Rhubarb Cardamom Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
I have to admit, in the past when people have said "ice cream sandwich" I immediately thought of the ice cream sandwiches that were often given to me as a kid at picnics. The ones with the soft chocolate cookies on the outside and vanilla ice cream in the middle. I never liked those, and so I was always wishing I had fudgesicle instead. To me the cookies on the outside were always soggy and the vanilla ice cream always tasted fake. As an adult I wouldn't touch one, but I have since learned that those are not the only ice cream sandwiches in the world. Afterall, I can create my own where there are no flavoring rules that say they have to be chocolate and vanilla.
I was thinking that the roasted cardamom rhubarb ice cream in my freezer would be lovely sandwiched between two cardamom oat shortbread cookies. This is the type of stuff I daydream about at work when everyone thinks I am just being quiet. All I had to do was bake up some of those cookies I was dreaming about and I would be in ice cream sandwich heaven!
They were delicious with the cool, slightly tart sweet ice cream along with the crunchy spiced short bread! To me, ice cream sandwiches no longer mean tasteless vanilla ice cream sandwiched between 2 soggy chocolate wafers. Let us not believe that we are limited to our opinion which are formed as children about certain foods...especially when we have become creative adults that know how to put a more delicious twist on a classic.
Rhubarb Cardamom Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches
Makes 16
Cardamom Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies:
Makes about 28 (enough for 16 ice cream sandwiches)
- 1 cup coconut oil, softened slightly, at room temperature
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup maple sugar, or coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup regular rolled oats
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp sea salt
- medium sized heart cookie cutter (or the shape of your choice)
Mix together oil, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl until well blended add flour, cornstarch, oats, cardamom, and sea salt and mix until well combined and smooth. Place dough on a piece of parchment paper and roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Chill until a little more firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into medium hearts. Place hearts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in the fridge and chill at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375. Bake for about 15 minutes until set and lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
Roasted Rhubarb Cardamom Ice Cream:
Makes 6 cups
- 4 cups organic rhubarb, sliced into 1 inch pieces
- coconut oil, warmed to liquid
- 3 cups organic full fat coconut milk
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees, and line a sheet pan with foil. Toss rhubarb with just enough coconut oil to lightly coat and spread out on pan. Roast until tender and starting to brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and drain any juices from rhubarb reserving them. Place juices in a saucepan and reduce until syrupy. Combine with roasted rhubarb and puree until smooth. Combine rhubarb and all remaining ingredients in a blender, and process until well blended. Pour the mixture into a container and chill in the fridge until very cold preferably overnight. When chilled, pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to package directions (mine takes about an hour, and is still a little soupy like the consistency of a malt, but firms up in the freezer later). Once processed, pour into a freezable container with a lid, and place in the freezer for at least 8 hours, or overnight to firm up for best results.
For Sandwiches
- Cardamom Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies (recipe above)
- Roasted Rhubarb Cardamom Ice Cream (recipe above)
To assemble, once cookies have cooled and ice cream has set enough to be scoop-able but still soft enough to mold, spoon about 3 Tbsp ice cream onto the center of half the shortbread cookies. Top with the other half, press down lightly and place in the freezer to set, about an hour. Serve!
