Cookies and ice cream go together incredibly well. Yet it is a treat that is so high in sugar we can’t have it every day. If only there was some way to recreate this wonderous delight without all that sugar. Well, there is. Below I will share with you my ice cream sandwich that has no ice cream and no cookies. Don’t worry, it is still delicious.
While I was traveling through Asia I noticed that people selling ice cream on the sides of the street would often give a slice of bread with it. At first, I found it incredibly strange. I wondered was it a misinterpretation of the ice cream sandwich or was it a totally different creation. When I got home the idea of the breaded ice cream sandwich and the cookie sandwich never left me. I started to wonder if there was some middle ground between cookie and white sliced bread that would be a perfect balance. Then it came to me. The scone.
The scone already looks like the perfect casing for ice cream. I went to work and started to try different combinations of ice cream on my favorite scone recipes. Time and time again no matter what I did, once the ice cream came in contact with the scone, it would fall apart. It appeared the scone was not sturdy enough to handle the ice cream. I was devastated. Do I go back to my high in sugar cookies or my also unhealthy and much less satisfying slices of white bread? No, I decided, there must be another way.
I went back to the drawing board of my scone recipe and tried to alter it to make something stronger. That is when I came across a recipe for Angel biscuits (scones are called biscuits in America). Angel biscuits appear to be standard scones with a little more effort in the production end and most importantly some yeast.
For the ice cream, I decided to make semifreddo instead. Semifreddo is a whipped mixture of egg yolks and cream and it finishes looking like a frozen mousse. Perfect for my scones. I added honey too to make it a little sweeter which I thought would interplay nicely with the scones.
To make the scones you will need to mix 1.5 tbsp yeast, ¼ cup water, and 3 tbsp sugar in a small cup and set it to one side. Cut up around 10 tbsp of butter into tiny cubes and put them into a mixer with 3.5 cups of flour, 1.5 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of salt, and ¼ cup of shortening. Mix this at a slow speed for about 2 minutes. Then add the bowl from earlier as well as 1.25 cups of buttermilk. Refrigerate this for one full night.
Overnight this will have turned into an incredible dough. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle about half an inch thick. Then form it into squares by rolling and folding. Let it rise for 30 minutes and then pop it in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes and apply some butter and salt. Finally, bake for 5 more minutes until they are golden brown and making your mouth water.
Next, get your ice cream or semifreddo and place inside your scones, add a dollop of honey and they are ready to serve. This recipe may sound a little tricky at first but really it is just scones with added yeast and a bit more time. If you put in this extra little bit of effort you will be rewarded with the perfect baked goods for your dessert needs. Although, I am sure sometimes I will still go back to the cookie.
