One of my favorite childhood treats was a huge Oreo ice cream sandwich. Cookies and cream ice cream {my favorite flavor growing up}, sandwiched between two dense, not-too-sweet chocolate-y cookies. I remember having them in the late afternoons after day-long explorations in our swimming pool. I would sit on the bullnose brick tiles surrounding our pool, which were warmed from the sun, my face still wet with chlorinated water, my fingertips still wrinkled like raisins, and leisurely devour this special treat. Having always had the discipline to savor certain precious delicacies slowly, I would make my way around the outer circumference of the sandwich until it became smaller and smaller, slowly nibbling my way towards the center, trying to maintain the proper ratio of cookie to ice cream the entire way around.
As further evidence that I am turning into my mother in my old age, my favorite store bought ice cream flavor these days is Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia, which has always been her favorite. Fresh, sweet bing cherries and dark chocolate are perfect complements in this simple, yet elegant ice cream. Encased with intensely chocolate sables with fluted edges, this is quite possibly, my new favorite summertime snack. As grown up as this flavor combination feels, I love that eating ice cream sandwiches makes me feel 8 years old again…
Recipes
Chocolate Sables
From Smitten Kitchen
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup Dutched cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup {1 stick} unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate, grated
- Coarse sugar {sugar in the raw} for sprinkling
Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking soda together onto a piece of waxed paper or into a bowl and set aside.
Cream butter, sugar and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla, beating until combined, then scraping down sides. Add dry ingredients and grated chocolate together and mix until just combined.
Scrape dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap it up and chill it in the fridge until just firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. No need to get it fully hard, or it will be harder to roll out. Dough can be refrigerated until needed, up to a two days, or frozen longer, but let it warm up and soften a bit before rolling it out for decreased frustration.
Heat oven to 350°F. On a floured surface, roll dough gently — it will still be on the crumbly side, so only attempt to flatten it slightly with each roll — until it is 1/8-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and space them an inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle decoratively with coarse sugar. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Leave cookies on baking sheets out of the oven for a couple minutes before gently, carefully transferring them to cooling racks, as they’ll be fragile until they cool.
Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
From Various Internet Sources
- 1/4 cup shaved plain dark chocolate
- 1/4 cup fresh Bing cherries, pitted and quartered
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups heavy or whipping cream
- 1 cup milk
Place the shaved chocolate flakes and the cherries in separate bowls. Cover and refrigerate. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions. After the ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done), add the chocolate and the cherries, then continue freezing until the ice cream is ready.
This is incredible! Your photos are so beautiful, and this recipe sounds amazing. It was great meeting you at brunch last weekend 🙂 Can’t wait to try this out! – Mallory
Thank you so much Mallory! Such a pleasure to meet you as well – excited to see you at the next one! xoxo
Wow this looks so delicious!
Thank you Jennifer!
Oh my goodness. By the time I got down to the bottom of your post I wanted one so badly! Your photographs really tell a story. So lovely.
Thank you so much! 🙂
ESP twin – I hadn’t had them in at least 10 years, but I bought those Oreo ice cream sandwiches last week – no joke! Would much prefer these beauties though…
Haha – we are always on the same wavelength! Love it! And you! xoxo
Great post! I can’t wait to try 🙂
Thank you so much! And for stopping by! xoxo
Incredible, so funny I was just thinking about Cherry Garcia the other day and wondering if I should make it. It’s one of my favorites. Love the ice cream sandwich.
Thank you Suzanne! Great minds think alike! 🙂 Hope you’re doing well! xoxo
I love seeing the icecream drip down the side. Cherries and chocolate go together so well.
Thank you BAM! I actually tried to shoot before everything melted, but actually liked how the drips looked as well! Sometimes it’s best to just let nature take its course! 🙂 xoxo
I can certainly see why this would be a favorite summertime dessert.
Thank you Karen! xoxo
Such a beautiful looking post! Love your pictures!
Thank you Radhika! xoxo
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Hi, I’ve been a lurker all around your blog for a couple of months. I really like this article and your entire web site! Looking forward to reading through more!
oscar http://www.go2album.com/pg/groups/1711803/maybe-you-also-make-some-of-these-mistakes-with-renal-diet-/
Thanks Oscar!
Wow. This is such a stunning post Lindsay. I adore the photography, the nostalgia, the impeccable presentation… I do hope that you and your mother ate these together whilst recalling sweet memories of the past! I haven’t tried Cherry Garcia ice cream (not sure if it’s available over here) but I love the combination of dark chocolate and cherries. I can imagine how wonderful these homemade ice cream sandwiches would be! Thanks for sharing this gorgeous recipe xoxo
Thank you so much Laura! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to share these with my mom, but will have to make the ice cream for her again some time. Thanks so much for your kind words! xoxo
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These look just beautiful and as usual your photographs are great. We have some fabulous cherries at the moment so I must try this recipe.
Thank you so much Anna! And thanks for stopping by! Please do let me know what you think if you end up trying the recipe. xoxo
Looks fantastic. I’ve been asked to make “ice cream sandwiches”, this may fit the bill. Wonderful pictures. You can almost taste it!
These look fantastic. I love that you made your own Cherry Garcia and to put it into a sandwich is pure genius. I might also add that your photography is drop-dead gorgeous!
Thank you so much for your kind words – I am so touched! 🙂 xoxo
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