Shortbread Ice Cream Sandwiches
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Shortbread Ice Cream Sandwiches: Rich, creamy ice cream sandwiched between two soft, wafer thin shortbread cookies and drizzled with chocolate sauce.
When it comes to beating the summer heat it’s hard to say no to a rich, creamy, ice cold dessert. Especially when I’m referring to these homemade shortbread ice cream sandwiches. With creamy ice cream, wafer thin shortbread, and rich chocolate topping, I’m so glad that I don’t have to pick a favorite part!
In the past I’ve always made homemade ice cream and homemade shortbread to create these sandwiches. This year, in preparation for this weekend’s pool party, I decided to take a different route and make them using Blue Bunny® ice cream and I am so glad that I did!
Blue Bunny® has recently come out with clear containers that allow you to see all the swirls and other yummy goodness going on inside the package. They also have this adorable bunny in their ads that makes my dog go nuts every time it comes on. The best part however, is that the assembly was much quicker and it left me with a lot less mess than doing it all from scratch.
The first step in making these shortbread ice cream sandwiches is to make the shortbread. I use a modified version of the shortbread from my Classic Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust. By trading the powdered sugar for granulated sugar you get a dough that sticks together better, which makes rolling the cookies out much easier.
Start with room temperature butter. To speed up this process, cut the butter into tablespoon sized chunks and let it sit in a warm location. Place the warm, soft butter in the bowl of a stand mixer along with the sugar and vanilla. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium low until the butter and sugar are creamed together. You will need to stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the beater and the sides of the bowl.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, and cornstarch. Stir together, then add to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low until the batter is combined but crumbly, as in the picture above. Pour the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and press together into a ball. The warmth of your hands will melt the butter slightly and help it stick together. Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. This rest phase gives the flour the chance to soak up the moisture from the butter. If refrigerated longer than 30 minutes, allow the dough to warm up so that you can work with it.
Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out with a rolling pin using extra flour to prevent sticking. The goal is to roll these cookies out to be about 1/16th of an inch thin. You can use a 2″ or 3″ round cookie cutter, but a drinking glass works well too. The recipe should make 16 – 3″ cookies or 24 – 2″ cookies. In my example, I used a glass with a 3″ wide opening.
Once the cookies are circles, transfer them to a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper. A chef’s knife is the easiest way to release the cookies from the countertop and transfer them to the cookie sheet without the cookies bunching up.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 5 – 7 minutes. The cookies do not have a leavener, so they will not rise or spread a lot, but will slightly puff. The bottoms will brown slightly, but the tops of the cookies should not change much in appearance. Allow the cookies to cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then place them in a storage bag or container. I used a leftover produce bag, which worked great. The steam trapped by the container is what helps keep the cookies super soft. Let them cool 10 additional minutes prior to assembling the sandwiches.
To assemble, match your cookies by size and shape into pairs of two. Place one of each set top down onto the parchment lined cookie sheet and set the other half nearby.
The process of filling these shortbread ice cream sandwiches using Blue Bunny® ice cream was so much easier than it was with my homemade version. The ice cream sets up to be softer than what I make. Instead of having to wait for it to thaw, it thawing too much, using a plastic bag to pipe the ice cream on, and making a general mess of it all with my homemade version, the Blue Bunny® ice cream was an absolute dream to work with!
At Walmart I bought three types of ice cream for these sandwiches, but decided to stick with the Blue Bunny® Super Chunky Cookie Dough® and the Blue Bunny® Salted Caramel Craze for the filling on the sandwiches. My third flavor of choice, Blue Bunny® Homemade Vanilla, is going to be saved for another dessert. The beauty of these sandwiches is that you can choose any flavor you and your family like and it will go well with the shortbread.
Using an ice cream scoop that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the cookies, begin to fill the sandwiches. My ice cream scoop is 2″ across which is why I chose to make 3″ cookies. Dip a single scoop of ice cream. Scrape it across the edge of the container so that it is even, and place it in the middle of one of the cookies. Repeat until all of your upside down cookies have a scoop of ice cream in the middle.
