ice cream sandwiches are a summer staple around here. chocolate cookies, ice cream, warm summer air... a perfect combination! there are lots of ways to go about making ice cream sandwiches, but we are pulling out all the stops!

what we love about this ice cream recipes is that it is seriously so easy! the next best part? add any kind of additional flavors to the base vanilla to get exactly what you want. want caramel ice cream? replace the cinnamon with caramel. want chocolate ice cream, replace the cinnamon with cocoa powder. you get it. it's all about the base. 

ingredients 

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup half and half
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

instructions

1. add all ingredients to a bowl.
2. stir.
3. chill in the fridge for 1-4 hours.
4. pour into ice cream maker (we use the ice cream maker attachment to our mixer).
5. mix on medium speed for about 25 minutes. 
6. pour into a freezable container. 
7. freeze. we like to freeze it overnight to ensure that it is good to go!

CHOCOLATE COOKIES

this was adapted from a william-sonoma recipe for ice cream sandwiches. we just put our chuao spin on it! 

ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 Tbs granulated sugar
• 3 Tbs firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup  hot water
• 1 cheeky cheeky churro bar, chopped

instructions

1. Preheat an oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. 
4. While the mixer is still running, add the egg and egg yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add the vanilla, mix again. 
6. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, beating until combined. 
7. With the mixer still running, slowly add the hot water to the bowl and continue mixing. then increase the speed back to medium-high and beat until the mixture is smooth and thickened. 
8. add chopped cheeky cheeky churro bar and fold into the dough.
9. scoop a spoonful onto the cookie sheet, make sure the cookies are flattened and fairly thin. create an even number of them. 
10. bake for 6-8 minutes. 
11. let cool completely. remove from sheet. and continue to cool. we put them in the fridge for awhile. (we didn't want them to break or melt the ice cream)

assemble! 

Using the cooled cookies and the ice cream, assemble the ice cream sandwiches! cookie - ice cream - cookie. eat right away or store between sheets of wax paper for up to a week.