Frozen Goodness:Part 2

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

That buttermilk strawberry concoction sounds divine! I will have to try it! Now if you are in the mood for a frozen treat that you can sink your teeth into, try your hand at making these homemade ice cream sandwiches. You'll never want to touch a fat boy again! They are really easy to make and you can use any kind of ice cream you like- homemade or store bought. Of course they are better with homemade ice cream! My personal preference? Peppermint ice cream. Its like a big frozen peppermint patty of sorts.  I got the recipe from The Everyday Food Cookbook: Fresh Flavors Fast, and it can also be found on the Martha Stewart website.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 pints ice cream (any flavor), softened

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 15-by-10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the two shorter sides.

In a medium bowl, whisk together butter and sugar until combined; whisk in egg, vanilla, and salt until combined. Add flour and cocoa, and mix just until smooth. Spread in prepared baking pan. Bake until cake is dry to the touch and edges begin to pull away from the sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface. With a serrated knife, halve crosswise. Place one half of cake, flat side down, on a large piece of plastic wrap. Spread with ice cream, then top with remaining half of cake, flat side up. Return ice-cream sandwich to baking pan, and wrap tightly in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

Unwrap sandwich; using a serrated knife, cut into 8 rectangles, wiping off blade between each cut. Serve ice-cream sandwiches immediately.

Homemade Backyard Mint Ice Cream

This recipe is from Food & Wine Magazine. They featured my favorite ice cream artisan, Jeni Britton Bauer who has a fantastic ice cream shop here in Columbus Ohio. It has become easily one of my favorite things about living here in Ohio. Her ice cream is divine!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 tablespoons)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch. In another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese until smooth.

In a large saucepan, combine the remaining milk with the heavy cream, sugar and corn syrup. Bring the milk mixture to a boil and cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the chopped mint. Whisk in the salt. Set the bowl in the ice water bath and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.

Strain the ice cream base into an ice cream maker, pressing the mint leaves with the back of a spoon to extract all of the flavor, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pack the ice cream into a plastic container.

Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze the mint ice cream until firm, about 4 hours.