Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Sandwiches

The July summer heat has finally laid upon us like a dripping wet blanket, so like every self respecting Canadian…I will complain about the uncomfortable weather while stuffing my face with frozen treats and dreaming of snow.

Starting with this great recipe from the delicious blog, Erica’s Sweet Tooth.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

Adapted from Recipe Girl and Not So Humble Pie

ingredients:

For the Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream:
1-1/4 cups smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chopped peanut butter cups (8-10 full-sized ones)

For the Chocolate Cookies:
12 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 large egg
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
Extra flour and cocoa for dusting

directions:

For the Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream:
– Make sure your ice cream maker has been in the freezer overnight before starting.
– In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together peanut butter and sugar until smooth. Add milk and mix on low until sugar is dissolved – about 2-3 minutes.
– Mix in the heavy cream and vanilla and beat until well combined.
– Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions for freezing, which usually takes between 20 and 25 minutes.
– When the ice cream is done, fold in the chopped peanut butter cups.
– To use this ice cream for sandwiches, line a 9×13″ pan with plastic wrap and spread the ice cream evenly in the pan. Cover with another layer of plastic wrap and freeze for at least 12 hours.
*To make the sandwiches with store-bought ice cream, just let a carton of ice cream soften enough to spread evenly in a 9×13″ pan.

For the Chocolate Cookies:
– In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
– Add the cocoa powder, reduce the speed to low, and let it mix while scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
– Add the vanilla and egg and beat on medium speed until well combined.
– With the mixer on low, add the flour and mix until well combined.
– Wrap the cookies in plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 4 hours.
– When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
– Make a mixture of 50/50 flour and cocoa and dust surface to prevent sticking (the cocoa powder will keep the cookies dark brown once baked).
– Roll out dough to about 1/8″ thickness and cut out desired shapes. This cookie cutter will also be used to cutout shapes of ice cream from your 9×13″ pan.
– Arrange cutouts on a parchment paper or silpat-lined cookie sheet (don’t worry about crowding them; these don’t spread very much) and bake for 10-12 minutes.
– Allow cookies to cool completely on wire racks before assembling the ice cream sandwiches.

For Ice Cream Sandwich Assembly:
– Remove pan of ice cream from freezer and allow to soften for 5-10 minutes.
– Using the same cookie cutter as used for the cookies, cut out rounds of ice cream and sandwich the ice cream between 2 cookies.
– Return sandwiches to freezer or enjoy immediately.

Courtesy of: Erica’s Sweet Tooth