Ice Cream Sandwiches

Chunk N Chip from Schardé Vallone on Vimeo.

Visiting the Chunk N Chip truck last semester was fun—one of the best times I’ve had while shooting an OC News package. While there really is no way to go wrong when shooting a segment focused on dessert, there was something about the Chunk N Chip truck that was especially relaxing and enjoyable.

Maybe it was the fact that the space we had to shoot in was confined to a truck. It may have been Chunk N Chip’s unique concept and how delicious their ice cream sandwiches were. Or it could have been the really attractive customer that came to the truck’s window—I stared at him from inside the truck for about five minutes.

No matter the reason, all I know was that I left wanting to create my own ice cream sandwich. The Chunk N Chip truck had so many flavor combinations and options that I decided to put together my own—pistachio and strawberry.


 

These recipes took a bit of trial and error. I went through two versions of the pistachio cookie and two versions of the ice cream, but I think I have something good here. The pistachio-coconut cookies have ground oatmeal in them, which gives the cookies a really substantial texture.

As for the ice cream, I wanted to create a recipe that wouldn’t require an ice cream maker. As a result, the texture is frostier and harder than traditional ice cream, so I recommend letting it thaw for a bit before serving. But trust me when I say that it tastes exactly like cheesecake. It is a thing of beauty.



 

Pistachio Coconut Cookies (Yield: about 26 cookies)

Ingredients

1/2 c. old-fashioned or quick-cook oatmeal

1 c. flour

1/2 c. desiccated coconut

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick of butter, at room temperature

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 egg

1/2 c. pistachios, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 355º F.
2. Place the oatmeal in a food processor and process until the oats are fine.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the ground oatmeal, flour, desiccated coconut, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with a fork until the mixture is fluffy and homogenous. Pour in both the vanilla and almond extracts as well as the egg and beat until fully combined.
5. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture with a rubber spatula. Then fold in the pistachios.
6. Scoop out mounds of dough with a small ice cream scoop or a spoon and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving two inches between each cookie.
7. Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes. Don't expect them to become golden, these cookies stay a creamy pale color (the better to see the pieces of pistachios). They'll also still seem soft, but the cookies will firm up as they cool.

No-Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Ingredients

2 c. strawberries, hulled and quartered

1/2 c. white sugar

2 tbsp. water

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 c. brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. heavy cream

1. Place the strawberries, white sugar, and water in a saucepan and let it simmer for about seven minutes, stirring every so often with a wooden spoon. A sauce will form and the strawberries will become soft enough to smash. Mash a portion of the berries with the back of your spoon, depending on how chunky you want the fruit in your ice cream.
2. Pour the mixture into a bowl and chill for at least 45 minutes, or until the strawberry sauce is cool.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Add the heavy cream and begin whipping the mixture on low speed until everything is combined. Increase the speed to medium, and continue whipping the cream until the volume of the mixture increases and it can hold a soft peak.
5. Gently fold in the cooled strawberry sauce with a rubber spatula.
6. Pour into a metal or glass baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze the ice cream for at least three to four hours. 
7. Before serving, place the ice cream in the refrigerator to thaw for about 20 minutes.

To assemble your sandwiches, find two cookies that are roughly similar in size. Place a scoop of ice cream on the bottom of one cookie and gently press the other cookie on top of it.