YUM: ice-cream sandwiches

YUM.YUM.YUM.

back in the day when i could eat real ice-cream, maxibons were one of my favourite ice-creams. the chewy biscuit and ice-cream. just yum!

i'd been researching ice cream sandwiches and finally decided to take a leap and give them a go. well, they did not disappoint! they were amazing. 

because i needed them to be gluten and dairy free, i adapted this recipe and i made my own ice cream too. 

THE RECIPE:

If you don't have an ice-cream maker, you will need to make this part a day ahead. Either way, make sure you put a tray to make the ice-cream in or the ice-cream bowl in the freezer at least 24 hrs beforehand.

ice-cream:

this recipe is an egg based custard ice-cream, but if you're running short on time, this is a great egg free ice-cream base (but makes a heap, so i'd probably quarter the recipe, and i'd use lactose free milk as the single cream and lactose free cream for the double cream).

150ml lactose free cream

150ml milk (rice, almond, lactose free)

a spoonful of vanilla paste

3 egg yolks

80g caster sugar

Place the cream and milk in a pan and bring to just before boiling point with the vanilla. Set aside and let cool for about 10 minutes. Put your egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale and creamy. Mix in the milk mixture and return to a clean pan. Heat over a low heat stirring pretty much constantly until it's a custardy consistency and coats the back of the spoon (if you swipe your finger across the back of the spoon, it should leave a clear trail).  Transfer this back into a bowl or jug and get some gladwrap. Place the gladwrap over it, so the gladwrap touches the entire surface of the custard mixture - make sure no air or bubbles are on the top - this stops a skin forming. Set this aside either in the fridge for a few hours or if you're impatient like me in the freezer for an hour or so - just be sure to keep stirring it to let out the heat. 

Now you can either pop it in your ice-cream maker and follow the instructions, or alternatively, pour it into your tin which has been in the freezer (i like to line it with gladwrap) and beat with a fork every half an hour or so, replacing it back in the freezer in between with the gladwrap cover again touching the surface on top. This can take up to 4 hours. It's a process! You may like to pop it in the blender to break up more of the ice particles and then refreeze again - depends how particular you are :)

cake/cookie part:

adapted from this recipe

1 1/3 cups plain flour (gf)

1/3 cup + half of a 1/4 cup of cocoa powder

1/2 cup and a good tblspoon butter, softened (nuttlex)

1/2 cup white sugar

pinch of salt

1 egg yolk

vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. 

Beat the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat. Sift the flour and cocoa onto a plate/bowl and add this a bit at a time while mixing until well combined. 

Line a baking tray with baking paper and lightly spray with oil. spread the batter onto the tray quite thinly. it doesn't raise much, so however thick it is will roughly be how thick the biscuit part is. cook this is the oven until baked and firm to the touch. about 10 minutes. 

remove from the tray + cool on a rack. i popped mine in the freezer to cool because again, i'm impatient. 

assemble:

cut the chocolate base in half and spread the slightly softened ice-cream onto it and spread a thick layer towards the edges. pop the other chocolate base on top and wrap in glad wrap tightly. place in the freezer until hardened again and slice into 6 or so pieces. you can now either leave them like this, or dip the edges in 100s and 1000s, or chocolate flakes - it's up to you. i wrapped my individual sandwiches in gladwrap and popped them back in the freezer, ready to pull out as i wanted one. 

you could use this basic recipe and make so many combinations. here are some combo's i'd like to try:

• banana + almond icecream | choc bikkie
• vanilla + 100s 1000s | choc bikkie
•  chocolate icecream | peanut butter biscuit
• vanilla icecream + a swipe of nutella | choc bikkie/vanilla bikkie

for those who can eat real ice-cream, i'd definitely skip the making the ice-cream stage and buy a tub of ice-cream and spread it over the base. for those who can't, it's worth all the steps!

enjoy. 

tara louise.