Summer is almost here. At our home that always meant frozen treats in the backyard after dinner. As a child my favorite of those was the ice cream sandwich. After diagnosis summer was a bit sad with all the frozen treats that were now off limits. Eventually I found the gluten-free ice-cream cones and the wonderful frozen pops on a stick but the gluten-free dairy-free ice cream sandwich was out of reach.
Until now.
This makes about 8 chocolate ice cream sandwiches. You can make them egg free by using 1 tbsp ground flax seeds and 3 tbsp hot water (let it sit and gel then add) but it is not the same and honestly the egg free version is not very good. If you do the egg free version, let the log of dough warm up a bit before slicing and bake for no more than 8 minutes, and you have been warned.
The following is the version with eggs.
Ingredients
1/2 tsp freeze dried espresso granules
2/3 cup spectrum butter flavor shortening melted and cooled to warm bath temperature
1 egg (or an equivalent amount of egg replacer to make them vegan)
1 box betty crocker devil’s food GF cake mix
1 – 2 pints So Delicious ice cream (coconut or soy)
Equipment
1 aluminum cookie sheet
1 microwave safe container for melting shortening
Metal Spatula for removing cookies
Wax paper
Bowl for mixing
Cooling rack
Wooden spoon
Instructions
Mix egg and coffee granules until they dissolve
Melt shortening in microwave and allow to cool to the temperature of a hot / warm bath
Mix shortening and egg mixture with a fork to form an emulsion (it will look like an even brownish mixture)
Add cake mix and combine.
Allow mixture to rest for a few minutes, this will make it less sticky to handle
Put the contents of the bowl onto a piece of waxed paper and shape it into a fat log about 2 to 3 inches in diameter.
If it is still too mushy to shape, chill it in the refrigerator. It will firm up (possibly too firm if you leave it in there)
Slice into disks about 1/4 inch thick
Bake 6 to a sheet (they spread like crazy) at 375 degrees F for 10 mins
Cool them on the sheet for about 5 minutes then set on a rack to finish cooling
When they are cooled, spread slightly softened “ice cream” on one cookie then smush another cookie on top to make a sandwich. To fill to the edges use a knife to pack in the sides and then run a finger or a knife around the edge.
Wrap sandwich in wax paper or plastic wrap
Store in freezer until ready to eat.
The cookies actually keep for two weeks in a tightly covered tin if you can’t finish the recipe all at once. The ice cream sandwiches keep for over two weeks (if you can keep your family from eating them for that long) in the freezer.
I have no idea if they keep longer than that because we ate them all.
