Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandos
As soon as she could walk, Williams Sonoma’s Test Kitchen/Culinary Director Belle English started baking chocolate chip cookies with her father, award-winning chef and restaurateur Todd English. “We share an undying love for the chocolate chip cookie,” Belle says. And her dad loves vanilla bean ice cream, which he eats out of a mug, not a bowl. For the perfect ending to a Father’s Day meal, she pairs the best of both worlds, tucking thick slices of ice cream between their favorite cookies. “If you really want to do it ‘English style,” adds Belle, “just eat the cookies straight out of the oven in a mug with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream.” Belle recommends using semisweet chocolate baking disks that are made by Guittard, a favorite in the Test Kitchen. She bakes the cookies for a bit longer than usual so they’ll have enough structure to hold the ice cream.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (5 3/4 oz./180 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) (4 oz./125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz./99 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz./99 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 8 oz. (250 g) semisweet chocolate baking disks
- Flaky sea salt
- 3 1/2 oz. (105 g) dark chocolate bar, chopped
- 2 pints (each 16 oz./500 g) vanilla ice cream, well frozen
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate disks.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough into 10 rounds, each about 2 1/2 oz. (75 g), and place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Sprinkle 5 of the cookies with flaky sea salt; these will be the top cookies. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
Position 1 rack in the upper third and 1 rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C).
Bake until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown, about 14 minutes; the centers will be lighter in color. Halfway through baking, rotate the baking sheets front to back, then lift the side of each baking sheet up and gently let it drop down against the oven rack to flatten out the cookies; repeat a few more times. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.
To assemble the sandwiches, spread the chopped chocolate on a piece of parchment paper; set aside.
Place each ice cream carton on its side on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut the cartons crosswise (right through the packaging) into a total of 5 slices, each about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. You will have some ice cream left over. Some of the slices will fit the cookies perfectly, while others will need to be trimmed around the edges to fit. Peel the packaging off the slices and discard. Lay the 5 unsalted cookies, flat side up, on a work surface and top each with a slice of ice cream. Top each with one of the salted cookies, flat side down.
Roll the ice cream sandwiches, including the exposed ice cream on the sides, through the chopped chocolate a few times. If the ice cream gets too soft, place the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer until ready to serve. Makes 5 ice cream sandwiches.
Belle English, Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen
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