Anatomy of an Ice Cream Sandwich

Anatomy of the Ice Cream Sandwich

by Susie Clifford

Many of our vacations have become staycations and we are looking for the little things we can do to make every day a little more special. What says “summer vacation” more than an afternoon snack of an ice cream sandwich?

Purchased sandwiches are great, but why not try making a few of your own? Use purchased ice cream and cookies and get creative.

However, this could be the excuse you’re looking for to pull out your old ice cream maker out of hiding. There is nothing better than homemade ice cream. It’s easy to do, but takes a little planning and time.

Add homemade cookies and you’re in heaven! Homemade cookies are a treat of their own and a terrific side project if you have kids at home who need something to do. Choose a cookie with a soft texture. Fill cooled cookies with ice cream and freeze for at least an hour to help soften the cookies and harden the ice cream.

Personalized ice cream sandwiches can be any shape or size and the combination of flavors is endless!

These homemade graham crackers are filled with lime gelato. Try any citrus flavor with this delicate cookie.

Key Lime Gelato

Adapted from “The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetto: Bold, Fresh Flavors” and Epicurious.com

2 cups whole milk 1 cup heavy cream 4 large egg yolks 2/3 cups granulated sugar 3 tablespoons Key lime juice 1 tablespoons Key lime zest

Whisk egg yolks in separate bowl until smooth; gradually whisk in the sugar until pale and thick. Combine milk and cream in a heavy sauce pan and heat on mediumlow until bubbles start forming along the sides of pan, about 170º. Temper the egg yolks by whisking in a little of the milk/cream mixture to the egg yolk mixture. Drizzle egg yolk mixture into the milk, whisking continually. Heat until the back of a wooden spoon is coated, until about 185º. Do not boil. Pour through a sieve into a bowl and cool 30 minutes, stirring every five minutes. Cover custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate four hours or overnight (preferred).

Remove from refrigerator and whisk. Add lime juice and zest. Add to ice cream maker, following manufacturer’s instructions. Place in an airtight container and freeze four hours or overnight.

A traditional pairing of chocolate and cherries. Homemade cherry ice cream is simple to make and delicious. Layer ice cream in a flat dish, using plastic wrap underneath and on top. Use a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out the ice cream.

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

Vanilla ice cream is the basis for many other flavors, just add fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, caramel or fudge at the last two minutes of churning.

For Simple Cherry Ice Cream, I used about two cups of frozen, halved cherries and mixed it with 1/3 cup cherry jam. I added to the last two minutes of churning.

1 cup whole milk 3/4 cup granulated sugar Pinch kosher salt 2 cups heavy cream 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Adapted from Cuisinart Recipes

In a deep bowl, combine milk, sugar, salt and beat on low speed until sugar is dissolved. Stir in heavy cream and vanilla extract. Cover, refrigerate at least two hours or overnight (preferred).

Remove from refrigerator and whisk. Add to ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions. It will have a soft, creamy texture when finished. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze at least two hours.

For simple chocolate ice cream, add 3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar to the whole milk and salt.

For easy caramel ice cream, add about 1/3 cup of prepared caramel sauce to the last two minutes of churning.

Caramelized Banana Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon water 2 tablespoons butter 2-3 large bananas, cut into 1 inch pieces 1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips

In a deep bowl, whisk heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla extract and salt. Set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat cook the brown sugar with the water until it begins to sizzle. Add butter. When melted, add the bananas and cook about 2 minutes until softened. Carefully stir in rum, cook 2 minutes more until slightly thickened. Remove from heat; remove bananas with slotted spoon into a separate bowl, reserving sugar syrup in its own bowl and cover. Add lemon juice to bananas and mix bananas into the cream/milk. Cover and refrigerate two hours or overnight (preferred).

Remove from refrigerator and whisk. Add to ice cream maker, follow manufacturer’s instructions. Meanwhile, bring sugar syrup to room temperature. Melt chocolate. The last two minutes of churning, add the sugar syrup and then add the melted chocolate. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze at least two hours.

These peanut butter cookies are filled with caramelized banana ice cream, but they would go great with so many other flavors.

Make your favorite peanut butter cookie dough and roll it out onto parchment paper, 1/4 inch thick, and drop parchment paper into a 9 X 13 inch pan or jelly roll pan. Press with fork tines. Bake. Once removed from oven and slight cooled, cut into the size you prefer. Shown is 2 X 5 inches.

Potato Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter, melted 6 tablespoons granulated sugar 6 tablespoons light brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup flower 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup chocolate chips 1 cup crushed potato chips 1/2 cup oatmeal 1/2 cup chopped pecans Go crazy with a cookie choice! The extra salt of the potato chips are a perfect choice. Salt helps bring out the flavor of frozen foods.

Preheat oven to 350º. Add melted butter and both sugars to bowl and mix on high until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beat another minute. Add flour, salt and baking soda and just mix until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips, potato chips, oatmeal and pecans. Drop cookies onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Center will set as they cool. Remove from oven and with a knife, nudge the edges to help form round circles. Cool on sheet 5 minutes and transfer to baking rack to cool completely.

