Ice Cream Sandwiches

Lately, I have been creating frozen desserts like crazy, there are currently 5 in the freezer right now: nectarine sorbet, vanilla frozen yogurt, peach-sour cream ice cream, sweet cream vanilla and my latest creation, coconut with toasted cashews and caramel ribbon. The last one was made because I got some cashew butter... I know, what does cashew butter have to do with coconut ice cream? Well, when one gets an idea to make ice cream sandwiches, you have to wonder, what flavors shall I create?

I know I have mentioned the fact that I shop at "Pop's"... they have what is called a "banana box groceries". When you are a broke ass you find whatever you can to do what you want.  I love this place because I can buy pounds of baking chocolate for $1 each... Ghiardelli, Lindt, Callebaut. Or King Arthur Flour for a $1 for 5lbs. Just check dates and make sure there are no bugs. I have found cane syrup, Madagascar vanilla, commercial grade chicken stock concentrate... um.. anyhow, lots of great stuff. This is how I come to make interesting things, like cashew butter cookies.

Needless to say this was decadence at it's height for the summer.. I have made some pretty awesome stuff, but as far as OMG! these take it...maybe it was the chocolate ganache?

I searched the internet for a good cookie recipe.. as I have misplaced the best PB cookie recipe (from Park View School Home Econ Class...1983) and I found what I thought may be the right one. It wasn't.
So I adjusted the recipe for what I wanted and came up with this:

Cashew Butter Cookies

16 oz jar cashew butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar (am sure brown sugar would make it better)
3 TBSP corn syrup or honey
2 cup flour
1 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup toasted cashews

Oven at 375.  Whip together your cashew butter, eggs, sugar and corn syrup. Whisk together your dry ingredient  and add a bit at a time to the wet. The mixture is going to be sticky! Seriously. Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheet, bake 10 minutes. If you want nice consistently sized cookies, get a scoop.
Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack while still warm. Store in air tight container, good for a week at room temp.

We tried these cookies at first using this recipe (Cashew Butter Cookies).. the flavor wasn't right and it didn't have enough sugar and there was no salt. In fact the cookie reminded me of those almond cookies you can get at Chinese restaurants... but more like cashew chicken than cookie. They are a good cookie, but for use elsewhere and not in ice cream sandwiches.

The coconut ice cream is a simple affair, utilizing what I had available. I found a number of recipes that called for coconut cream, which I didn't have but coconut milk, I had 3 cans.. and I love evaporated milk in ice cream, especially fat free. There is something about it that gives the ice cream good texture and mouth feel despite being fat free. Anyhow, this is a really easy and quick recipe... and if you have some Malibu Rum (or coconut flavored rum), I recommend adding it.. really heightened the flavor of the ice cream especially after the chocolate bath.

Coconut Ice Cream


1 13-oz can fat free evaporated milk
1 13-oz can Thai coconut milk
2 TB coconut flavored rum
1 TB vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup, shredded sweetened coconut, toastedStir all ingredients, except shredded coconut, together in bowl, and chill for 45 min to an hour. Stir before putting in ice cream freezer. Place in and freeze according to manf. directions.. about 3/4 through of the process, pour in the shredded coconut and allow to mix in. Place in freezer safe container...unless you are going to make sammiches, then you need to fill the cookies before you freeze the ice cream. Then place said cookies with ice cream in freezer while you make the ganache.

I made about 14 cookie sandwiches. Made a simple ganache:

1/2 c. chocolate, semi sweet, chopped small
1/2 c heavy cream
splash of vanilla

 in a double boiler, stir til chocolate melts... then start coating.
 I rolled the edges in some toasted cashews and coconut for decoration.
 Now, I have to bake other cookies, or maybe some sort of cake and fill the middle with one of those frozen concoctions I still have in the freezer.

Comments

  1. These look so good and the coconut ice cream in particular sounds amazing!!

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  2. Looks delicious, and the pairing of cashew and coconut is simply brilliant- They were made for each other!

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