Who doesn’t remember the ice cream sandwiches we ate as kids, either from the store or from the ice cream trucks of yore? The way the cookie part stuck to the roof of your mouth and kind of melted on your hands, and the creamy yummy filling that we licked around the sides of the cookie! This recipe helps recreate those memories, in a do-it-yourself updated version, which can easily be made with or without dairy. Go ahead and be a kid again!

Directions

Prepare the Ice Cream Filling

1. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with Gefen Parchment Paper. Slightly soften the ice cream and spread into prepared pan. Freeze overnight.

Prepare the Cookies

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the margarine and light brown sugar for two to three minutes. Add the baking powder, salt, cocoa, coffee, and vanilla. Mix until incorporated.

2. Mix in one cup of the flour, followed by two tablespoons of soy milk, and then add the remaining cup of flour and another two tablespoons of soy milk, mixing well until no dry ingredients remain. This can take up to five minutes. Dough should be soft and not sticky. Add more soy milk if necessary, one teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together.

3. Divide dough in half. Roll dough out to approximately a quarter inch or less thickness. Cut the dough into two- by- four-inch rectangles (I did this with a ruler. I keep one in the kitchen specifically for recipes like this). Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Using a skewer, poke a pattern of holes on each cookie’s surface, to mimic the real thing! Continue with the rest of the dough, rolling, cutting, and poking, rerolling the scraps as you go along.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). While the oven heats up, chill the baking sheets in the freezer for 10 minutes.

5. Bake for seven to eight minutes or until cookies are just set. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Freeze cookies for an hour or more before assembling the sandwiches.

Notes:

To save time, you can use a cookie cutter to cut circle or square shapes of the cookies and the ice cream, instead of measuring and cutting. Cookies can be made in advance and frozen before assembling the sandwiches.

To Assemble

1. Match up cookies of the same size and have them laid out and ready for the ice cream.

2. Working quickly, place the baking paper with the ice cream on a flat surface or cutting board. Cut the ice cream into two- by- four-inch rectangles.

3. Using a spatula, place a rectangle of ice cream between two chilled cookies and press the cookies lightly to adhere. Return the sandwiches to the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Store in a container, with plastic between the layers, or in a resealable plastic bag.

Notes:

Yields 10 ice cream sandwiches.