A twist on the Girl Scout cookie favorite, complete with the creamiest caramel ice cream, a rich chocolate shell and toasted coconut!
If you’ve been to the grocery store lately, you know it’s that time of year again…GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SEASON!!!
Yes, the time of year when it’s impossible NOT to enter a grocery store without being bombarded by those little green-vested cookie monsters. AKA, girl scouts.
As much as as I can’t stand the little tikes (Miss Trunchbull much?), my love of those classic cookies will never die. Whether it’s Tagalongs, Samoas, Thin Mints, or Do-si-dos, we all have our favorite girl scout cookie. Mine has and always will be the Samoa. In fact, I’ve made a few recipes dedicated to this very cookie, and today I’m back for yet another…
Samoa Ice Cream Sandwiches!
Sure, it may be freezing, wet, and miserable outside, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy ice cream in the middle of winter. ESPECIALLY when it involves caramel, chocolate, and coconut!
Just like ice cream sandwiches I’ve made in the past, these are super simple to put together. The ice cream is even homemade! It’s a no-churn recipe which means no ice cream maker or special equipment required. With just TWO ingredients, all you do is whip up two cups of heavy cream and fold in some caramel.
Once that’s done, it’s spread on top of a layer of graham crackers which have been placed into a plastic wrap-lined pan. More graham crackers are then neatly placed on top, then the whole thing gets wrapped up tightly, and frozen until hard. (For more detailed instructions, head on over to my S’more Ice Cream Sandwiches post which includes pictures for reference.)
When it’s solid, the giant ice cream sandwich is removed from the pan, unwrapped, and sliced into squares. After another trip to the freezer for about 30 minutes, the ice cream sandwiches are dipped in a silky smooth bath of melted chocolate and a toasty pile of shredded coconut. That’s it!
What I love about these ice cream sandwiches is that they’re very similar to the traditional rectangular ones. The graham crackers soften as they sit in the freezer, making it much easier to bite into and ten times less messy than the thicker cookie ones that smush the ice cream out the sides.
The caramel ice cream is so light and creamy, thanks to the simple no-churn method. It’s also not overly sweet, which balances out the richness of the chocolate. The toasted coconut is an obvious MUST. Not only is it one of the trademarks of a Samoa cookie, but it provides that nice crunch and toasted flavor everyone loves.
Samoa Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 18 whole graham crackers
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 ⅔ cup caramel topping (I used Smucker's)
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 3 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 ½ cup finely-shredded coconut toasted*
Instructions
- Line a 9x13-inch rectangular dish with plastic wrap, leaving a good amount of overhang on the sides. Break the graham crackers in half and arrange them on the bottom of the pan. To solve the issue of extra space on the side, use a ruler as a "receding wall" underneath the plastic wrap along with a freezer-safe item that'll fit behind it. I used two chocolate bars; set aside.
- In the bowl** of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Pour caramel topping into a large mixing bowl. Gently fold a third of the whipped cream into the caramel sauce. Add the rest, and continue folding until you see just a few streaks of white.
- Spread ice cream mixture evenly over the graham crackers and arrange the remaining graham crackers on top. Wrap the plastic wrap over the ice cream sandwiches and freeze for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Once ice cream sandwiches have frozen, remove from the pan and unwrap the plastic wrap. Using a sharp, knife***, cut the sandwiches along the graham cracker edges, making 15 squares and 5 small rectangles. Place sandwiches on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and return to the freezer to firm up for 30 minutes.
- Prepare a second baking sheet by lining it with wax paper. Heat the chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl in the microwave until melted and smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Place the shredded coconut in a shallow bowl. Working quickly in batches of 3-4, dip sandwiches halfway into chocolate, then into the coconut, and onto the second baking sheet in the freezer. Once the chocolate has set, ice cream sandwiches can be individually-wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
1 comment
That looks extremely delicious!