Summer is sure to come with a batch of these Gluten Free Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies. Think soft, chocolaty, homemade cookies paired with your favorite creamy vanilla ice cream. Sounds like heaven to me!
ME BEFORE THE RECIPE…
Today I answered a phone call from the online division of Arizona State University. Oh yeah, I forgot that at about midnight last night I thought maybe I wanted to go back to school, and therefore inquired about receiving some information regarding an undergraduate degree. It’s funny what you do in the middle of the night that you seem to completely forget about the very next morning.
Let me clarify. I already graduated college. I have an undergraduate degree; a very useless undergraduate degree at that. I’m one of those people that graduated in psychology. You know those people that think, “I want to change the world by fixing everyone’s problems one person at a time.” Then halfway through your degree, taking what seems like the same psychology classes over and over again, you realize you will most certainly NOT change the world because most people do NOT want to change.
And then after that blow to your idealistic career path, you realize that you have just as many emotional issues as everyone else in the world and so why would you want to change others when you can’t even figure out your own problems?! And even if you did want to face the daunting challenge of attempting to mend yourself along with a slew of strangers as a career choice, you have to attend (and pay for) four more years of schooling AND write a dissertation to prove that you’re that crazy.
It’s a lot to swallow. Quite frankly, by the time you graduate as a psychology major, your professional dreams are shattered and you’re left wondering what the heck you’re supposed to do with your life because you most definitely do NOT want to become a psychologist, or therapist, or counselor, or life coach…or anything along the lines of “person who thinks they have ALL the answers”.
Now here I am, twelve years later, at the stroke of midnight, thinking maybe I’ve finally got it all figured out. It’s no secret I’m slightly obsessed with food. I mean, how can you waste your life away cooking and cooking and cooking…oh, and cooking some more…if you don’t have a passion for food?!
But it’s not just the cooking aspect that excites me. It’s the entire element of food. I love learning about all different types of food and what benefits they offer to our bodies. I’m dedicated to creating wholesome, fresh, colorful, flavorful meals for my family and introducing my children to the wide variety of tastes and textures in the world.
I believe in embracing a balance between cravings and necessary nourishment. We have an obligation to our bodies: to fuel them with wholesome natural foods rather than pack them full of processed convenient ingredients.
More so than simply caring for our own bodies, we have an even greater calling to provide our children with nourishing foods that will stimulate their minds and activate their bodies. I attend my girls’ lunches at least once a week while I volunteer, and I cringe at the sight of the majority of school lunches. It is completely common to see containers of chocolate milk, bags of cookies, trays filled with deep fried foods, Lunchables (don’t get me started), sugary drinks, chips, fruit snacks (people, these are NOT snacks!!!), and every other prepackaged food you can think of.
We have got to change!!! This is no kind of future for our children. No matter the circumstance, we can all do better.
And this is why a career in nutrition excites me. I want to inspire people to be better and offer them the tools and resources they need to achieve healthy goals in their own lives…and now I’m just realizing this is basically the same thing as psychology except with a focus on the body instead of the mind. Oh dear, will people really change??? Maybe I need to reevaluate my career choice yet again.
HERE COMES THE RECIPE…
Oh, and just how kosher is it after this entire post about choosing healthier options, to provide you with a recipe for these heaven sent Gluten Free Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies??? I’m pretty sure I would be the most coveted nutritionist on the planet if I handed these out to my clients. Whatcha think???
Haha! Seriously, I know you’re thinking I’m the world’s biggest hypocrite right about now. But here’s the thing, gluten free ice cream sandwich cookies are A-OKAY! As long as you’re not eating them everyday and for every meal, you’re allowed to indulge. I’m all about moderation around here. I eat healthy 95% of the time so I can treat myself every once in a while and not feel guilty. Nobody has any room in their lives for unnecessary guilt trips.
And I’m just gonna point out that these cookies are made completely from scratch. No processed ingredients. No preservatives. Just plain old mama love. And you can even make homemade ice cream for your filling if you want to stay 100% preservative free. I just made a batch of honey cinnamon vanilla ice cream that is out of this world. I’ll have to post that recipe soon.
These gluten free ice cream sandwich cookies are exactly what summers should be about; sitting under the blazing sun, scarfing down a cold treat before it dribbles and drips all down your chin. Please tell me you remember those days!
However, I’m fairly confident melting will not be an issue when eating these cookies. They’re so yummy, it’s going to take all your self control not to inhale them. They won’t even have time to melt. Basically, these gluten free ice cream sandwich cookies will be giving you a self induced brain freeze because you will be scarfing them down that fast. Slow down partner! There’s plenty to go around.
I love that these gluten free ice cream sandwich cookies can be made ahead of time and pulled out whenever you are in need of a satisfying treat. I just bake the chocolate cookies, let them cool, and toss them in the freezer. Once the cookies are completely frozen (this way they don’t bend and break when assembling), I scoop some ice cream in between, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store the assembled sandwich cookies in the freezer for easy grabbing.
These gluten free chocolate cookies used in this recipe are delicious on their own too. You don’t even need the ice cream for these to satisfy your sweet tooth. I used these same chocolate cookies to make my gluten free chocolate marshmallow cookies. Think s’mores on a chocolate cookie instead of a graham cracker!
So here’s my conclusion: work hard, play hard. You know that saying, right? Now apply it to food. Work at learning to enjoy fresh wholesome foods. Work at making time to prepare meals from scratch rather than buying processed foods. Work at introducing yourself to new foods and new flavors. And then after all that hard work, play it up with a batch of cookies…or whatever else your indulgence may be. You earned it!
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY…
- Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten Free Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten Free Maple Cinnamon Ice Cream
- Chocolate Ice Cream Cups
- Gluten Free No Churn Caramel Brownie Ice Cream
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1½ tablespoons milk
- 4 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped and melted
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2¼ cups high quality gluten free all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1)
- approximately 4 cups of your favorite ice cream
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream together the butter, eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Add vanilla and milk and mix until incorporated.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add roughly chopped chocolate and heat for 1 minute. Remove and stir for at least 1 minute until completely melted. Return to microwave for 15 second intervals, stirring in between, if needed. Add melted chocolate to batter and mix until combined.
- In a smaller mixing bowl, sift together cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and gluten free flour. Add to wet ingredients and mix on low for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Cover dough and chill in fridge for at least 30-45 minutes until slightly firm.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper if desired.*
- Once dough has chilled, spoon about 2 tablespoon size balls of dough onto baking sheet 2" apart. Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes until edges are dry and tops of cookies are starting to crack. Remove from oven and cool on pan for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer to cooling rack to continue cooling. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Once cookies are completely cooled, place in a plastic bag and store in freezer for at least 1-2 hours to harden, making sure not to bend, break, or smash cookies.
- To assemble ice cream sandwiches, remove ice cream from freezer and allow to slightly soften (if needed) for about 5 minutes. Take a frozen cookie and scoop about ¼ cup of ice cream in the middle. Place another cookie on top and gently push until ice cream reaches outer edge of cookie. Wrap in plastic wrap and return to the freezer. Working quickly, repeat with remaining cookies.
- Store cookies in freezer until ready to serve. Cookies will last in freezer for up to 3 months.
Can’t wait to get started on these recipes! And YAY it’s all basic ingredients 🙂 I kinda gave up cooking gluten free from scratch because it always failed or needed 10 different exotic ingredients but this looks doable – thanks! Lowen @ livingpositivelywithdisability.com