Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

Holy Cow!! These were A-mazing!! They were a bit labor intensive, but completely and totally worth it. And the oohs and ahhs that I got when I brought them to the table erased all the work from my memory (and the fact that there are leftovers in my freezer doesn't hurt either...).

In order for this to work best, you need 2 8x8 baking dishes. I only had one, which made it more labor intensive than it needed to be.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Adapted from The Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

4 tbsp butter

3/4 c flour

cooking spray

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 c cocoa powder

1/2 light brown sugar, packed

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brewed coffee (not espresso)

1/2 c buttermilk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1.75 quarts of your favorite ice cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of 2 8x8 square-inch metal baking pans with parchment paper and lightly spray them with non-stick cooking spray. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl, whisk to combine.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until dissolved, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in both sugars until combined. Add the coffee, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. (It takes a few minutes to loosen up and become smooth, but it will).

Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs, 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly in the pans, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely. Transfer the cakes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour.

Remove the ice cream from the freezer and let soften 10-20 minutes. Clean and dry the baking pans used to make cake. Line each with plastic wrap, leaving a 4-inch overhang on all sides. Scoop the ice cream into one of the pans, packing it to make an even 1-inch layer. Smooth with a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Fold the plastic wrap over the ice cream to cover it, then freeze until solid, about 1 hour.

Put 1 frozen cake in the remaining plastic-lined pan. Unwrap the ice cream layer and invert it on top of the cake; remove the plastic wrap. Cover with the remaining cake, pressing gently. Fold the plastic wrap over the cake and cover it and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

When ready to serve, unwrap the cake and cut into squares or desired shape. Enjoy!