Happy August, can you believe it? That was a summer for the books I tell you, action packed!

Let’s see, we are smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic and a revolutionary social justice movement. I was attacked on social media by a group of anti-vaccine extremists, had strep throat, and both our fridge and dryer broke all in same week! I could go on, but enough about me!

How are you guys, are we hanging in there? Obviously, emotions are at an all-time high. I truly hope you are all giving yourselves some grace. Just last night my kids ate a bag of popcorn for dinner and I thought “meh, just doing the best I can, and today the best I can is a bag of popcorn and that’s OK.” However, I caught my children playing Amazon package delivery in their playhouse recently, so maybe I need to pull it together just a little bit. Yikes.

I went to Target recently to do some back-to-school shopping. Really just some essentials: “yoga” pants, some paper, and a bottle of wine. Seriously though what is going on, what are we doing? As I write this there is no plan, which I get. How can you plan when the whole state is on fire? I understand people’s frustrations and concerns, and as much as I wish we could send our kids back to school, I just don’t see how. I am not meant to be a homeschool teacher, but at some point, will I have to pull my big girl pants on and do it?

I don’t know, so many questions, so many feelings. It weirdly gives me some comfort knowing we are all in the same boat, and I wish we could start acting like it. Reading through certain community Facebook pages makes me sweat and feel like I am taking crazy pills (phew, can you tell that triggers me?).

We have an incredible community; I hope we listen, learn, grow, and most importantly take care of each other.

So, this month as we face whatever our school year looks like, I could think of no better person to introduce you to. I met Amber when we were both hanging out on the grass at the Ferry Landing, and we were both teaching our baby girls to walk. Our paths continued to cross over the years, at a lemonade stand (how Coronado is that!), the beach, and as our girls entered kindergarten together. I can only describe her as if Disney created a beautiful princess teacher, who loves a good drink and has a great sense of humor. I have no doubt you will love her and her beautiful family!

Class meet Mrs. Amber Bassett!

What is a big mom fail that sticks out to you? I try not to make choices where I’ll have regrets; I’m a planner and calculated, but I regret not listening to that little inner mommy voice when my daughter fell ill when she was 2. Feeling torn as an educator and parent, I commuted to work when my heart told me to stay and cuddle her. Audrey ended up having a bad febrile seizure in my husband’s arms that morning. From then on, I have listened better to that instinct and strive to weigh my own family needs over classroom ones more thoughtfully.

What’s your favorite thing about raising a family in Coronado? We love the small town feel and military presence. Our children can bike everyday and are surrounded by model citizens. We are very supportive of the armed forces and admire their devotion to our country. It’s not just the service member, but their entire family behind them who serve. The small size churches have also been instrumental in laying the foundation we desire for our family.

Tell us a little about yourself and your family. The Bassett bunch consists of myself (Amber), husband Damon, daughter Audrey, 6, and son Mason, 3. I teach first grade in Poway Unified and will humbly accept wine and baked goods should they “mysteriously” show up at my beach bungalow to brace for the upcoming school year. Damon is a Lifeguard Sergeant with Coronado Fire-Beach Lifeguards and a very involved father. Audrey attends Village and Mason (fingers crossed!) will begin preschool at Graham come September.

Describe motherhood in three words. Soulful, giving, rewarding.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new mom, what would it be? Just one?! So I need to address two areas in order to feel like I have served our newest members of the Mommy Tribe well. First, look into meeting with a lactation consultant soon after birth, should you choose and/or are able to feed your little one this way. I was a hot mess and nursing had many complications. Most insurances now cover private consultations! I adored Robin Kaplan and her book “Latch” is a must read. Additionally, in hindsight, I would have invested in a professional to teach us how to establish healthy sleep habits. I had massive mommy guilt being a working professional and being gone so many hours of the day that I just rocked and cuddled those cuties too much (and they are freakish insomniac robots!). Give yourself grace and know that quality interaction is just as important as the quantity of attention you can give.

You are a mom and a teacher, any words of wisdom as we navigate this next school year? Educators want nothing more than to teach inside the four walls of their classroom and share community with your children. Teachers were not trained to teach remotely, nor children designed to sit in front of a device for hours on end. My advice is aim to be a part of their learning and not just the director of the learning cruise ship. Watch them work through a problem on an online program, act interested in what they are learning, sit under the shade of a tree and partner up with them on an assignment. Conversation, teamwork and engagement is such a huge part of in class learning success and will need to be translated to remote learning, should that be the route we may need to take. Again, be kind to yourself. Connection may not happen within the typical “school” hours or even by a parent. High school and college aged students make for great mentors and tutors and younger students are often more responsive to them than family members. Lastly, children are very resilient and their hearts and spirits should be considered first and foremost above their ability to nail that report card.