Waterbar’s It’s Its

Who would not agree that an ice cream sandwich is one of the best ways to eat ice cream? Eating ice cream by itself is pretty darn perfect but eating it with your fingers has to be close to heaven.

When most people think about ice cream sandwiches the first thing that comes to mind is vanilla ice cream bookended by soft chocolate wafers. But we shouldn’t stop there. In my book A Passion for Ice Cream, I have a whole chapter devoted to ice cream sandwiches called With your Fingers. Chocolate cookies with mint chocolate chip ice cream, cocoa nib florentines with orange ice cream, ginger snaps with lemon ice cream, ranger cookies with peanut butter ice cream.

On the Waterbar dessert menu we have our version of an It’s It. (If you are not familiar with the It’s It, a mostly west coast treat, check out their website.) Our rendition is malted milk ball ice cream sandwiched between two crisp oatmeal cookies. It is then half dipped in bittersweet chocolate. It’s a big seller on our bar menu.

Ice cream sandwiches are easy to make. Yes, you can make your own cookies and/or your own ice cream but if you are short on time or inclination don’t despair. Get your favorite bakery cookies and your favorite commercial ice cream and go for it.

Slightly soften the ice cream (or even sorbet) when you assemble them so the cookies won’t break when you press the sandwich together. Store them in a single layer on a baking sheet in the freezer. Freeze until solid. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap to keep the flavors fresh. (If they last that long.)

Ice cream sandwiches can also be turned into a “dinner party” dessert. Serve them individually on a plate with a dish of warm caramel or chocolate sauce for dipping. YUM!

THE CONTEST: In honor of ice cream sandwiches and how much joy they bring to the world, I am going to have a contest. Send me your favorite ice cream sandwich combination (the cookie and the ice cream). Whoever comes up with the best idea will win signed copies of my three best selling cookbooks, A Passion for Desserts, A Passion for Ice Cream and Classic Stars Desserts (Valued at over $100!).

If you want it to be a homemade creation great but it doesn’t have to be. Store bought cookies and ice cream are fine. It’s all about the combinations. Get creative and just have fun. Send in your entries on the comment board here by October 30^th.

To get your creative juices flowing, here’s my recipe for Raspberry Ice Cream Sandwiches. These don’t even use a cookie but crispy filo.

Raspberry Ice Cream Sandwiches                                                      

Makes 8 sandwiches

Raspberry Ice Cream

12 ounces frozen raspberries (no sugar added), defrosted

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups milk

1 1/4 cups heavy (whipping) cream

Filo Rectangles

2 ounces (1/2 cup) whole natural almonds, toasted

1/4 cup sugar

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

4 sheets filo

To make the ice cream: Puree the raspberries in a food processor or through a food mill. Strain the puree through a sieve to eliminate any seeds.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the salt.

Warm the milk, the cream, and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until hot and bubbling around the edges, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk the liquid into the egg mixture. Return the milk and cream to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden or rubber heat-resistant spatula, until it coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve.

Stir in the raspberry puree. Cool over an ice bath, then refrigerate until cold.

Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While the ice cream is freezing, grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with a piece of plastic wrap. Spread the freshly churned ice cream into the pan and freeze until solid, 6 hours to overnight.

Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the pan. Place a cutting board on top of the parchment paper. Invert the pan and cutting board together. Remove the pan and then gently remove the plastic wrap. Cut the ice cream into rectangles 4 by 2 1/2 inches. (Save scraps for nibbling.) Place the ice cream rectangles on a baking sheet in a single layer (or stack with plastic wrap between layers). Freeze until you are ready to serve the sandwiches.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the filo rectangles: Finely grind the almonds and the sugar together in a food processor. Put in a small bowl.

Lay the sheets of filo on a flat work surface. Remove 1 sheet from the stack and place it on the work surface in front of you. Cover the remaining sheets with a kitchen towel. Brush the single sheet with some of the melted butter and then sprinkle with one quarter of the almond sugar. Lay a second sheet of filo on top of the first and again butter and sugar it. Continue in the same manner with the remaining 2 sheets of filo.

Cut the filo stack into 16 rectangles, each 4 by 2 1/2 inches. Using a metal spatula, transfer the rectangles to the prepared baking sheets, placing them about 1/4 inch apart.

Bake the filo rectangles until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

To serve: Place a rectangle of raspberry ice cream between 2 pieces of filo and serve immediately.

Photo by Kim Goddard

I overdosed on sugar this week big time. I have been on a baking frenzy testing recipes for a cookbook I am writing. In 6 days Robyn, my pastry cohort, and I tested 32 recipes. Talk about a sugar rush.  All this sugar has gotten me thinking. If I were on a dessert island what desserts would I want? What couldn’t I live without? What do I dream about even after a day of intense baking? (Yes, I know there are no desserts on desert islands. This is hypothetical, a litmus test to see what desserts are really my favorites.) Chocolate chip cookies would certainly be on the list.

Chocolate chip cookies are the iconic American cookie. Seen everywhere from high end restaurants to the cookie aisle in the grocery store, the quality ranges from sublime to pretty disgusting. Although my mom didn’t make a lot of desserts I have fond memories of getting home from school to find her pulling a tray of Toll House cookies from the oven with some already cooling on the counter. While chocolate chip cookies are simple and everywhere they are also sophisticated and satisfy like no other dessert. Since becoming a cookie professional I am always pondering how to make them better and better.

One of the big discussions between chocolate chip cookie lovers is- Are chocolate chips or chocolate chunks better? (Even if it has chocolate chunks in it I still call it a chocolate chip cookie.) Using one or the other makes different cookies. The former gives small bites of chocolate even if you put more in. They still feel and taste small. This is good for small cookies.

Chocolate chunks give you much more of a chocolate hit when you take a bite. If you have chopped the chunks off a big block of chocolate then you also get the smaller slivers of chocolate in between bites that have chunks. These are real chocoholic chocolate chip cookies.

There are numerous brands of chocolate chips on the market. The chocolate is the main flavor of the cookie, so don’t skimp on quality. Pick a chocolate chip that you think tastes great. Go to the store and buy as many kinds as you can and try them all. (It’s a rough job but someone has to do it.) For the big brands, my favorites are Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate chips and Guittard Double Chocolate or 63%. I prefer bittersweet over semisweet as it has more flavor. (The exception to this is Scharffen Berger semisweet. It tastes like bittersweet.)

Some companies have even started making chocolate chunks or bigger chips so you don’t have to chop your own. If you chop your own chocolate into chunks your options are greater- E. Guittard, Lindt, Valrhona, El Rey, Scharffen Berger, TCHO and Green & Black’s. Go to the Chocosphere website and you will find these chocolates and other chocolate jewels like Amedei, Felchlin, and Michel Cluizel. Although these last three are not normally used in chocolate chip cookies why not?

Here’s a recipe for chocolate chip cookies to hold you over until you get to the desert island where fresh chocolate chip cookies will be waiting for you.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Makes about 36 cookies

 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks

 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

 In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Put the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Slowly add the brown sugars and again beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla until incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and, using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, distributing them evenly.

To shape each cookie, using a spoon or ice cream scoop, scoop up a spoonful of the dough and roll between your palms into a 1 1/2-inch ball or smaller if you wish. As the balls are formed, place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart for the big cookies. If you want the baked cookies to be taller, refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. If you don’t mind them a little flatter, you can bake them right away.

Bake until golden brown, about 14 minutes for the larger cookies. At the midway point, switch the pans between the racks and rotate them 180 degrees to ensure even baking. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes. You may then transfer them to wire racks or leave then on the pans to cool further.