Classic Gluten Free Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients

Directions

• Make the wafer cookies. Preheat your oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar and whisk again, working out any lumps. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the shortening, butter, eggs and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. The dough should come together and be smooth and pliable. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll one piece of dough out between two sheets of unbleached parchment paper a square that is about 8-inches all around, and about 1/4-inch thick. Remove the top piece of parchment, and trim the edges to create a 7 1/2-inch square with a pastry or pizza wheel or a sharp knife. Transfer the dough, still on the parchment paper, to an 8-inch square pan, folding the sides of the parchment as necessary to allow the dough to lie flat in the pan. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. Place the pans, two at a time, in the preheat oven and bake until set in the center (about 8 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

• While the cookies are cooling, make the ice cream. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, place the heavy whipping cream. Beat on medium speed until the cream holds soft peaks. Transfer the mixture to another bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill. In the clean bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or another large bowl with a handheld mixer, place the gelatin and 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) warm water. Mix together and allow to sit until the gelatin blooms. It will swell. In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan, place the remaining 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) water, sugar, cream of tartar and salt, and mix to combine. Clip a candy or deep fry thermometer to the side of the saucepan and place it over medium heat. Allow the sugar mixture to cook undisturbed until the temperature reaches the softball stage, 238°F. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and pour the hot sugar mixture down the side of the mixing bowl with the bloomed gelatin, making sure it doesn’t hit the whisk. The mixture will bubble and then subside. Beat the mixture with the whisk on medium speed until the mixture is thick, white and glossy, and has nearly tripled in size. Remove the whipped cream from the refrigerator and fold it carefully into the marshmallow mixture until well-combined.

• Assemble the ice cream sandwiches. Once the wafer cookies are cool, place two cookie squares on criss-crossed sheets of unbleached parchment paper and place each back in a cooled 8-inch square baking pan. Divide the ice cream mixture between the two baking pans, on top of each cookie square, and spread into an even layer. Top with the remaining two cookie squares and press down firmly but carefully. Place the baking pans in the freezer until the ice cream is firm (at least 4 hours). Once the ice cream is frozen, remove from the pans and slice each into 8 rectangles of equal size. Wrap ice cream sandwiches individually in plastic wrap and store in the freezer until ready to serve.