Learn the secret to making the best ice cream sandwich cookies ever! Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and the perfect thickness to hold a huge scoop of ice cream.
I have a secret. A cookie secret. A secret to making the best ice cream sandwich cookies ever.
Before I tell you, let’s break down what is needed for the best ice cream sandwich cookies.
-A crunchy outside that balances the velvety ice cream
-A soft and chewy center so you can bite in easily
-A thick cookie that can hold up to ice cream (because no one wants their cookies breaking into a million pieces)
-Lots of chocolate. duh.
So. To get a cookie with all of these things, I did some research. And I found that there is one thing that guarantees a perfect ice cream sandwich cookie. Want to know it?
It’s refrigeration.
Refrigerating your cookie dough is like marinating chicken. You can totally have the chicken right out of the package, but if you want it to be soft, flavorful, and delicious, you need to give it time to marinate.
Why do you need to do this with cookie dough? What’s that about?
Well, I found this article from the kings of bakers, King Arthur Flour, and they break it all down.
Refrigerating your dough does multiple things. For one, it chills your fat (in our case, butter), so that when you actually cook the cookies, the butter is solid. It’s like pie dough– it will leave you with a crispier and more delicious product.
This also makes your cookies flatten out less, as the butter doesn’t melt as much.
Refrigerating your cookies also makes them taste better. By letting the dough chill, the flour breaks down into a simple carb and sugar, making the flavor more concentrated and pronounced.
And for those of you who don’t really care about the science of it all, all you need to know is that putting your dough in the fridge makes cookies INFINITELY BETTER.
As for this particular recipe, the addition of brown sugar and molasses makes the cookies more flavorful than the traditional regular sugar cookie. And a whole cup of chocolate chips? Well, that’s a given 🙂
Rebe and I have been eating these babies straight out of the freezer for a week. It’s worth almost breaking your teeth to get a bite of that totally delicious ice cream sandwich cookie.
blackberry, vanilla, and chocolate ice cream (I used about 1/2 pint of each)
Instructions
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, both sugars, and molasses on high speed for 2 minutes. Add in egg and vanilla extract and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix into wet ingredients on low speed until just combined.
Remove from mixer and fold in chocolate chips. Roll dough into a ball and wrap completely with plastic wrap. Allow to chill in fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably 1 day, and up to 1 week.
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a metal cookie sheet. Roll chilled dough into 12 equal balls of dough and place on cookie sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between each cookie.
Bake for roughly 15 minutes– since ovens vary so much, you’re looking for the cookies to be the slightest bit golden brown, but still pretty soft. They will continue to cook as they cool. You actually want them to be slightly undercooked, as these will be the BEST to pair with ice cream.
Allow cookies to cool completely before making ice cream sandwiches. Scoop roughly 3 ounces of ice cream (about 1/3 cup), then sandwich it with two cookies. You can eat them immediately or keep them frozen for weeks! Just be sure to cover them in the freezer so they don’t get freezer burn.
I made these but they ended up flattening out a lot in the oven to the point where the cookies all touched each other. They’re also very flat. Is there something I’m missing?
Pretty sure you just blew my little cookie world wide open! I never realized what refrigerating your cookie dough could really do (aside from the super obvious dough firming that’s often necessary for otherwise soft-doughed cookies). Thanks so much for sharing that awesome tip!!
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
Have you ever tried scooping the batter into balls before freezing, then popping them straight in the oven? Wondering if that would work. Thanks
I actually havent with this exact recipe, but I think it would work fine!
Followed to recipe to a T. And they are FLAT, one giant cookie. No I did not under measure my flour. Super disappointed
★★
Hi Sarah, This is a great recipe. Just wondering, can the dough be frozen and if so for how long?
Hi Annabel! You can definitely freeze the dough! I’ve frozen it in an airtight container for up to 3 months!
I made these but they ended up flattening out a lot in the oven to the point where the cookies all touched each other. They’re also very flat. Is there something I’m missing?
Hi Danielle! Oh no! It’s possible you under-measured your flour. You could also try chilling the dough longer to help the cookies keep their shape!
Pretty sure you just blew my little cookie world wide open! I never realized what refrigerating your cookie dough could really do (aside from the super obvious dough firming that’s often necessary for otherwise soft-doughed cookies). Thanks so much for sharing that awesome tip!!