Oh and there’s peanut butter too. I had to, just had to. I see all of these ice cream sandwich recipes popping up all over the “blogosphere,” and I couldn’t help but join in. Besides, ice cream is delicious. Brownies are delicious. Cookies are delicious. Why not smash them all into one? I thought I’d go the dessert route today, since the next 4 days are going to be comprised of 4 different pulled pork recipes. If you were wondering…I slow-roasted a pork shoulder yesterday. As a result, I have enough pulled pork to feed an army. We will get more into that tomorrow though. These ice cream sandwiches are amazing. They are the perfect dessert to serve at a picnic or BBQ, and although they are considered “individual portions,” there is no skipping on quality. Chocolate and brownie (and peanut butter too) collide to form the perfect ice cream sandwich.
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I’m not going to lie to you. These sandwiches aren’t the easiest thing in the world to make. Sure, you can take a couple of short cuts and buy store-bought brownie ice cream and cookies if you wish (although I certainly don’t recommend it unless you are in a bit of a time crunch – then it’s ok), but what fun would that be?! Sure it would be easy, but nope, it would be no fun at all. I promise. You will need a few things for this recipe, if you don’t already have them:
Number 1. An Ice Cream Maker – Go ahead and splurge! You will use it, I promise!
Number 2. Patience.
&
Number 3. Time.
It’s best not to rush each recipe in the bunch. It will be worth it in the end if you just give each and every ingredient the time and respect it deserves. Yes, ingredients deserve respect too! Ice cream making can be very rewarding, and somehow it just tastes better after you’ve put all of that work into it. If this brownie ice cream recipe scares you just a bit, don’t worry. Try an easier recipe, like a vanilla to start. You will get the hang of it…eventually.
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The cookies are my second favorite part of this recipe. They would be my first favorite part, if the chocolate, brownie ice cream wasn’t involved. But here we are and sometimes we just have to make some decisions that we don’t like having to make. I know. Life can be so rough sometimes. These cookies come straight out of Zach’s brain. He made them while I was away. Although, when he made them, he made them for Memorial Day. You can check out his recipe here. I was originally going to make these sandwiches with a brownie cookie, but I didn’t want to overload the recipe with chocolate. There’s already enough of it going on! Peanut butter was the best choice in the end. The flavors really compliment each other and they certainly don’t disappoint on deliciousness.
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I know I went on a crazy photo spree this time around, but I couldn’t narrow it down. I apologize.
With that, I hope everyone had a great weekend. We have some great design changes happening on the website and those changes will be published soon. We will let you all know when they happen! They are super fun changes. I promise. Zach is a genius when it comes to this stuff. Anyway, have a great night everyone!
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These chocolate and brownie ice cream sandwiches are made with a delicious homemade ice cream smashed between two peanut butter cookies!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil, divided
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 cups dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup butter (room temperature)
- 11/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 11/2 cup chunky peanut butter (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 21/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- For the Ice Cream, combine the cocoa powder and the sweetened condensed milk in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine and to break up any clumps. Bring to a simmer and then add the whole milk and heavy cream. Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes and then remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs yolks until they are light in color. Slowly add in the sugar and whisk to combine. At this point, the mixture should be on the thicker side. Now slowly temper the cocoa/cream mixture into the egg mixture by adding 1/2 cup of the cocoa/cream mixture at a time. Once about half of the cocoa/cream mixture is tempered in, you can transfer the egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining cocoa/cream mixture. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and pour into a container. Allow for the mixture to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. and then cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
- While your ice cream is refrigerating, prepare your brownies. Spray a 9x13inch baking dish with a non-stick spray and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl combine the cocoa powder and baking soda. Whisk to combine and to break up any clumps. Now, whisk in 1/3 cup of vegetable oil and the milk. Whisk until it is blended and has thickened slightly. Now stir in the brown sugar, eggs and the remaining 1/3 cup of vegetable oil. Stir to combine. At this point, sift in the flour. Mix until it is completely incorporated then add the vanilla extract and salt.
- Spread the brownie mix evenly into your prepared dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely!
- Once the brownies have cooled, cut into very small chunks (about 1/2 inch) and set aside.
- At this point, make sure you have done all of the necessary preparations for your ice cream machine (for example, make sure the container has been frozen and everything is ready to go). Now pour the mixture into your prepared ice cream machine and process per your manufacturer''s instructions. This should take about 25-30 minutes depending on your ice cream maker. Remove from the ice cream maker and transfer the now soft-serve ice cream to a freezer-safe container with an airtight lid. Gently fold in the brownie pieces until the brownie pieces are completely incorporated. Cover and freeze for 4-8 hours for hard ice cream.
- While your ice cream is freezing, you will prepare your cookies for the "sandwich" part of the ice cream sandwich. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a stand mixer, combine the softened butter with the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar until well mixed.
- Add the eggs and continue mixing until the eggs are completely incorporated.
- Now pour the vanilla extract into the cookie dough and mixer for 30 seconds to combine.
- Add the chunky peanut butter to the bowl and mix for 2 minutes, or until the peanut butter is completely mixed into the dough.
- Now add the salt, baking soda, and flour and mix slowly for 2-3 minutes. The dough should be very sticky.
- Scoop the dough onto un-greased baking sheets (2-3 tablespoons per cookie). You should be able to get about 24 cookies in the end. Lightly press the cookie down to form a small disk (do not use a fork!).
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for a minute before moving to a cooling rack. Once the cookies are cool to the touch, move them to the refrigerator or freezer to cool completely.
- To make your sandwiches, place a scoop (about 2-3 tablespoons) of ice cream onto one cookie. Top with another cookie. Smash together very gently. You should have about 12 sandwiches in the end. Place the sandwiches into individual plastic baggies or parchment paper and store in the freezer until you are ready to serve.
Notes
Inactive Time: Approximately 8 Hours Hardware: * Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer * Bowls * Wooden Spoons * Rubber Spatulas * Measuring Cups * Measuring Spoons * Saucepans * Air-Tight Containers * 9x13in Baking Dish * Cookie Sheets * Parchment Paper * Wire Rack (for cooling) * Plastic Bags *
