When it’s too hot outside to function, ice cream sandwiches are a delightful treat. Learn how to make this homemade spiced oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich recipe to beat the heat!
MONSTER OATMEAL COOKIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
I’ll admit it. It was Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Creme Pies that inspired these. I never buy them because, well, look at the ingredients, but I have fond childhood memories of them. I partially blame the blatant product placement in 1989’s Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Does anyone recall the scene where they’re feasting on a giant oatmeal creme pie that one of the kids dropped in the backyard? Those treats always haunt me at the store, but I know if I give in, I’ll only be disappointed. Full disclosure: my cookies are nothing like Little Debbie’s, so if that’s what you want, proceed to aisle 5, please.
MAKING ICE CREAM SANDWICHES: THE VIDEO
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SPICED OATMEAL COOKIES
If you caught my maple walnut fermented steel cut oats post, you’ll know I’m a fan of oatmeal. That passes on over to the cookie department, too. If there’s a choice between oatmeal raisin cookies and chocolate chip, sign me up for the former. They have a warmth to them that makes me feel cozy, and they’re usually chewy. They should be chewy, unless they’re Dad’s, of course.
These cookies are chewy, and they get their warmth from molasses, cinnamon, and a touch of garam masala. It’s almost like oatmeal cookie meets holiday gingerbread, but not quite. If you want that effect, I suggest adding ground ginger, ground cloves, and nutmeg to the mix for ultimate gingerbread warmth.
THE ICE CREAM
The ice cream is the one area that falls short of being even remotely comparable to Little Debbie’s creme. Full disclosure: I didn’t try to recreate it. A lot of knock off recipes put a marshmallow fluff mix in the centre. I can’t bring myself to doing something like that, making something real and then ruining it with a bunch of chemicals. I’m sure I could have recreated my own marshmallow fluff from scratch, but it wasn’t in the stars. Not this time, anyway. Instead, I went with a good old fashioned vanilla ice cream. Have you ever heard of crème anglaise?
ABOUT CRÈME ANGLAISE
Crème anglaise is French for english cream. The funny thing is, there doesn’t need to be any cream in it! The ingredients and the method are somewhat similar to pastry cream (also known as pudding in some parts), but it’s not supposed to firm up the same way. It’s a custard, you see.
The primary ingredients are egg yolks, sugar, milk and vanilla. The milk can be mixed with cream, or entirely replaced by cream, which would make an extra rich ice cream. When I make crème brûlée, for instance, I opt for full cream because it makes it more silky and decadent. Apart from ice cream and crème brûlée, you can also use crème anglaise to pour over other desserts, like cakes and fruit. Yum!
BEST PRACTICES FOR MAKING CRÈME ANGLAISE
Make it in advance, as it needs time to cool.Use a saucepan without aluminum, as aluminum will give the cream an unappetizing gray tinge.When the tempered egg mixture has been added to the sauce pan, make sure you scrape around the corners of the pot as you stir to avoid scorching.
BRING OUT THE ICE CREAM MAKER
Whenever I see a recipe for ice cream, the method being used often involves disturbing the concoction while it’s freezing. I don’t have time for that! Even with the incentive of licking an ice cream spoon clean, I’m likely to forget about giving the freezing cream a stir unless I set a timer (which is always an option, I suppose). Well, you’re welcome to do that, but my other reason is that there’s this ice cream maker my husband, Big Papa, and I splurged on years ago. Okay, it was less than $100, but still, it’s one of those appliances that you don’t really need, but they’re nice to have. I usually pick my appliances carefully, but every time I make ice cream, I’m glad I have it!
SO TELL ME…
So tell me, what’s your favourite go-to frozen treat? Are you an ice cream fiend like I am? Because, really, I don’t care what format it takes. It can be in a cookie sandwich, a banana split, or an ice cream cake, as long as it’s good quality, count me in. Maybe you prefer popsicles, or are you virtuous and opt for nice cream? Sometimes all I need is a bowlful of frozen grapes and I’m happy. Let me know what your go-to is in the comments below!
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SPICED OATMEAL COOKIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES RECIPE
The Cookies
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted
WET INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
DRY INGREDIENTS
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp fleur de sel
TO BE FOLDED IN
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Spiced Oatmeal Cookie Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together.Whisk in the molasses, eggs, and vanilla.Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.Fold in the oats, followed by the walnuts until incorporated.Form uniform sized balls of dough and flatten them out with a wet glass bottom to control the shape.Bake for 10 minutes and cool on a rack.
Crème Anglaise Recipe
3 cups 3.25% milk
3/4 cup sugar
8 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
Crème Anglaise Instructions
Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium to medium-low heat. Stir the milk occasionally to prevent it from scorching.In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until it turns a pale shade of ivory.When the milk reaches a simmer, ladle in a spoonful of hot milk into the egg mixture and whisk it in right away to prevent the eggs from curdling. Ladle in half of the milk, whisking it in.Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and continue to heat over medium to medium-low heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.As you stir, you may notice a subtle change in the weight of the milk. This means you can start testing for doneness by coating the cooking spoon in cream, holding it horizontally and running a finger through the centre. If a clear line forms and it doesn't disappear, the crème anglaise is ready and may be removed from the hot element.Once it's cooled, run it through a sieve and then pop it in an ice cream maker until it's stiff.
ASSEMBLY
Prepare the cookies by turning them upside down.Transfer the ice cream to a piping bag and swirl a generous amount of ice cream onto half of the cookies.Place the top on each filled cookie to complete the sandwich.Move them to the freezer to firm them up and then wrap them in wax paper and store in a freezer bag.
PRINTABLE SPICED OATMEAL COOKIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES RECIPE
Spiced Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Equipment
- Ice cream maker
Ingredients
THE COOKIES
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup butter melted
Wet Ingredients
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp fleur de sel
To be Folded in
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
THE CRÈME ANGLAISE
- 3 cups 3.25% milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 8 egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Spiced Oatmeal Cookie Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together.
- Whisk in the molasses, eggs, and vanilla.Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
- Fold in the oats, followed by the walnuts until incorporated.
- Form uniform sized balls of dough and flatten them out with a wet glass bottom to control the shape.
- Bake for 10 minutes and cool on a rack.
Crème Anglaise Instructions
- Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium to medium-low heat. Stir the milk occasionally to prevent it from scorching.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until it turns a pale shade of ivory.
- When the milk reaches a simmer, ladle in a spoonful of hot milk into the egg mixture and whisk it in right away to prevent the eggs from curdling. Ladle in half of the milk, whisking it in.
- Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and continue to heat over medium to medium-low heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. As you stir, you may notice a subtle change in the weight of the milk. This means you can start testing for doneness by coating the cooking spoon in cream, holding it horizontally and running a finger through the centre. If a clear line forms and it doesn’t disappear, the crème anglaise is ready and may be removed from the hot element.
- Once it’s cooled, run it through a sieve and then pop it in an ice cream maker until it’s stiff.
Ice Cream Sandwich Assembly
- Prepare the cookies by turning them upside down.
- Transfer the ice cream to a piping bag and swirl a generous amount of ice cream onto half of the cookies.
- Place the top on each filled cookie to complete the sandwich.
- Move them to the freezer to firm them up and then wrap them in wax paper and store in a freezer bag.
Notes
- Firming up the cookies in the freezer before assembling the sandwiches makes them easier to handle.
- Piping the ice cream onto the cookies is cold work! You may want to wear gloves for this.
PIN IT FOR LATER
Love and gratitude,
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