Cherry season is among us, and with cherries in abundance everywhere it is a great time to get creative with the use of this delicious fruit!
One of my favorite desserts is a homemade ice cream sandwich. This is not your average ice cream sandwich and will probably take a whole weekend to make - however in the end it's worth it.
Let's break down this ice cream sandwich:
Outer Layer:
Soft & Chewy Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookie with Homemade Dried Cherries (yes, I spent 6 hours dehydrating cherries and it was worth every minute!)
Inner Layer:
Cherry Swirl Bourbon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Long story short: this ice cream sandwich is crazy good.
Cookie Recipe:
1 Stick of Softened Butter (4oz)
1/3 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup of Sugar
1/2 tsp of Vanilla
1/2 tsp of Salt
1/2 tsp of Lemon Zest
1 Egg
1 + 1/4 Cup of Flour
1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
1 Cup of Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
3/4 Cup Dried Cherries
In a bowl combine the softened butter, sugars, vanilla, salt, salt, lemon zest, and egg. In another bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Afterward, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a dough is formed. Lastly, add the chocolate chips and dried cherries and combine them.
Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
This makes about 12-16 cookies.
Bake on 375° for 9-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
No-Churn Ice Cream Recipe:
15 Cherries - Pitted
1/4 Cup of Sugar
1/2 Lemon - Juiced
1 Tsp of Corn Starch
1 Can of Condensed Milk
1 Vanilla Bean or 2 tbsp of vanilla
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp of Bourbon
2 Cups of Heavy Cream
In a saucepan, add cherries, sugar, and lemon juice on medium-high heat. Cook the cherries down into a sauce - about 5-7 minutes. Add cornstarch and continue to stir on the heat for another 2 minutes. Set to the side to cool.
Combine all of the ingredients except for the heavy cream in a bowl and whisk. Next, using a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks.
Next, fold the condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream. Afterward, slowly pour into the cherry mixture and create swirls in the ice cream base with a spoon.
Freeze for at least 6 hours.
Bonus Dried Cherry Recipe:
Remove stems and pits from the cherry and cut it into fourths. Place cherries on a rack over a cookie sheet and bake for 6 hours on 175° degrees.