I. Love. Ice cream.

I can’t think of a moment in my life that I have ever turned an offer for it down.

As a toddler my mom would feed me small spoonfuls of Dairy Queen blizzards, sending my chubby little legs into a delighted kicking frenzy.

My first job was in an ice cream shop. Soft-serve cones, sundaes, hand-dipped milkshakes…a pretty sweet gig. When the boss was gone I would make myself tiny sundaes and other frozen experiments.

In college my roommates and I would walk to the nearest gas station for a ‘study break’ and the two scoop special.

And I can’t forget my excitement upon producing our own ice creams in pastry school using top of the line equipment.

Even now, after a long day of work, when I can’t fathom the thought of tasting more sugar, I’ll find myself reaching into my freezer for a pint.

So I think ice cream is appropriate for any time of year. I don’t care that it’s only March. And I’ve recently been inspired to enjoy it in the sandwich form.

In December, when I was making the new winter menu, I decided to change the kid’s ice cream sundae into an ice cream sandwich option. Upon completion of the new plate- vanilla bean ice cream sandwiched between a chewy blondie, served with hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry- I thought to myself, “now, that, looks good”.

For this version, I made a chocolate blondie to compliment mint chocolate chip ice cream. Why not a brownie you ask? Well, I like brown sugar and chocolate flavors together, but you could certainly do this with a brownie instead.

I like to use little rectangle cookie cutters, but most shapes will work. They’re easier to build this way because you can cut out your blondie, then your ice cream, and stamp it right on top of the bottom blondie piece. Non-messy, efficient, easy.

Let your imagination run wild with these. The possibilities are endless! For regular blondies, substitute 1/2 cup flour in place of the 1/2 cup cocoa powder.

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches (adapted from All Recipes)
8 oz unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1.5 quarts mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened at room temperature for 15-20 minutes

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil, and coat with baking spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Follow with the vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda together. Add to the creamed mixture all at once, and mix until just combined. The dough will be stiff.

Spread into the prepared pan. Since the dough is very thick, sometimes I will dump it into the pan and put it in the oven for a few minutes to soften it, which makes it easier to spread into an even layer. Bake for about 20 minutes until just set, especially if you desire a chewier blondie. Let the blondies cool completely, then carefully lift the foil from the pan. This makes the blondies easier to cut into desired shapes.

Meanwhile, line another 9 x 13 pan with plastic wrap. Remove the softened ice cream from its carton and spread into the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.

Once you have your blondie shapes cut, use a knife to cut each shape in half. Remove the ice cream layer from the freezer and take off the plastic wrap. Using the same cutter, cut out shapes with the frozen ice cream layer. As you cut each ice cream shape, release it on top of the bottom half of each blondie. Sandwich with the top blondie half. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and keep frozen until ready to devour.