Blackberry Ice Cream Sandwich

Spending summers at my grandmother’s house was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. As a city mouse, riding horses, fishing, diving into crystal clear waters of the swimming hole on the other side of the pasture were what I lived for. Most of all I loved picking the blackberries, blueberries and dewberries that grew wild, doing my best not to get stuck or be bitten by the occasional snake hiding in the brush.

I remember running back to her house with purple stains on my face and a T-shirt filled with as berries as I could carry feeling like I’d conquered the world. She’d praise me for my harvest then churn up some of the best homemade ice cream I’ve ever had. My job was to turn the crank on add more rock salt and ice as it slowly melted, which was very serious business. I knew it was almost ready when I smelled the aroma of sugar cookies wafting in the breeze while I labored on the back porch.

Once the cookies cooled enough she’d carefully sandwich a scoop of the berry ice cream we made between two giant sugar cookies then smush it together. We’d both sit on the swing on her porch licking our fingers until every drop was gone. I finished the night catching fire flies and watching for shooting stars until it was time for bed. Before she passed away years later I would bring her blackberry ice cream and sugar cookies when I’d come to visit as an adult. She loved The Golden Girls so we’d enjoy our treat while we watched her favorite show together. This ones for you granny.....miss and love you.

FW Blackberry - this is the best blackberry I’ve found and serves as the main berry flavor in this recipe. It’s dark and sweet, with a very slight tang to it, but somewhat one dimensional.

FA Bilberry - helps sweeten the blackberry a little more and add some depth and weight.

TFA Strawberry Ripe - also adds sweetness and smooths out the blackberry, while giving it brightness and body to make it taste more realistic.

FA Apple Pie - is the secret ingredient to this recipe and is what ties everything together. It adds a baked quality and more texture to the sugar cookie without being too intrusive. FA Fuji could also work, but can be rather strident if too much so cut the percentage down to 0.25% if you’re subbing. I prefer Apple pie though and the additional AP it brings.

FA Vienna Cream, TFA Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - together make the ice cream. If TFA VBIC is too peppery for you try using FW VBIC. You can also sub HS French Vanilla Ice Cream if you don’t have Vienna Cream.or whatever cream you like. I prefer the richness of Vienna cream because it adds more density to the ice cream.

CAP Sugar Cookie - it’s of course creates the sweet sandwich and at 2% adds the right amount of texture. The extra AP in the Apple pie helps it greatly IMO.

It’s good as a SNV, but needs a day or two or three to really shine. Give it a try, it’s quickly become one of my favorite recipes!