GLUTEN FREE ICE CREAM SANDWICH COOKIES CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA WITH DAIRY FREE & VEGAN INSTRUCTIONS

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     I wanted a “real” ice cream sandwich, just like I used to have before having to eliminate wheat from my diet.  I converted a wheat recipe into a gluten free one.  The chocolate cookie is crisp when plain, but sandwiched around ice cream and kept in the freezer for at least one day it gets soft.  It is just like a real ice cream sandwich in taste and texture!
     I made up a vanilla cookie recipe from the chocolate one.  I know it is hard to believe, but many people I know do not like chocolate.  Being a chocoholic, I am still incredulous, but I do consider them when making my baked goods.  To my surprise, I actually loved the vanilla cookies with strawberry ice cream as much as the traditional chocolate cookies with vanilla ice cream.  It was like a twist on a strawberry shortcake.  Very delicious and a different sort of ice cream sandwich.  I also made some chocolate cookies filled with strawberry and with chocolate ice cream and vanilla cookies with vanilla ice cream.  All came out absolutely scrumptious.  I think you can use any flavor ice cream you like with any flavor cookie.
     The day I was baking I was not that patient so I did not make the cookies all uniform and I did not make them shaped just like a traditional ice cream sandwich.  I made squares on the smaller size between 2½ - 3-inches wide.  You can make them any size you like, even smaller for children.  You can use cookie cutters and make shapes.  The dough, as usual with gluten free doughs, is soft.  To get the dough to keep its shape and to work with the dough, it is necessary to chill or freeze it between steps if it gets soft.  I was not too picky that day so some of my cookies stretched out of shape as I transferred them to the cookie sheet.  I am going to make some for my sister in California.  When I make those I will be more careful and measure out the shapes to make them look just like a traditional ice cream sandwich.  I’ll post some of those pics then.

     

CHOCOLATE GLUTEN FREE ICE CREAM SANDWICH COOKIES

Makes about 24 cookies 2½ x 2½-inches (12 small sandwiches) 

Or 12 cookies 2 1/4 x 5-inches (6 large sandwiches)

Ingredients

1 stick - 4 oz	Unsalted Butter or for Dairy Free or Vegan use Margarine use one with no hydrogenated oils such as Earth Balance
3/4 cup	Brown Sugar
2 large	Eggs for Vegan use 1/2 cup water
1 tsp.	Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup	Cocoa Powder
1 cup	Sorghum Flour
1/2 cup	Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup	Chickpea Flour
1 tsp.	Baking Powder
1/2 tsp.	Xanthan Gum
1/4 tsp.	Himalayan Sea Salt omit salt if using margarine that has salt

VANILLA GLUTEN FREE ICE CREAM SANDWICH COOKIES

Makes about 24 cookies 2½ x 2½-inches

or 12 cookies 2 1/4 x 5-inches (6 large sandwiches)

Ingredients

1 stick - 4 oz	Unsalted Butter or for Dairy Free or Vegan use Margarine Use one with no hydrogenated oils such as Earth Balance
3/4 cup	Brown Sugar
2 large	Eggs for Vegan use 1/2 cup water
2 tsp.	Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup	Corn Starch
1 cup	Sorghum Flour
1/2 cup	Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup	Chickpea Flour
1 tsp.	Baking Powder
1/2 tsp.	Xanthan Gum
1/4 tsp.	Himalayan Sea Salt omit salt if using margarine that has salt

Directions - for Vanilla or Chocolate Cookies

1. In a small bowl add the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum & salt (if using).

    a)For vanilla cookies: add corn starch to the other dry ingredients and mix together well.
    b)For chocolate cookies: add cocoa powder to the other dry ingredients and mix well.

Flours with cocoa added for chocolate cookies.

1. In large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter or margarine and the sugar and cream together. 
2. Add the eggs or water and vanilla.  Mix in well.

   

   All the wet ingredients well blended.

3. Add the flour mixture and beat until well combined.

   

   Flour mixture with cornstarch added to the wet ingredients for vanilla cookies.

   
   

   

   Chocolate cookie dough.

4. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for an hour or freeze for 15 minutes.

   

   Vanilla cookie dough gathered and placed on a piece of plastic wrap.

   
   

   

   Vanilla dough wrapped in plastic ready to go into the fridge or freezer.

5. Roll out the dough about 1/4 inch thick between two pieces of plastic wrap. Place on a flat baking sheet or cutting board and chill for 10 minutes in the freezer if the dough becomes soft.

   

   Vanilla dough all rolled out.
   I did not make it as thin as the chocolate dough.
   Rolling it out thinner is better. ¼ inch thick is best.

6. Remove the top piece of plastic.  Using a knife or cookie cutters, cut out the dough into the desired shapes and sizes. A traditional looking ice cream sandwich will need to be cut into rectangles that are 2 1/4 x 5-inches.

   

   Trimming the edges of the rolled out dough with a pizza cutter.

   
   

   

   Peeling away the scraps, to be rerolled and used later.

   
   

   

   Dough cut into squares.

7. Use a wooden skewer or forks or toothpicks to poke holes across the cookies.  If the dough has softened slide the dough, still on the plastic wrap, onto a flat baking sheet or cutting board and put it back in the freezer for 10 minutes.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silpat pads.
9. Place the cut out cookies 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

   

   Raw cookies with holes pricked using a fork.

10. Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending upon the size of the cookies you may need to adjust the time.  
11. Cool the cookies in the pan for at least 3 or 4 minutes before moving them or they may break.

