I saw these Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Blueberry Swirl on the front cover of the August issue of Gourmet magazine
The opportunity came a couple of weekends ago when we had some friends over to watch the Texas football game. After dreaming about what these ice cream sandwiches would taste like for a couple of months, they did not disappoint. The brownie sandwich layer was nice and chewy, but the star of the dessert was the tangy lemon ice cream cut by the sweetness of the blueberry swirl. Hands down the best ice cream sandwich that I’ve ever eaten and for the wow factor, they were fairly easy to make. The Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Blueberry Swirl easily make enough for 10 slices at 97 cents per serving.
Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Blueberry Swirl
Lemon Ice Cream:
2 pints premium vanilla ice cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
Blueberry Compote:
1 cup blueberries
1/8 cup sugar
1 (3-by 2 1/2-inch) strip lemon zest
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoons cornstarch
Brownie Sandwich Layers:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Unfortunately, I had yet to receive my ice cream maker from my brother-in-law for my birthday, so instead of making the lemon ice cream from scratch, I doctored some store bought vanilla ice cream.
To make the lemon ice cream, let the pints sit out on the counter for a bit until they have softened. If you don’t have time to do that, put the ice cream in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it up on the lowest microwave level in 10-second intervals until it is soft.
Stir the lemon zest and juice into the vanilla ice cream. I kept on adding extra lemon juice until I got a real lemony flavour. Thinly spread the ice cream in a large baking dish and let it freeze while you continue making the compote and brownie sandwich layers.
The blueberry compote is really easy to make: just cook the blueberries, sugar, and lemon zest in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat. Crush the blueberries with a potato masher until all the juices are released and the sugar has dissolved into the mixture, around 2 or so minutes.
Mix the lemon juice and cornstarch together, then add it to the blueberries. Let everything boil for a minute until the compote thickens. Let the compote chill until it is cool and then discard the lemon zest.
Preheat the oven to 375¬?F with the rack set in the middle. Butter 2 8×8-inch baking pans and line them with foil leaving a 1-inch overhang on each side. Finish up by thoroughly buttering the foil.
To make the brownie sandwich layers, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat together the butter and brown sugar in another bowl until the mixture turns pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then whisk in the egg and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture in 2 batches and mix everything until it is just combined.
Divide the brownie batter between the baking pans and spread it into thin, even layers. Bake the brownies until they are golden-brown but still tender, around 20 minutes. Let them cool completely in the pans, about 30 minutes or so.
Remove the lemon ice cream from the freezer and dot a few tablespoons of blueberry compote over it. Gently swirl the compote into the ice cream.
Spoon all of the ice cream over 1 of the brownie layers that is still in the pan and spread it to create a nice and even layer. Invert the second sandwich layer over the ice cream and press down gently to form an even sandwich.
Tightly wrap the ice cream sandwich in plastic wrap, including the bottom pan. For best results, freeze the sandwich overnight. You can keep the ice cream sandwich in the freezer for up to a week if it is very tightly wrapped.
To serve, remove the ice cream sandwich brick from the freezer and let it warm up a little bit on the counter so it isn’t rock solid. Remove the plastic wrap and then slice it up as thick as you want.