Grab the designated tops and place them top side up onto the ice cream. Gently push the cookie down to spread the ice cream out to the width of the cookie. Repeat until all sandwiches are assembled. Place the cookie sheet into the freezer and let it chill for at least an hour.
Once the cookies and ice cream are frozen, drizzle on the chocolate topping. This is another ingredient I typically make from scratch, but lately I’m trying to save time whenever possible. Lucky me when I was looking for my chocolate sauce ingredients when I spotted Smucker’s Magic Shell Chocolate Flavored Topping. Noting that I would spend more on the ingredients to make my version, I figured that Magic Shell would be a great way to add some fun to this summer ice cream treat while saving me both time and money.
Drizzle the chocolate over the cookies, aiming to cover half of the tops. You can cover the whole thing if you like, but I like to keep half chocolate free to help keep my hands clean while eating.
Place the sandwiches back into the freezer for at least 30 minutes to help that chocolate harden up. When it comes into contact with the ice cream it hardens instantly, but next to the cookie it needs a little extra help.
Once the chocolate is firm, they are ready to serve! These shortbread ice cream sandwiches are a yummy way to beat the heat and impress your friends while you are at it!
For more information about Blue Bunny® ice cream, be sure to check out their site!
For more inspiring recipes with Blue Bunny® ice cream, click here!
What’s you favorite kind of ice cream?? Let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to PIN or YUM this recipe for later!
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Shortbread Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe
Shortbread Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the shortbread:
- 8 TBSP 1/2 cup butter - room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1 TBSP cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp salt
To assemble the sandwiches:
- 8 shortbread cookies
- 2 2/3 cup of ice cream (any flavor of Blue Bunny® works well)
- 3 - 4 ounces of Smucker's Magic Shell Chocolate Flavored Topping
Instructions
To make the shortbread cookies:
- Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla, stopping occasionally to scrape down the beater and the bowl.
- In a small mixing bowl stir together the flour, cornstarch, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter sugar mixture. Mix on low until the batter is combined but crumbly.
- Shape the dough into a ball, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/16th of an inch and cut into circles. The recipe makes 16 - 3" cookies or 24 - 2" cookies and needs 2 cookies for each sandwich.
- Transfer the cookies to a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for 5 - 7 minutes. The bottoms will brown slightly, but the tops of the cookies should not change much in appearance.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes then place them in a storage bag or container and continue to cool for about 10 more minutes prior to assembling the sandwiches.
To assemble the sandwiches:
- Match your cookies by size and shape into pairs of two. Place one of each set back onto the parchment lined cookie sheet with the top down and set the other half nearby.
- Using an ice cream scoop that is slightly smaller in diameter than the cookies, place a single scoop of ice cream into the middle of each of the upturned cookies.
- Place the designated tops top side up onto the ice cream. Gently push the cookie down to spread the ice cream out to the width of the cookie. Repeat until all sandwiches are assembled.
- Place the cookie sheet into the freezer and let it chill for at least an hour.
- Once the cookies and ice cream are frozen, drizzle on the Smucker's Magic Shell Chocolate Flavored Topping, aiming to cover half of the tops.
- Place the sandwiches back into the freezer for at least 30 minutes to help that chocolate harden up.
- Once the chocolate is hardened, enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the freezer up to 3 months.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
I was sold with the chocolate drizzle in the first photo!! Cookies are so much better homemade, so I’m all for homemade cookies and store-bought ice cream for these sandwiches. They look absolutely amazing!!
Thanks Luci!! The store bought and homemade combination really is a time saver!
OMG, how perfect are these! The shortbread is a perfect pairing for ice-cream sandwiches. All that buttery goodness.
These look PERFECT
Thank you Kylee!!! The shortbread is great – especially for someone who doesn’t love chocolate (me!)