Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Sandwich

Double the Chocolate Please…Plus Add Some Ice Cream to It!

Double the chocolate and make the perfect cookie sandwich with a chocolately, cakey cookie with creamy vanilla bean ice cream!

I love these cookies on their own for a nice chocolate fix and they have a super soft and cake-like center.

Ingredients:

For Cookie:

• 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Valrhona Cocoa Powder (60% Cocoa)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 3/4 to 1 cup Ghirardelli chocolate chips

For Vanilla Bean Ice Cream:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream, divided (if you prefer a less creamy texture, use 1 cup heavy cream first and then in the final step substitute with heavy whipping cream or half and half)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 tablespoon King Arthur Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

For Cookies (yields approximately 16-18 cookies):

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Use paddle attachment on mixer.
3. In medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder and set aside.
4. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (occasionally scraping down the sides) – approximately 3-5 minutes.
5. Whisk egg with fork in small bowl and then add egg.
6. Allow the egg to fully incorporate into mixture.
7. Mix in vanilla extract and continue to mix for another minute (should be even lighter and fluffier in appearance).
8. Slowly add dry ingredients to butter and egg mixture and fully incorporate.
9. Mix in heavy cream (not entirely necessarily, but since the recipe uses baking powder, the cookies will be more cake-like and the cream helps to make it more moist).
10. Stir in chocolate chips.
11. Scoop 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and make flat rounds on a baking sheet.
12. Freeze the cookie dough rounds for at least 15-20 minutes (can be kept in airtight container overnight).
13. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes (best is slightly underbaked).

For Ice Cream:

1. In medium saucepan, combine milk, sugar, 1 cup heavy cream and salt on low heat.
2. Continuously stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Scrap vanilla bean, add the vanilla bean stalk and bourbon vanilla extract to mixture.
4. Stir thoroughly and remove from heat.
5. Set milk and cream mixture aside at room temperature for 30 minutes (this step allows the mixture to cool down so it does not cook the egg yolks when combining them together).
6. In a large bowl, pour the other 1 cup heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream/half and half) and place a fine mesh sleeve on top.
7.  In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together.
8. While continuously whisking egg yolks, pour milk and cream mixture into the bowl and continue to whisk until combined.
9. Pour egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan and turn stove on to medium heat temperature.
10. Continuously stir the mixture until the instant read thermometer temperature reads 180 degrees and mixture will thicken (will coat the back of spatula).
11. Pour custard through the fine mesh sleeve into the large bowl with other part of heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream/half and half) at the bottom of the bowl.
12. Place vanilla bean stalk into the mixture and add pure vanilla extract.
13. Stir well and set aside for mixture to cool to room temperature.
14. Once cooled, place mixture into refrigerator for at least 8 hours through overnight.
15. When ready to churn ice cream, remove the vanilla bean stalks and follow instructions from ice cream maker manufacturer (generally 15-20 minutes in the ice cream maker).
    1. Ice cream will appear more like soft serve after it goes through the ice cream maker.
16. Pour ice cream mixture into freezer-safe container to freeze the mixture to become a harder ice cream texture.
17. Store in freezer for at least 3-4 hours before serving.

Assembly of Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich:

Take cooled down cookie and use at least 1/4 cup of ice cream on top of cookie for the perfect balance of chocolate and vanilla bean.

Enjoy!!