Gingerbread and Eggnog Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

These festive gingerbread and eggnog ice cream cookie sandwiches are made from scratch and studded with crystallized candied ginger.

This recipe is sponsored by Davidson’s Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs.

These Gingerbread and Eggnog Ice Cream Sandwiches are the most tasty of holiday treats!

Festive and spiced, they have quickly risen to the top of my list for favorite Christmas desserts. 

This ice cream cookie sandwich recipe uses Davidson’s Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs. I love the peace of mind their pasteurized eggs provide, particularly at this time of year, when you’re serving a crowd and cooking with kids. 

One of my favorite applications for pasteurized eggs is homemade ice cream. It eliminates the need to cook the custard until it reaches an exact temperature and gives you the opportunity to taste the raw ice cream base and adjust any ingredients or flavorings. 

As a bonus, this ‘lick the bowl’ or ‘batter’ step can help you catch any recipe errors or mistakes, like leaving out the sugar or salt, which I’m more than prone to do when multi-tasking at this time of year.

They are particularly helpful for my family this holiday season as my older sister is 32 weeks pregnant. We’re still planning on serving and preparing our favorites under-cooked or raw egg dishes, including runny baked eggs, homemade aioli for appetizers, and, of course, these homemade ice cream sandwiches. 

While these ice cream sandwiches require some prep and chill time, they can be made well in advance and frozen until ready to serve. 

To quote Connor, “They taste like Christmas” and I whole-heartedly agree. Eggnog and gingerbread is a match made in flavor heaven. 

Why You’ll Love These Gingerbread and Eggnog Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches:

These ice cream cookie sandwiches meet the key requirements for any good ice cream sandwich.

The gingerbread cookie is soft and chewy (even when frozen) and they do not fall apart. A touch of brandy in the eggnog ice cream helps keep the ice cream from firming up too much. 

To make these easier to assemble, the ice cream is spread into a thick layer in a lined cake pan and cut into rounds using biscuit cutters. It requires one extra step, but it is worth the effort. You’ll be rewarded with perfectly uniform ice cream sandwiches! 

If you don’t have enough time to make these ice cream sandwiches, do me a favor and at least try the eggnog ice cream! It is studded with spicy candied ginger bits and is absolutely fantastic. 

Gingerbread and Eggnog Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

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Yield: 6 Servings

Prep: 45 minutes minutes

Cook: 25 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

These festive gingerbread and eggnog ice cream cookie sandwiches are made from scratch and studded with crystallized candied ginger.

Equipment

• KitchenAid 5 Qt. Artisan Stand Mixer
• KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment
• Half Sheet Pan

Ingredients

Eggnog Ice Cream:

• 6 large egg yolks Safest Choice Pasteurized Brand
• ⅔ cup (135g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240 mL) whole milk
• 1 cup (240 mL) heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon brandy
• ¼ cup (40g) finely chopped crystallized ginger

Chewy Gingerbread Cookies:

• 5 ounces (140g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon + ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup dark unsulphured molasses
• ⅙ cup (40 mL) vegetable oil
• ½ large egg beaten
• ⅙ cup (40 mL) hot boiling water

Instructions 

• Prepare Eggnog Ice Cream (the day before): In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar aggressively until the mixture is thick and pale yellow in color. It should fall from the whisk in thick ribbons (otherwise known as ribbon stage). Combine the whole milk, heavy cream, and freshly grated nutmeg in a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Remove immediately from the heat. Temper the milk and cream mixture slowly into the egg yolk sugar mixture, whisking continuously.
• Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until the ice cream base has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove and pour the custard into a large bowl set over an ice bath. Stir in the brandy and allow the custard to cool completely, stirring every 5 or 10 minutes. Refrigerate the base overnight or until chilled. Freeze the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s manufacturer’s directions. Just before the ice cream is finishing churning, add the chopped candied ginger. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan with wax paper. Spread the ice cream into the cake pan with an offset spatula until it is in a smooth flat layer. Cover with plastic wrap and foil, and allow to freeze for 4 to 6 hours or preferably overnight.
• Prepare Gingerbread Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center position. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add the molasses, oil, and half (beaten) egg and whisk to combine. Slowly pour in the boiling water and whisk until smooth. The batter will be thick.
• Scoop the dough into balls (the dough should yield 12 cookies) and place onto the lined sheet pan, setting hte cookies at least 1-inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack and allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
• Assemble the Ice Cream Sandwiches: Once the ice cream has chilled, remove from the freezer and lift the ice cream out of the cake pan. Using a 2½-inch biscuit cutter, cut the ice cream into six discs (the ice cream should be very firm, but not difficult to cut). For each ice cream sandwich, place 1 disc of ice cream between 2 gingerbread cookies. Gently press together (ice cream should spread to edge of cookies). Serve immediately or wrap well and freeze until ready to serve.

Gingerbread cookie barely adapted from here.

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 614kcal, Carbohydrates: 121g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 158mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 37g

Author: Laura / A Beautiful Plate

Course: Ice creams and Frozen Desserts

Cuisine: American