Gingersnap Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

I remember hearing the ice cream truck jangle down the street and enjoying those really expensive, deliciously chewy, ice cream sandwiches.  The kind I still see in frozen treat displays at convenient stores. Yeah convientiently placed there for my craving of tasty goodness.  Well, I found a great recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine from 2008.  yeah, yeah, Martha Stewart.

This recipe is for ginger cookies filled with butter-pecan ice cream.  Now I like butter-pecan ice cream but haven't actually spent the money on it yet and put whatever ice cream i have in the freezer.  If I don't have ice cream, these are amazing cookies anyway.  My boyfriend can be a picky sweets eater, but not with these.  Especially if the ground ginger is replaced with fresh grated ginger.   These cookies freeze beautifully and could last a good amount of time I bet. Each bite is not frosty but chewy.

I just have to share. I make double and triple recipes that turn out great.

GINGERSNAP ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

2 ounces (4 TB) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 TB unsulfured molasses
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp ground ginger (or 6tsp fresh grated ginger root)
1/4 tsp ground allspice
3 TB sanding sugar, for sprinkling (I roll cookies in granulated sugar)
1 pint butter-pecan ice cream, softened slightly

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream butter, granulated sugar, and molasses until fluffy. Beat in yolk.
Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a small bowl.
Fold in butter mixture 1/3 at a time.
Roll dough into eight 11/2-inch balls, spacing them 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.
*I do not use parchment paper, just place straight on cookie sheets
Press to form 3-inch disks. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
*I roll the 11/2-inch dough balls in granulated sugar instead if sprinkling.)
Bake, rotating halfway through, until golden around edges, 11 to 13 mintues.
Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool.
Scoop ice cream onto 4 cookies and top with a second cookie.
Freeze until firm. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Have fun grating ginger root! :P