Sweet Summer Sandwiches

A hoy-hoy and welcome back! Today we will be reminiscing on sweet summer days and steamy summer nights… yeah, no. LOL. We will going over how to make ice cream sandwiches!! Labor Day has just passed and what a better time to try out a new Claire recipe! That’s right people, Claire!! This recipe is out of her What’s for Dessert (2022) cookbook. The Husband has been hinting for the past several years (I know, I know) how much he loved the homemade ice cream sandwiches his grandmother used to make. My lovely friend wanted to have BBQ for Labor Day and I thought what a better time to try out a new recipe, cool us down in the humid summer day, and check off The Husband’s homemade ice cream sandwiches craving! Ka-CHOW!! 

Summer Memories….

Summertime, and livings easy… – Sublime

When I think of Summer, I think of reading until 2am with my bedroom window open; crickets and frogs singing to me while fireflies decorated the deep, dark royal blue skies. Swimming all day in cool, chlorinated water and into the evening. Riding bikes around the hot roads and playing with my dog, Ginger, among fields of tall corn stalks. Days that seemed to go on forever and the comforting hum of both fans and air-conditioning units in tandem; working to keep the house and its occupants cool and comfortable. As a child, it was a time of freedom, grilled food, Papa’s sweet corn, popsicles, and ice cold Kool-Aide (always cherry). I must admit that Fall is my favorite season, but I will always hold the Summer in my heart for nostalgia’s sake.  

As mentioned above, this Labor Day, we had friends over and I decided to make Claire Saffitz’s version of ice cream sandwiches. The “cookie” or “Bread” portion of the sandwich is a soft and chewy brownie. The ice cream is super simple – store bought ice cream! That’s right!! Make at least the night before or even a month in advance and you will be in for a treat at anytime! Our friends were coming over on Monday. I made the brownie portion Friday night and put it together Saturday. You can find this recipe in her cookbook, What’s For Dessert (2022) on page 57. You will notice that I did make some changes for time and flavor reasons. Her ice cream was cookies and vanilla ice cream. I know that The Husband and my friend’s husband love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, so I chose to get peanut butter ice cream. Choose whatever ice cream you want!! Coffee would also be good! 

Now, sit back on a flamingo pool floaty in a crystal clear pool with an ice cold drink and enjoy this Summertime recipe. 

Ingredients

Bowl 1

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into pieces

5 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons veggie oil

Bowl 2

1/4 cup of sugar

2 large eggs 

Vanilla (let your ancestors tell you how much)

Bowl 3

1/2 cup AP flour

1 tsp salt

2 pints whatever flavor ice cream you want (we went with peanut butter)

I. Pan Preparation

Take 2-8×8 pans and meticulously line them with foil. This is an important step for later – please take your time here. Once you have them lined with foil, spray with non-stick spray. 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

II. Easy Livin’ Summertime Directions 

1. MELT CHOCOLATE – place the chocolate, butter, and veggie oil in a bowl. Place the bowl with ingredients over a pan with simmering water. Continuously stirring as the chocolate and butter melt. Once melted, take off of simmering water and place off of stove to cool a little.
2. MIX EGG AND SUGAR – while the chocolate mixture is cooling, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is lightened in color and slightly thickened. 
3. MIX CHOCOLATE AND EGGS – once your eggs are thickened slightly, oh so slowly stream in your chocolate mixture into the egg – whisk to combine.
4. Add the flour to the chocolate base, mix until the batter is glossy and there is no flour left 
5. Divide the batter as evenly as you can between the two 8×8 pans. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 325 degree oven.

6. Take out of oven and cool completely. Remove the brownies from the pans. I wrapped them in parchment paper and placed the brownies into the freezer. KEEP ONE 8×8 pan and the foil for later!!!!!

7. Just to let you know, I placed the brownies in the freezer overnight and then took them out to thaw a little while I was getting the ice cream ready

8. While brownies are thawing out, take your ice cream out and let it get a little bit warmer so that you can mix it to look like soft serve ice cream. 

9. To my foil-lined 8×8 pan, I did also add plastic wrap to better wrap the completed ice cream sandwiches for the freezer. 

10. I placed the first brownie base down on the bottom. If it cracks, don’t worry, the ice cream will keep it together 

11. Next take your soften ice cream and spread it over the brownie bottom. Yes, it will hang over the brownie. That’s okay. 

12. Take the top and place on top of ice cream and wrap with the plastic wrap and then the foil. Place in the freezer. I did this Saturday morning and on Monday morning is when I brought them back out and cut them. Although you could leave make these and leave them in the freezer for up to a month! Make a bunch!!!!

13. FINALLY!! When you are ready! Pull them out, cut them – I did 8 pieces and wrap them again until you are ready to consume! 

THE TASTE!

Okay. I am going to have to defer the taste to my friend, Rachel and The Husband because the day of tasting, I was sick and it tasted like Play-Doh to me. They all three (plus Rachel’s husband) told that it did not, in fact, taste like Play-Doh. I was told that the brownie had a pleasantly unexpected fudgy taste with a soft, pliable texture that was complimented by the peanut butter ice cream we chose to use. Remember, you can also use any flavor of ice cream that you want! I used more than 2 pints of ice cream, which might have been a little bit too much, but put as much or as litter ice cream as you prefer! My friend had stated that she loved the combination of chocolate and peanut butter ice cream I used, but she did wish there was less ice cream as the ice cream ended up taking over the show and she would have liked to be able to to taste more of the brownie. Claire had used a cookies and cream approach, but I also think a coffee flavored ice cream would be good too! So I either keep this in mind for next Summer, or make it before this Summer totally leaves us, either way, it is a fun and nostalgic treat to enjoy on a hot Summer’s Day!