Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

When I was little, I never could resist ice cream sandwiches from the neighborhood ice cream truck. Once I heard the siren song playing down the street, I immediately burst with excitement and ran outside. I don't know if it was the echoing chimes, the bright colors, or the abundance of sweet treats, there always has been a certain juvenile excitement associated with it. Since today was supposed to be one of the hottest days of the year, I decided to recreate my childhood favorite- the ice cream sandwich. I don't have as much of a sweet tooth anymore, but I chose to indulge in my own recipe for chocolate sandwich cookies, strawberry and chocolate chip ice cream, and bright sprinkles.  If they weren't girly enough already, I wrapped them up in cute little packages of unbleached parchment paper and twine. Baker beware: they are as delicious as they are cute and even more difficult to photograph!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon milk
1 carton of ice cream (I chose strawberry and chocolate chip mint)
Sprinkles (or chocolate chips)

1. Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Dough: Sift together baking powder, flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl. Cream both types of sugars and butter together in an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add egg yolks and milk and continue until consistent. Slowly incorporate the sifted dry ingredients with the electric mixture on low. Stop occasionally to scrape the mixture off the side of the bowl. Compile the mixture into one ball then divide in half. Shape the halves into balls and roll into a flat disk. Wrap the halves in plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator for no more than an hour.

2. Filling: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. On a sheet of parchment paper, roll out one of the disks to a thickness of your choosing. Use a cookie cutter to cut out pairs of cookies and a fork to poke rows of holes into the cookies. Place the cookies an inch apart on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on size and thickness. Repeat with the other disk of dough. Let cool until firm on the baking sheet and place onto a rack.

3. Assembly: Briefly let the ice cream soften. Using an ice cream scoop, place one small scoop of ice cream into the center of one cookie. Put the matching cookie on top and gently press down until the ice cream evenly spreads to the rim of the sandwich. Immediately move the sandwich into the freezer to cool. While waiting a few minutes for the ice cream to harden, generously pour the sprinkles onto a flat plate. Take the sandwich out from the freezer and gently roll the edges in the sprinkles until the ice cream is evenly coated. Individually wrap the sandwiches and store in a container until ready to serve.