Maple and cinnamon shortbread ice cream sandwiches

This is a sponsored post by Hudsonville Ice Cream, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Some desserts are specifically targeted toward seasonal consumption whereas others hit the spot all year round. Ice cream definitely falls into the latter category. You don’t have to be hot and sun-kissed to enjoy the cool, creamy dessert. It’s just as tasty even when there’s frost on the ground. 

In fact, I look forward to new flavors of ice cream released each season. I especially love ice cream with fall elements like cinnamon, brown sugar, and caramel. That’s why I was especially excited for Hudsonville’s newest limited edition flavor, Cinnamon Sugar Cookie.

The base is brown sugar ice cream, which is enhanced by a thick caramel ribbon. Big chunks of cinnamon sugar shortbread cookies are dispersed throughout the ice cream, and if you’re familiar with Hudsonville products, you know they definitely don’t skimp on the mix-ins.

The cookie chunks in the ice cream inspired me to make ice cream sandwiches with shortbread cookies. I made both maple and cinnamon shortbread cookies because I thought it would be fun to mix and match the flavors.

I focused on several elements when developing the perfect ice cream sandwich recipe.

First, the cookies needed to be chewy, not crunchy. Some shortbread cookie recipes yield really crispy cookies, which is great if you’re serving them with tea. But crispy cookies don’t work well for ice cream sandwiches because they’re hard to bite through. Also, crispy cookies become rock hard in the freezer. It was very important to me that the cookies remained soft even after they were frozen. 

After running multiple tests, I discovered the best way to do that is to cook them at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until they’re just barely done. Baked any lower and they will spread too much, resulting in thin and crisp cookies. Baked any higher and they will cook too quickly, turning too brown before they finish cooking. Important note: Pull them out of the oven as soon as you see the slightest tint of golden brown.

It’s also very important to chill the dough. This helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much because the butter remains solid for a longer period of time, and cold butter takes longer to melt than butter at room temperature.

Another important element in making these ice cream sandwiches was figuring out how to evenly spread the ice cream between the two cookies. This is easy to do when working with round cookies, but it’s a little harder when working with cookies that are different shapes, like the maple leaf cookies I used in this recipe. If you put a scoop in the center and press down in hopes the ice cream will spread on its own, the cookies will crumble. Fortunately, I discovered an easy trick for an even spread. I turned one cookie bottom side up, placed the cookie cutter on its underside, added a scoop of ice cream in the center of the cookie cutter, and spread it with a knife.

I finished the ice cream sandwiches by making a really simple icing to draw in veins on the maple leaves. It isn’t necessary, but it sure looks cute!

No matter if you choose to make the maple shortbread cookie recipe, the cinnamon shortbread cookie recipe, or a combination of the two, I think you’ll find the flavor pairing with Hudsonville’s Limited Edition Cinnamon Sugar Cookie ice cream to be absolute perfection!

Use this Scoop Locator tool to find Cinnamon Sugar Cookie ice cream near you (it will be at Fresh Thyme in Indy-area stores!), and click here for a "hello" coupon to save when you buy two cartons.

Maple shortbread ice cream sandwiches

Yield: Makes about 8 ice cream sandwiches

Ingredients

For the ice cream sandwiches

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (150 grams)
• 2 teaspoons maple extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pint Hudsonville’s Limited Edition Cinnamon Sugar Cookie ice cream

For the icing

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (60 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon water or milk

Directions

For the ice cream sandwiches

1. Cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth.
2. Add maple extract and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
3. Slowly add flour and salt and mix until just combined.
4. Flatten dough between two pieces of wax paper or parchment paper. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 72 hours.
5. When ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Remove plastic wrap from top of dough and use cookie cutter to cut dough into shapes.
7. Re-roll remaining dough and continue process with cookie cutter until all dough is used. 
8. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until bottoms just barely turn golden brown.
9. Remove from oven and cool.

For the icing

1. Mix together all ingredients until no clumps remain. It should be very thick. Add more powdered sugar if needed.
2. Transfer icing to squeeze bottle or pour into pastry bag with small tip.
3. Draw the veins on the maple leaf cookies.

For assembly

1. Assemble ice cream sandwiches by turning one cookie bottom side up and placing cookie cutter on its underside.
2. Add one scoop of ice cream to center of cookie cutter and spread. 
3. Remove cookie cutter and top with second cookie, top side up.
4. Press cookies firmly together and place in freezer for at least 30 minutes to firm up before serving.
5. Store ice cream sandwiches in freezer.

Cinnamon shortbread ice cream sandwiches

Yield: Makes about 8 ice cream sandwiches

Ingredients

For the ice cream sandwiches

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (150 grams)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pint Hudsonville’s Limited Edition Cinnamon Sugar Cookie ice cream

For the icing

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (60 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon water or milk

Directions

For the ice cream sandwiches

1. Cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth.
2. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
3. Slowly add flour, cinnamon, and salt and mix until just combined.
4. Flatten dough between two pieces of wax paper or parchment paper. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 72 hours.
5. When ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Remove plastic wrap from top of dough and use cookie cutter to cut dough into shapes.
7. Re-roll remaining dough and continue process with cookie cutter until all dough is used. 
8. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until bottoms just barely turn golden brown.
9. Remove from oven and cool.

For the icing

1. Mix together all ingredients until no clumps remain. It should be very thick. Add more powdered sugar if needed.
2. Transfer icing to squeeze bottle or pour into pastry bag with small tip.
3. Draw the veins on the maple leaf cookies.

For assembly

1. Assemble ice cream sandwiches by turning one cookie bottom side up and placing cookie cutter on its underside.
2. Add one scoop of ice cream to center of cookie cutter and spread. 
3. Remove cookie cutter and top with second cookie, top side up.
4. Press cookies firmly together and place in freezer for at least 30 minutes to firm up before serving.
5. Store ice cream sandwiches in freezer.