Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwich

No sweet tooth can resist the soft, doughy goodness of these brown sugar ice cream-stuffed desserts. And raw cookie dough aficionados needn't worry - the batter's made without eggs. This is chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream deconstructed, with two thin layers of safe-to-eat raw cookie dough in place of where the cookies would typically be. And in between lies an ultra rich and creamy brown sugar frozen custard, excellent on its own but divine when paired with cookie dough.

Ice Cream:
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 cup whole milk
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
pinch fine sea salt
4 large egg yolks
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or paste

Cookie Dough:
12 Tbsp. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ tsp. fine sea salt
1¼ cups (5 oz) all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 Tbsp. milk or cream
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

To prepare ice cream, pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into a heat-proof bowl and nest inside a larger bowl filled with ice water. Place a fine mesh sieve over the top of both bowls. Alternatively, you can use a gallon sized zip-top freezer bag and place it in a bowl of ice water (this will cool down the ice cream base just as, if not more quickly than two bowls).

In a saucepan, combine remaining cream, milk, sugars, and salt. Cook gently over medium heat, stirring regularly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture starts to steam (do not let it boil).

In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks. Slowly whisk in some of the warm cream mixture, 1/3 cup at a time, until about half of the cream mixture has been incorporated and yolk mixture is warm to the touch. You want to do this gradually; doing so will temper the egg yolks rather than cook them.

Pour yolk mixture back into the saucepan and return to medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spatula, about 5-7 minutes, or until it reaches approximately 165-170ºF. Do not let it to boil.

Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve into the bowl with the cold cream, discarding any solids. Add vanilla paste or extract and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover with plastic wrap, carefully pressing wrap down onto the surface of the cream mixture. This will prevent a skin from forming on top of the custard. Refrigerate until completely cool, at least 3 hours or overnight if possible.

While ice cream is chilling, prepare the cookie dough. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter and sugars for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt and mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add flour and mix on low speed until incorporated; then add milk and mix until combined. Mix in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes so it will be easier to work with.

Line two 8x8" square baking pans with parchment paper. Divide chilled dough in half (about 10 ounces per pan). Press one half of dough into each pan. It helps to use a flat glass or tart tamper to help you press the dough into a thin, even layer (I used a fondant smoother which has a nice square edge and makes this particularly easy.) If you only have one baking pan, press in half the dough, then lift out the entire piece; line the pan with another piece of parchment and repeat. Freeze cookie dough layers in the baking pans for at least 1 hour or overnight, until ready to use.

Churn ice cream in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.

When ice cream is the consistency of soft serve, spoon into baking pan on top of one layer of cookie dough, spreading into an even layer (you can choose to use all of the ice cream or just some of it depending on how thick you want your sandwiches - I used about 2/3 of it).

Invert second layer of cookie dough and gently place on top of ice cream, pressing very lightly to adhere. You can leave the piece of parchment stuck to the top if you like, otherwise wrap in plastic wrap or foil and freeze overnight until solid.

To serve, gently lift out entire block using parchment paper as a handle. Place on a cutting board and cut into squares using a large knife. Serve immediately, or wrap sandwiches in waxed paper and return to freezer until ready to serve.

Makes 9 large or 16 small sandwiches.