Last weekend I decided to take advantage of the days out of the office and make 100% homemade ice cream sandwiches. It's a time consuming project, but the end result is absolutely worth it. It was very hot out, so I made this dessert over the course of 2 days in order to ensure that the mixture had plenty of time to chill before I put it into the ice cream machine. The end result was a smooth, creamy, super peachy ice cream that paired perfectly with lightly flavored crisp ginger cookies. If you have the time, these sandwiches make a perfect ending to a barbeque! To take a look at the recipe and see my step-by-step pictures, read more

Peach Ice Cream Sandwiches With Ginger Cookies
From Martha Stewart

For ice cream:
5 large ripe peaches (about 2 pounds)
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons peach schnapps*
2 1/4 cups milk*
2 2/3 cups heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For cookies:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger*

1. Make ice cream: bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath; set aside.



2. Place peaches in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon, and cool in ice-water bath.



3. Peel and pit peaches, reserving skin and pits. Slice each peach into 10 wedges, place in a nonreactive saucepan, and stir in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until peaches are tender and liquid has thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool.



4. Stir peach schnapps into peach mixture. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to a chunky puree, 10 to 15 pulses; set aside.



5. In a large saucepan set over high heat, bring milk, cream, peach skins, and pits to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer 5 minutes. Cover, and let stand 15 minutes.



6. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine egg yolks, salt, remaining sugar, and vanilla. Beat at medium-high speed until mixture is thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes.



7. Strain milk mixture into egg mixture; discard solids. Beat at low speed to combine. Cook over low heat, stirring, until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, 3 to 5 minutes.



8. Pass through a sieve into a bowl set in ice-water bath. When chilled, stir in peach puree.



9. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions, in two batches if necessary. Store in an airtight plastic container in the freezer for up to 1 week.



10. Make cookies: preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut two 12-by-16-inch rectangles from parchment paper. On each piece of parchment, draw 12 circles (3 1/2 inches) with a pencil. Place each piece of parchment, pencil-side down, on a baking sheet.



11. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and egg whites; beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.



12. Add flour, salt, ground ginger, and crystallized ginger. Beat on low speed until just incorporated.



13. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter onto each circle. With back of a spoon, spread evenly to edges.



14. Bake until cookies are golden brown around edges, about 12 minutes; rotate sheets twice during baking for even browning. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool completely.



15. Spoon about 1/2 cup of peach ice cream on the bottom of a cookie. Top with another one, and press down gently, forcing ice cream to edges. Wrap in plastic, and place in freezer. Repeat with remaining cookies and ice cream. Freeze sandwiches at least 2 hours before serving.

Makes 12 sandwiches with lots of left over peach ice cream for milkshakes!

*Note: I didn't have peach schnapps so I substituted amaretto. Also I used only 1 1/4 cup of milk and 3 2/3 cups of cream. I couldn't find crystallized ginger at the super market in the mountains so I substituted 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger.

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