Naturally, the first recipe I made when back in my kitchen after a few shorts weeks away was desert-related. If you know me, then you know I'll take any excuse to make an ice cream related desert, and the 50% off sale on all the chocolate related baking products at my grocery store was all the motivation I needed. Don't worry, there have been a few other healthy-ish recipes I've made as well. Mostly quick easy dinners, all of which are baby friendly. Nothing particularly noteworthy for the blog, though. I did make Sprouted Kitchen's turkey meatball's last Sunday, and they received a great deal of praise from Sebastian in the form of squeals and hand waves.

We've been taking things real slow around here the last week or two. Mostly to counterbalance the high-paced speed in which Sebastian is choosing to live at the moment. I've been spending my spare moments on the computer choosing tile, kitchen hardware, patio furniture, etc. Real mind-numbing tasks. The weather has been a little grey and gloomy, reminiscent of the fall days to come. I'm hoping for at least a few good weeks of summer left, so I can utilize this patio furniture I plan to purchase. I don't have a single canker sore in my mouth, which means that I probably haven't been eating enough fresh tomatoes, which is completely unacceptable. I do have my eye on this beautiful vegan Caprese salad, which should get me pointed in the right direction.

Despite the weather outside these last few days, summer is living strong at our house in the form of ice cream sandwiches! I am a firm believer in the positive effects ice cream can have on one's soul. For example, last night Sebastian refused to go to sleep until 11 pm. Once I did manage to get him to sleep, I ate two three ice cream sandwiches and felt much better about things. Case in point.

For this recipe, I wanted to change things up from my usual - chocolate chip cookie sandwich with vanilla ice cream. It's what I gravitate towards 9 out of 10 times at my local ice cream sandwich shop. I envisioned a soft chocolate sugar cookie paired with my favorite cookies and cream ice cream. To take things one step further, I decided to dip the cookie in warm chocolate and sprinkle with chopped nuts, which is kind of a risky maneuver, dipping cold ice cream into warm chocolate. In the end, it was a really good decision. The whole cookie, in my mind, is a classy grown-up version of something so fun and child-like. From the chopped hazelnuts to the dark chocolate, to the chocolate sugar cookie. It's such a fancy and indulgent treat. And completely acceptable to hide in the back of your fridge, just for you. Or is what I keep telling myself.

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CHOCOLATE DIPPED ICE CREAM SANDWICH COOKIES

(sugar cookie recipe from

baking a moment

)

makes 24 cookies, 12 ice cream sandwiches

prep time: 40 minutes

cooking time: 8 minutes

1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 tbsp canola oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tub cookies and cream ice cream

6 oz semisweet, bittersweet or milk chocolate

toppings

chopped almonds, hazelnuts, pecans

toffee bits

chocolate chips

peanut butter chips

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In  the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil, sugar, vanilla, and salt until the mixture is smooth. Do not over mix, this will lead to spreading.

Add the egg and mix until just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Add the cornstarch, cocoa powder, and flour and combine until the mixture comes together.

Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball with your hands. Flatten into a disk and place between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the dough 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2 or 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Place the cookies onto the parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Once the cookies are completely cool. Remove the ice cream from the freezer. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the tub of ice cream into 1/2 - 1 inch slices. Using the cookie cutter, cut the ice cream slices into rounds. Sandwich in between two cookies and place into the freezer immediately on a sheet of parchment paper. Place the ice cream scraps into a plastic tub and freeze for later. Let the ice cream sandwiches chill for a few hours.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Remove one sandwich at a time from the freezer, dip half of the cookie into the chocolate. Let it harden a few second, and then sprinkle with your chosen toppings. Place the cookie back in the freezer to set. Store in a plastic container in the freezer for up to a month.