although the summer season isn't over until nearly the end of september, the unofficial end of summer is marked this coming weekend. children go back to school, pools and beaches close up for the season and the sounds of ice cream truck jingles dissipate. so i thought i would go with the rhythm of things here and make a super-end-of-summer-blowout-ice-cream-sandwich! a kind of sandwich that you would look forward to, and that helps to lessen "the end of summer sting".
a few months ago i stumbled upon something called dandies, the most awesome vegan marshmallows (and bonus, they're free of corn syrup). there were so many thoughts filling my mind on what to use them for, and duh, naturally there was the idea of s'mores. but summertime, especially the end of august, made me lean towards a frozen s'more - something sweet, cold, and refreshing. and you know how when you bite into a s'more, inevitably all the gooey marshmallow goodness smushes out the back, and then you have to awkwardly stuff it back in? yeah, me too. which is why i made my own graham crackers here, with the integrity of a cookie, friends. i will not lead you down the path of lost s'more fillings, especially when they're this good!
so, farewell, summer. you were kind and beautiful. until next year!
frozen salted s'more sandwiches (v + gf)
| makes 12 sandwiches |
there will be leftover of cookies and ice cream. the cookies can be frozen for a couple of months, and the ice cream will freeze in an air-tight container for about 2 weeks. or, you could mush up the remaining cookies and ice cream, drizzle it with melted chocolate and call it a frozen s'more bowl!
ingredients
graham cracker cookies (v + gf)
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup grade b maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
toasted marshmallow ice cream (v)
- 2 cans full-fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup grade b maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch of fine grain sea salt
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 10-12 vegan marshmallows, toasted
- coconut oil
chocolate shell (v)
- 12 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate (Enjoy Life brand is my go-to)
- 1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil
- maldon (or another large flaky salt), to garnish
instructions
graham cracker cookies
- place all of the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. add almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla and blend until a dough starts to form. remove top and pinch dough between your fingers - it should be moist and a little sticky - if you find that your dough is still a bit crumbly, add more almond milk a 1/2 teaspoon at a time until dough comes together
- turn out onto a clean work space and knead it a couple times to smooth out. divide dough and form into a disk; wrap each piece with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
- remove dough from refrigerator; let it rest for 5 minutes. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350°. on a floured surface, roll dough out to a 1/4 inch thickness. stamp out cookies with a 2 inch round cookie cutter and place on prepared baking sheet. re-roll dough until it has all been used. (optional: using a fork, make decorative indentations). bake in the center of your oven for 10-12 minutes, until edges are lightly browned
- remove from oven and let cool completely
toasted marshmallow ice cream
- in a medium saucepan, over medium heat, whisk together coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. once combined, ladle about 2 tablespoons worth into a small bowl and whisk in the arrowroot powder; once dissolved, whisk back into the saucepan. keep stirring until ice cream mixture is warm and steaming. remove from heat and chill mixture over an ice bath; once cool, place in your ice cream maker and churn for about 10 minutes
- preheat your broiler; line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and grease it with coconut oil. place marshmallows on the baking sheet and toast them for a couple seconds on each side until toasted. (*the trick is to get the marshmallows toasted before the ice cream has thickened too much or else they won't combine properly. also, you want the marshmallows hot and gooey; if they cool too much they won't ribbon throughout the ice cream.) throw marshmallows into the ice cream maker one at a time
- let the ice cream churn for the remainder of the time, then transfer to a small jellyroll pan lined with parchment paper and spread evenly with a spatula. place another piece of parchment flat on top of ice cream and freeze for at least 2 hours
to assemble
- remove ice cream from freezer and allow it to thaw for 3-5 minutes (depending on how warm your kitchen is). while it's thawing, prepare a tray or baking sheet with parchment and line it with 12 cookies face-down
- using your 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut 12 circles out of the ice cream and place on top of face-down cookies. place another cookie on top of each sandwich and place in the freezer for a few minutes
- to prepare the chocolate shell, place chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water and stir until melted. remove from heat and stir in coconut oil. prepare a work surface and remove ice cream sandwiches from freezer. using 2 forks, gently drop the sandwiches, one at a time into the melted chocolate. use the forks to lift out and let extra chocolate run off the sandwiches. place back on parchment lined tray or baking sheet, sprinkle with maldon, and freeze once more
- store s'more sandwiches in an air-tight container with layers of parchment between
enjoy!