    

    Baked chocolate cookies.

    
    
12. Cool completely on wire racks.  

MAKING ICE CREAM SANDWICHES WITH THE COOKIES

     There are several ways to prepare the ice cream for the sandwiches: 

1) You can cut slices of ice cream if the ice cream comes in a rectangular container that lends itself to this.  Then cut the slices to fit the cookies and place the ice cream onto one half of the cookies and top with the remaining cookies. 

2) You can let the ice cream soften slightly and spread it directly onto one half of the cookies and top with the remaining cookies. 

Softened ice cream spread on a cookie and then topped with another cookie.

3) You can let the ice cream soften and line a pan with plastic wrap.  Spread the softened ice cream evenly over the pan to the desired thickness.  Freeze until firm.  Then cut the ice cream into the desired shapes and place the ice cream shapes on half the cookies topping them with the remaining cookies.

4) For dairy free or vegan use dairy free ice cream.  I love the So Delicious Almond milk.  There are coconut milk, soy milk, hemp and all types and flavors of dairy free or vegan ice creams out there.

5) Store the sandwiches by wrapping them in plastic wrap or wrap of choice such as foil or wax paper and then put them in the freezer.

6) The cookies will be crunchy at first.  Leave them in the freezer for at least one day and the cookies become soft like a traditional ice cream sandwich.  I think after two days the texture is better.  They keep a few weeks in the freezer if well wrapped.  Of course, you can just eat them without any ice cream.  Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE GLUTEN FREE ICE CREAM SANDWICH COOKIES Makes about 24 cookies 2½ x 2½-inches (12 small sandwiches) Or 12 cookies 2 1/4 x 5-inches (6 large sandwiches) Ingredients 1 stick - 4 oz Unsalted Butter or for Dairy Free or Vegan use Margarine use one with no hydrogenated oils such as Earth Balance 3/4 cup Brown Sugar 2 large Eggs for Vegan use 1/2 cup water 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder 1 cup Sorghum Flour 1/2 cup Tapioca Flour 1/2 cup Chickpea Flour 1 tsp. Baking Powder 1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum 1/4 tsp. Himalayan Sea Salt omit salt if using margarine that has salt VANILLA GLUTEN FREE ICE CREAM SANDWICH COOKIES Makes about 24 cookies 2½ x 2½-inches or 12 cookies 2 1/4 x 5-inches (6 large sandwiches) 1 stick - 4 oz Unsalted Butter or for Dairy Free or Vegan use Margarine Use one with no hydrogenated oils such as Earth Balance 3/4 cup Brown Sugar 2 large Eggs for Vegan use 1/2 cup water 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract 1/2 cup Corn Starch 1 cup Sorghum Flour 1/2 cup Tapioca Flour 1/2 cup Chickpea Flour 1 tsp. Baking Powder 1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum 1/4 tsp. Himalayan Sea Salt omit salt if using margarine that has salt Directions - for Vanilla or Chocolate Cookies In a small bowl add the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum & salt (if using). a)For vanilla cookies: add corn starch to the other dry ingredients and mix together well. b)For chocolate cookies: add cocoa powder to the other dry ingredients and mix well. In large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter or margarine and the sugar and cream together. Add the eggs or water and mix in well. Add the flour mixture and beat until well combined. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for an hour or freeze for 15 minutes. Roll out the dough about 1/4 inch thick between two pieces of plastic wrap. Place on a flat baking sheet or cutting board and chill for 10 minutes in the freezer if the dough becomes soft. Remove the top piece of plastic. Using a knife or cookie cutters, cut out the dough into the desired shapes and sizes. A traditional looking ice cream sandwich will need to be cut into rectangles that are 2 1/4 x 5-inches. Use a wooden skewer or forks or toothpicks to poke holes across the cookies. If the dough has softened slide the dough on the plastic wrap onto a flat baking sheet or cutting board and put it back in the freezer for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silpat pads. Place the cut out cookies 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending upon the size of the cookies you may need to adjust the time. Cool the cookies in the pan for at least 3 or 4 minutes before moving them or they may break. Cool completely on wire racks. MAKING ICE CREAM SANDWICHES WITH THE COOKIES There are several ways to prepare the ice cream for the sandwiches: 1) You can cut slices of ice cream if the ice cream comes in a rectangular container that lends itself to this. Then cut the slices to fit the cookies and place the ice cream onto one half of the cookies and top with the remaining cookies. 2) You can let the ice cream soften slightly and spread it directly onto one half of the cookies and top with the remaining cookies. 3) You can let the ice cream soften and line a pan with plastic wrap. Spread the softened ice cream evenly over the pan to the desired thickness. Freeze until firm. Then cut the ice cream into the desired shapes and place the ice cream shapes on half the cookies topping them with the remaining cookies. 4) For dairy free or vegan use dairy free ice cream. I love the So Delicious Almond milk. There are coconut milk, soy milk, hemp and all types and flavors of dairy free or vegan ice creams out there. 5) Store the sandwiches by wrapping them in plastic wrap or wrap of choice such as foil or wax paper and then put them in the freezer. 6) The cookies will be crunchy at first. Leave them in the freezer for at least one day and the cookies become soft like a traditional ice cream sandwich. I think after two days the texture is the best. They keep a few weeks in the freezer if well wrapped. Of course, you can just eat them without any ice cream. Enjoy!