Cookie Recipe Created by Destiny Constantin

I can’t believe the month of April is almost over, and there’s snow on my front porch. I guess mother nature is hitting my hometown with one last frost before the flowers begin to blossom. This week has been a little crazy; my parents and I are doing some spring cleaning. I have also been feeling so tired and unmotivated. I am a bit behind on everything, but sometimes you need to push work aside and take some me-time. I am slowly getting my energy back, but I am ready to get back to work and catch up on my long to-do list on my whiteboard. One thing that always makes me feel better is wheeling myself into the kitchen and baking up a sweet treat. One of my favorite desserts on a warm day is ice cream sandwiches, but I haven’t been able to eat one in a while due to my gluten allergy, so I decided to make my own version.

This recipe is a delicious take on cookie ice cream sandwiches, from my kitchen to yours. It’s a soft and chewy chocolate cookie with almonds, milk chocolate chips, cinnamon, and nutmeg; french vanilla ice cream between the two cookies, and you can’t forget the sprinkles. They are buttery and sweet and taste amazing, so if you love chocolate and almonds, you will love this cookie recipe. The following recipe makes about eighteen cookies, depending on the size you make your cookies.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of salted butter, softened
• 1 cup of granulated cane sugar
• ½ cup of light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste (may substitute for pure vanilla extract.)
• 1 cup of almond flour
• 2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
• ½ cup of Hershey’s cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• ½ cup of Nutella
• ¼ cup of 2% of reduced-fat milk
• ½ cup of chopped almonds
• ½ cup of milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Gather all your ingredients.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond, gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the cane sugar and light brown sugar, and butter until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
4. Add the eggs, vanilla, and mix to incorporate fully. (Baking tip: Crack eggs into a liquid measure cup to prevent egg shells from getting into your cookie dough mixture.)
5. Add the milk and Nutella, and mix to incorporate fully.
6. With the mixture on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture in 2 batches, beating until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Do not over-beat.
7. Let cookie mix rest for a couple of minutes while you chopped the almonds. (Baking tips: Pour the almonds into a zip-lock bag and use a meat tenderizer to break up the nuts into smaller pieces.)
8. Once the batter is blended and fluffy, fold in the nuts and chocolate chips using a baking spatula.
9. Mix batter until it is smooth and blended well.
10. Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat.
11. Shape and form the cookies. (Baking tip: Use a cookie or ice cream scooper to help shape the cookies into round three-inch balls.)
12. Bake cookies for 12 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Time may vary depending on the type of oven you have and the size of the cookies.
13. While the cookies are in the oven, prepare a cup of coffee, tea, or milk.
14. Let cookies cool before eating them because they will be very soft still, but the cookies will firm up as they are cooling.

Assembly Directions:

1. When cookies are firm and cool, place one cookie upside down on a plate. (I recommend letting them rest on a cookie sheet or plate overnight before building your ice cream sandwich.)
2. Grab an ice cream scooper or spoon and place two to three spoonfuls of ice cream onto the cookie. Use the back of the spoon to spread ice cream on the entire cookie.
3. Add some rainbow sprinkles on top of the ice cream and around the cookie.
4. Place another cookie on top and gently squeeze together to form an ice cream cookie sandwich.
5. Grab some napkins and enjoy your sweet treat!

I hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as I had fun drinking cold-brew coffee while eating my ice cream cookie sandwich before digging into a long night of writing and teaching.

Featured Photo by alleksana from Pexels