookie cutter roughly the same diameter as your cookies (or freehand with a knife), cut out the ice cream into pucks. Sandwich the pucks between the flat sides of two cookies. Repeat with the remaining ice cream and cookies. Make sure to move quickly as the ice cream will start to melt. You may have some extra ice cream, just scoop it into a sealable container, and store it in the freezer to enjoy by itself.
- Place the assembled sandwiches back in the freezer for at least 2 hours to firm up. Then enjoy! You may need to let the sandwiches thaw for a couple minutes before enjoying. Leftovers keep sealed in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.