cookies

Ice Cream ‘Wiches and Affogatos

Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream 'Wich with Rainbow Sprinkles
~ White House Red Door ~ 2 Comments

This time of year is absolutely glorious! Lazy, hazy dog days of summer complete with ice cold lemonade, warm sand between your toes, and the echoes of “Marco… Polo” filling the air as you read the latest best seller. Dinners are easier; spontaneous invites for backyard barbeques are extended and accepted. It’s not hard to quickly pull a beautiful simple summer meal together; throw something on the grill and add a delicious salad of farm fresh vegetables on the side. Then your thoughts turn to dessert, but don’t panic! If spontaneity fueled the dinner, time to create a completely from scratch dessert is probably non-existent. Ice cream is a safe bet, cookies as well, but add some sprinkles and now you’ve got a party! Remember chipwiches? Those chocolate chip cookie sandwiches rolled in chocolate chips? Make your own and get the kids (and grownups) involved!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ice Cream ‘Wiches

For this night, I used store bought oatmeal raisin cookies and vanilla ice cream and rolled them in rainbow sprinkles. But don’t stick to that script. The cookie and ice cream combinations are absolutely endless. Choose flavor combinations based on what you like! Here are some ideas to get you started…

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies + Vanilla Ice Cream + Sprinkles
Chocolate Chip Cookies + Vanilla Ice Cream + Sprinkles
Peanut Butter Cookies + Banana Ice Cream + Mini Chocolate Chips
Peanut Butter Cookies + Vanilla Ice Cream + Crushed Candied Peanuts
Molasses Cookies + Cinnamon Ice Cream + Crushed Walnuts
Chocolate Cookies + Coffee Ice Cream + Crushed Hazelnuts
Gingersnap Cookies + Pumpkin Ice Cream + Crushed Pecans

To be honest, more hands-on research is necessary… it’s going to be tough, but I promise to report back after time spent in the field taste testing. Who wants to help??

Another incredibly delicious and easy dessert to make on the fly is an affogato. Literally and figuratively, affogato in Italian means, “drowned.” In this case, a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream is drowned in a shot of espresso. The hot espresso immediately begins melting the gelato, creating the most perfect “coffee ice cream” ever. As I sit typing, I’m already imagining that a dash of Frangelico or Amaretto would be a sophisticated twist. Two (or three) ingredients and you are done! It doesn’t get any easier.

Play around with the flavor combinations of both desserts, and let me know how it goes!

Ice Cream ‘Wiches

  • Servings: 6 sandwiches
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Ingredients:
12 cookies (your favorite- homemade or store bought)
1 container ice cream (your favorite)
sprinkles, crushed nuts, or mini chocolate chips

Instructions:
Soften frozen ice cream at room temperature for approximately 10 minutes. Be sure to check, you don’t want soup, just soft enough to scoop easily and “sandwich” between the cookies.

While ice cream is softening, line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set aside.

Pour sprinkles, crushed nuts, or mini chocolate chips into a wide shallow bowl or container.

When ice cream is soft enough to work with, place a scoop of ice cream onto the flat-bottomed side of a cookie. Top with another cookie, flat-bottomed side down. Press gently together to ensure that ice cream reaches edges of cookie.

Roll the sides of the cookie in the sprinkles, crushed nuts, or mini chocolate chips so that they adhere to the ice cream sides.

Place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining cookies and immediately place in the freezer until firm, approximately 30-45 minutes.

*Make ahead- when firm, transfer to a freezer bag, separating the sandwiches with wax paper, or individually wrapping them.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Vanilla Ice Cream
Sandwich softened ice cream between two cookies.
Rolling Ice Cream 'Wich in Rainbow Sprinkles
Roll the sides in sprinkles, crushed nuts, mini chocolate chips or whatever suits you.
Ice Cream 'Wiches on Lined Cookie Sheet
Place the ice cream ‘wiches on a lined cookie sheet and immediately place in freezer.
Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream 'Wich with Rainbow Sprinkles
After firming up in the freezer this ‘wich is ready to enjoy!

Affogato

  • Servings: 1
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Ingredients:
1 generous scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream
1 shot of freshly brewed espresso or strong hot coffee

Instructions:
Put one generous scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream into a serving dish. Pour hot espresso directly on top. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Espresso and Gelato
Brew a shot of espresso or very strong coffee. While your espresso is brewing, place a generous scoop of vanilla gelato or ice-cream in a serving dish.
Affogato
Pour the freshly brewed espresso on top of the gelato. Serve immediately.
Affogato
Buon Appetito!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chocolate-Chunk-Cookies
~ White House Red Door ~ 2 Comments

Chocolate-Chunk-Cookies

What more can you say about chocolate chip cookies? They have been around for over 75 years, invented by Ruth Wakefield who owned and operated the Toll House restaurant in Whitman, MA. If you’re interested in learning more, please see this New Yorker article for an interesting history of one of America’s most iconic sweets.

Today there are an infinite number of chocolate chip cookie recipes, but your  hunt for the best is over. Chocolate Chunk Cookies stand apart from the competition because of the chunks, not just any chunks, but coarsely chopped or broken pieces of bittersweet chocolate. The size of the larger pieces combined with bittersweet chocolate make all the difference. A very smart friend mentioned another bonus- these cookies are better for you because of all the antioxidants in the dark chocolate. So pour a glass of red wine milk and enjoy.

Making Chocolate Chunk Cookies is pretty straightforward. Cream butter and sugar, add an egg, some flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and most importantly the bittersweet chocolate. The best part is “coarsely chopping” the chocolate. And by coarsely chopping I mean whacking the wrapped bars against the countertop.  Multiple times. Of course, if you want to chop, go right ahead. But smashing those chocolate bars does feel pretty good.

After repeatedly whacking the chocolate, carefully unwrap to reveal your chunks.
After repeatedly whacking the chocolate, carefully unwrap to reveal your chunks.
Use your fingers to break any larger pieces of chocolate into more
Use your fingers to break any larger sections of chocolate into more “bite sized” pieces.

My favorite tool to use for scooping cookie dough, muffin or cupcake batters is an ice-cream scoop. Everything comes out perfectly uniform and I don’t have to spend time scraping spoons to get the dough or batter to drop.

Use an ice-cream scoop to drop perfectly portioned and even cookie dough rounds.
Use an ice-cream scoop to drop perfectly formed and portioned cookie dough rounds.

The other tool I get quite a bit of use out of is a reusable silicone liner. Nothing sticks- from candied nuts to cookies. Parchment paper works just as well, though cannot be reused.

Cookie dough about to go into the oven.
Cookie dough about to go into the oven.
Fresh out of the oven and cooling on a wire rack.
Fresh out of the oven and cooling on a wire rack.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

  • Servings: approximately 30 cookies
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*adapted from Lee Bailey’s Country Desserts

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 Tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts**
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (such as Ghiradelli or Guittard), coarsely chopped or broken

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugars until smooth, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and mix well. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the vanilla, then fold in the nuts and chocolate chunks.

Drop in 2 Tablespoon clumps onto an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving several inches between for expansion.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Let cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat with remaining batter until used up.

**The walnuts are terrific, adding even more chunks (and antioxidants) to this delicious cookie.  However, because this particular batch was for a school function the cookies had to be nut free, and were just as tasty without them.

Serve with milk... or red wine... or even whiskey according to the New Yorker article.
Serve with milk… or red wine… or even whiskey according to the New Yorker article.