Classy

A very dear friend and very classy lady recently celebrated her birthday, and I found myself at a loss of what to make that would be ship-able, yummy, fun yet classic. I remembered that I had some whole vanilla beans in my cupboard, and decided that this would be the perfect time to make and use vanilla sugar. Super simple, but you can't do it unless you have a food processor. Don't fret, these cookies taste are pretty delicious made with vanilla extract!

You can pick any chocolate to dip these in, but of course I always prefer dark (60-70%). Make sure you go through the tempering process, which will avoid the matte colored chocolate coating that melts when you touch it. A little extra effort and a few dollars on a candy thermometer will make a huge difference in the finished product :)

Enjoy these striking, classic and classy cookies!

Vanilla Sugar
Chop 1 vanilla bean into small pieces, then process with 1 C granulated sugar until bean is only seen as small black flecks in the sugar.

Vanilla Sugar Cookies
From allrecipes.com
Makes about 15 cookies


1/4 C + 2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1/2 C granulated sugar (vanilla sugar if desired)
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (omit if using vanilla sugar)
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

~6 oz chocolate of your choice (chopped)

Directions: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract (if using) and beat until combined. Gradually add in flour, baking powder and salt and beat until just combined. Form into a log about 3-4 inches in diameter and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze or refrigerate until solid.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare baking sheet with parchment. Slice cookie log, forming cookies that are the thickness you desire. I like thick, chewy cookies so I sliced them about 1/2 inch thick. Place on baking sheet, sprinkle with more vanilla sugar, and bake 6-8 minutes until slightly golden around the edges. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack.

When cookies are cooled, melt about 4 oz of the chocolate in a double boiler until the temperature reaches 110 degrees F. Add the unmelted remaining chocolate and stir to melt it. Once the temperature has reached 90 degrees, dip the ends of the cookies in the chocolate and place back on the rack or waxed paper to cool and harden. Voila!

Also, you should probably grab everything in the house
and dip those in chocolate too...

DIY

I'll concede to the fact that when you're in the grocery store and hungry for a cold treat (RIGHT. NOW.) the aisles of pre-made ice cream sandwiches are pretty darn appealing - and practical. But if you're willing to delay gratification a teensy bit, this upcoming recipe and method for making your very own ice cream sandwiches is well worth the wait and extra effort!

A note about the method: It's easy to just slap some ice cream between two cookies, but taking the extra step to make ice cream "pucks" will ensure an even distribution of ice cream throughout the cookie, a neater outside edge and reduce the tragic breakage of cookies from pressing down too hard.

I've become enamored with the combination of chocolate, toffee and coffee, and this treat really solidifies it for me. Rich chocolate gets a sweet kick from toffee and depth from coffee, and the contrast of textures is really spectacular. While I advocate this particular combination, feel free to experiment with any kind of mix-ins or exchange the chocolate cookie for a regular butter flavor. You won't be disappointed! Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then in a baggie or plastic container and they'll keep for a long time. Or as long as it takes for you to devour them...

Chocolate Toffee Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches
Cookie recipe slightly adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts by Barbara Fairchild

1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C dark chocolate chips
1/2 C toffee chips or crushed toffee bars

Coffee ice cream (I used Lucerne's Coffee Caramel Swirl from Safeway - it's local and delicious!)

Directions: In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well blended. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together, then add gradually to butter mixture until well blended (careful not to over-mix). Mix in toffee and chocolate chips. Chill dough until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheet with parchment while you're waiting.

Roll dough into rounded tablespoonfuls (bigger if you'd like bigger sandwiches). Bake until they puff and crack on top but are still soft, about 11 minutes. Let them cool on baking sheet for 1 minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


While the cookies are baking and cooling, take your ice cream out to soften slightly. Spoon into muffin tins and make a (relatively) smooth and even "puck" that's about 1 inch thick. Put tray in freezer for about a half an hour. When the pucks are re-frozen, remove from muffin tins by running a knife around the outside edge. Place puck in the center of two (fully cooled) cookies - enjoy now or wrap tightly and freeze for the next hot day!

There's nothing better on a sunny Fourth of July afternoon!