Love and Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
books and baking
l&g
for the review of this book
So I was really trying to think about what my next Books & Baking should be. I had a few ideas but in the end it was the weather that made me choose this one. I'm so ready for this warm weather- and here in KC it's already been in the 80s! Dream summer weather for me! So without further ado, this months post is all about Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch.What are we making? You'd think it would be gelato... but I actually have no idea how to make that, and I'm fairly certain it doesn't actually include any baking. So we are making homemade ice cream sandwiches! Let's take a look, shall we?I know, you're wondering- how will I ever make these super professional looking ice cream sandwiches?! Fret not, dear friend, I will make you the hit of your book club this Spring/Summer!Click HERE.Here's what you'll need...INGREDIENTS:Cookies & Cream Ice Cream (or the ice cream flavor of your choice- you can even get fancy and use a few different flavors for a neapolitan spin!)Cookie ingredients:1 stick of butter1/2 cup white sugar1/2 cup brown sugar1 egg - room temperature (hold it in your hands to speed the process up!)2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract if that's what you have!)1 1/2 cups flour (if you have cake flour, use that!)1/4 cup dark cocoa powder1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt (don't eliminate this, salt haters! This makes a difference in baking!)1 heaping cup of dark chocolate chips I know that's a lot of ingredients but it will go quickly I promise. Ready to get started? Good, I love a lady (or gentleman!) that's prepared.
l&g step 1
Scoop your ice cream into a small pan. Mine actually a Pyrex container but you can use an 8x8 glass dish. (The purpose of this step is to get the ice cream to be an even thickness when you put it into the middle of the cookies).
Use a knife or an offset spatula and smooth over the top of the ice cream so it's all even on top. Cover with plastic wrap, then place the whole dish in the freezer for it to freeze back up again.
Preheat your oven to convection 325 or regular baking 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut your (freshly removed from the refrigerator) butter into roughly 3/4 inch pieces and put it in your mixing bowl.
Add both sugars to the bowl and start mixing. (My rule of thumb for creaming butters is 4-5 minutes. I stick it all into my KitchenAid, turn it on, set a timer and then start working on my next steps!)
While your butter/sugar mix is creaming, get out a separate bowl for your dry ingredients. I know, how annoying that you need to use two bowls. I promise it's worth it! Mix up all of the following in your second bowl: cocoa, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda.
By now your mixing timer should have gone off. Add in your (room temperature) egg, and your vanilla paste.
Then grab your dry ingredients bowl and mix those suckers all together!
Last step for the cookies! Add in your chocolate chips!
Next place them onto your parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. You're gonna wanna smush them down and make sure they're a uniform size. I used my cookie scooper but then just smashed them all down. (Trust me, I tried NOT smashing them and they were fluffy little delicious clouds but didn't work well for these sandwiches).
Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes. Remove and place onto a cooling rack. (Didn't believe me before about smashing the cookies? Here's my compare and contrast proof)
Once the cookies are cool (feel free to put them into your freezer to speed up the process), you're ready to make your sandwiches! Take your Pyrex container of ice cream out of the freezer and take the plastic wrap off. Put a cookie on the top of the ice cream and take your offset spatula (or knife) and cut out the ice cream around the shape of your cookie. Sandwich it with another. Voila! You've made a sandwich!
Store these by sticking them all in a big Tupperware container, or wrapping them up individually in your freezer!
Need a reminder about how awesome these are going to be? Look no further, I'll remind you!
l&g me
book club questions
- Lorenzo went by the nickname Ren,
not
Enzo. If you had to choose a nickname based off of your name, what would it be?- Pick your dream cast for this book to be turned into a movie! (A girl can dream right?)- Describe yourself as a flavor of gelato and explain why!- Who was your favorite supporting character in the book?- What was your favorite scene in the whole book?
happy eating