Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: I just mentioned on Facebook the other day that Chocolate + Peanut Butter is one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations.
Texture: Making a custard-based ice cream takes a few extra steps but the results are so wonderfully rich, creamy, smooth, and soft. That coupled with the chewy, slightly crunchy, slightly soft peanut butter cookies and the crunchy peanuts is out of this world.
Ease: I’ll be honest with you, you will spend some time in the kitchen and you will dirty some dishes. However, everything can be done ahead of time. You can make the ice cream custard ahead of time and churn the ice cream ahead of time and you can freeze the cookies for up to a MONTH ahead of time.
Appearance: Gawwwgeous!
Pros: The best kind of sandwich there is.
Cons: Dirties quite a few dishes.
Would I make this again? Haha, clearly you know the answer to this question! I’ve made HUNDREDS of ice cream sandwiches.
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Sometimes, out of nowhere, I feel an intense rush of joy and gratitude and think to myself I LOVE what I do. Ever since I started blogging full time last August I wake up everyday (without an alarm clock!) feeling free. I wish I could share this feeling with everyone, I wish no one had to be trapped in a job they hate. Of course, it isn’t all glamorous and there are moments when I stress myself out thinking about all the things I have to get done, or the fact that I don’t always have a steady paycheck or benefits like a “normal” job. There are days when I have complete failures in the kitchen, behind the camera, or at my computer. But most of the time I feel incredibly lucky to be doing what I’m doing, even though I’ve worked hard to get here. I hope I can sustain this career path for years to come and with YOUR continued support!
The first time I truly realized this whole blogging and food writing thing was more than just a hobby was when I was contacted by a cookbook agent asking if I’d be interested in writing a cookbook. Fast forward to last May when my cookbook, Cookies & Cream: Hundreds of Ways to Make the Perfect Ice Cream Sandwich, was released the same month I finished culinary school. That was almost a year ago and I realized I haven’t shared a recipe from the book since then!
This recipe for homemade peanut butter cup ice cream sandwiches is basically the perfect frozen treat. And while there is some work involved in making these from scratch, it’s all SO worth it, promise. The super peanut buttery cookie dough will be wet and sticky, that’s fine! This allows the cookies to spread relatively thin so you can sandwich a big ole’ scoop of ice cream between them and not have to unhinge your jaw to take a bite. I may be totally biased, but I think this is the best chocolate ice cream ever! It actually has an intense chocolate flavor, unlike so many store bought chocolate ice creams. Even vanilla-loving Jared likes this chocolate ice cream. If you can find Dutch-process cocoa powder, use it. I just ran out so I used regular natural cocoa powder. If I had used Dutch-process the ice cream itself would be much darker in color.
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Read more about my cookbook Cookies & Cream HERE!
Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Sandwiches
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Ingredients
For the chocolate ice cream:
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces (about 2 cups) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
- 4 large egg yolks
For the peanut butter cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Chopped salted peanuts, for rolling
Instructions
For the ice cream:
- Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice cubes and a cup or two of water. Place a medium bowl fitted with a fine strainer inside the ice bath.
- In a medium saucepan combine the milk, cream, 1/2 cup of the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. Set over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is warm and begins to steam, about 5 minutes. Stir in the melted chocolate.
- Whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Carefully whisk half of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, one ladleful at a time, until the egg mixture is warmed. Whisk the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and registers around 175°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 to 7 minutes. Be careful not to boil the mixture.
- Immediately strain the mixture through the fine strainer into the prepared ice bath. Cool the custard in the ice bath until it’s at room temperature, stirring often. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours or up to 1 day.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to an airtight container, press plastic wrap against the surface of the ice cream, and freeze until firm and flavor is ripened, at least 2 hours.
For the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the peanut butter until fully incorporated. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating until combined. Dough will be sticky and wet.
- Drop 2-tablespoon sized balls of dough on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2-inches apart. Slightly flatten the dough with wet fingers. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the edges are slightly browned. Let cool completely. Freeze the cookies until frozen, at least 1 hour. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 1 month.
To assemble:
- Place the peanuts in a shallow dish. Top one cookie with a scoop of ice cream. Place another cookie on top of the ice cream and gently press down to form a sandwich. Roll the edges in the peanuts. Repeat for the remaining cookies. Freeze for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Sandwiches can be individually wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer for up to 1 week. Let stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
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Hi Tessa,
I love all your recipes and I am trying to do them all, but with the Ice cream sandwich I have an important questions. When I put the ice cream sandwich out of the freezer for 5-10 minutes, my cookie is still frozen and the ice cream is beginning to melt. You can tell me, that I can do, so the cookie is not frozen?
Sunny regards from Europe, Barcelona
Sabrina
Your recipe has been featured here > https://sweetmeetsbakeshop.com/2016/06/07/vegan-chocolate-martini-float-features-for-national-chocolate-ice-cream-day/
Happy National Chocolate Ice Cream Day and keep on desserting!
Bom dia
Amei tudo ,perfeitas lindas receitas lindas e gostosas ,muito saborosas.
Parabéns ………………..
Mmmm, these look delicious!
At first I thought this was peanut butter ice cream. Now that would have been really awesome!
This looks incredibly delicious!
Stop teasing me. Your ice cream sandwiches look awesome.
There is NOTHING like homemade ice cream, but there really isn’t anything like homemade chocolate ice cream AND homemade peanut butter cookies sandwiches together! A peanut butter + chocolate lover’s dream!
These look amazing! I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter 🙂