Ice cream sandwiches

by Susan Hanna 

Finding all-natural ice cream can be a
challenge, so we make our own, using an electric ice cream maker and a simple
recipe that combines 2 cups of whipping cream, 1 cup of half-and-half, ¾ cup of
sugar and 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract. It is much easier than making a
custard ice cream base and I think it’s just as good. I usually top ice cream
with berries or some stewed rhubarb. But, as a birthday treat for a friend, I
recently decided to make ice cream sandwiches from The Canadian Living Barbecue and Summer Foods Cookbook. The cookies
are easy to make, although you may want to make them a little smaller than the
recipe calls for. I used 2 tbsp of cookie dough for each, which makes a 3-inch
cookie.

 Avoiding
Additives and Preservatives

  The ingredients to look out for in this
recipe are the spices, butter, vanilla and chocolate chips. Make sure the
spices do not contain colour or anti-caking agents and that the vanilla is a
pure extract, not an artificial one. Use butter with a single ingredient:
cream. It can be difficult to find additive-free chocolate, but I was delighted
to find some in the local grocery store made by Enjoy Life Foods
(www.enjoylifefoods.com), which makes products without additives and the eight
most common allergens.

 Ingredients:

•  2 cups rolled oats
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 cups vanilla ice cream

Preparation:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  In bowl, combine rolled oats, baking soda,
   flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; mix well.
3.  In separate bowl, cream together butter and
   brown and granulated sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
   Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips.
4.  Shape about 3 tbsp dough at a time into
   balls (this will produce cookies that are about 4 inches in diameter). Arrange
   well apart (dough spreads during baking) on baking sheets; press with
   fingertips into three-inch circles to make 18-20 cookies, about 6 cookies per
   sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Let cool on wire racks.
5.  To assemble sandwiches, cut ice cream into
   squares about ½ inch thick and sandwich between cookies. Arrange on baking
   sheet and freeze until solid; then wrap individually in plastic wrap or foil.
   Makes 9 or 10 sandwiches. Serve within two weeks.

 From the Canadian Living Barbecue and Summer Foods
Cookbook