Peanut Butter & Honey Ice Cream Sandwiches

I had no intention of writing this particular post.  When I made honey ice cream for a recent class, I had just written my peanut butter cookie post and I was hoping there would be just enough ice cream left after class to bring home and make myself a peanut butter and honey ice cream sandwich...or two.  And there was.  And I did.  And they were so good I wanted to share the honey ice cream recipe here so that everyone else could enjoy them too. 

I do have to add that even if you don't make this ice cream, you should definitely try the peanut butter cookies in an ice cream sandwich.  Use plain vanilla...chocolate....chocolate marbled...   Basically choose any flavor you think tastes good with peanut butter.  I suspected that these cookies would make fine ice cream sandwiches because I already knew that the cookies themselves were tender and entirely edible when frozen solid.  (I occasionally freeze cookies as a means of curbing my consumption...needless to say, it doesn't work very well for these cookies.)  But I really had no idea how good they would be.  If you make a batch of the cookies, you should definitely set some aside to make a few ice cream sandwiches.  Tucked away in the freezer, they make a perfect little summer snack.

 Honey Ice Cream

1 1/2 c. cold heavy cream

1 1/2 c. milk

6 egg yolks

1/4 c. sugar

pinch of salt

1/3 c. (4 oz.) Honey warmed slightly if not pourable

1 t. vanilla

Place the cream in a large bowl and chill.

Place the milk in a medium-sized, non-reactive saucepan and bring to a simmer.  While the milk is heating, briefly whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until the yolks have lightened in color.  When the milk simmers, temper the egg yolks by gradually whisking in about ½ to 1 c. of the hot milk.  Stir the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan and place the pan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the custard begins to thicken and a path forms when you draw your finger across the custard-coated back side of the spoon. Immediately strain the custard into the chilled bowl of heavy cream.  Add the honey and the vanilla.  Place the custard in the refrigerator and chill until cold.

Freeze the ice cream in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Transfer to a freezer container and freeze for at least an hour or two before serving.  Makes about a quart of ice cream.

Printable Recipe

To make ice cream sandwiches, let the ice cream soften slightly.  Pair up the cookies so that the halves of each sandwich will be the same size. Working quickly, place a small scoop (about 2 to 3 Tablespoons) of the softened ice cream in the center of the bottom side of half of the cookies.  Place the "matching" cookie on top of the ice cream and gently press, forcing the ice cream to flatten out and barely peek out from between the two cookies.  Place on parchment lined sheets in the freezer as you make them.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap until firm.  Transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer.