Pizzelle Ice Cream Sandwiches
Makes 6 sandwiches with cookies left over
One of my favorite things to do is take a childhood memory and turn it into a dish at one of my restaurants. This dish combines my memory as a child of chip-wich ice cream sandwiches with those teeny-tiny chocolate chips on the sides with memories of a pizzelle stuck into my gelato in Rome. Pizzelle are thin Italian cookies made on a press and flavored with vanilla or anise.
I begged my pastry chef at Fox & the Knife to make these for our summer menu. We sandwiched pistachio gelato between two fresh pizzelle and dipped them halfway in chocolate. Here you can choose your own flavor or have a make-your-own-ice-cream-sandwich bar at your next party.
Ingredients
3 large eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
½ gallon of your favorite flavored ice cream
Instructions
1. Beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined.
2. Next, stir in the flour and baking powder, mixing until smooth.
3. Add the melted butter, again mixing until smooth; the batter should be thick and soft.
4. Heat your pizzelle iron and grease it as directed in the manufacturer’s instructions. As the iron heats, the batter will stiffen a bit.
5. Cook the pizzelle according to the manufacturer’s instructions. In general, they’ll take between 45 seconds and 2½ minutes to brown.
6. Remove the pizzelle from the iron and let cool on a rack.
7. Pull your ice cream from the freezer and let it sit on the counter while the pizzelle cool.
8. Dust the completely cooled pizzelle with confectioners’ sugar.
9. Assemble your ice cream sandwiches by placing ½ cup scoop of ice cream on top of a pizzelle and topping it with another pizzelle. Gently push down on the top pizzelle. Assemble a few sandwiches at a time and place on a plate in the freezer. Let them harden for about 10 minutes, then serve.
That’s the Move!
To make your pizzelle look super professional, trim any ragged edges with a pair of scissors when they come out of the pizzelle maker and are slightly cool. This way, you have perfect circles!