Sweet + Salty Ice Cream Sandwiches
I live for ALL of the frozen treats in summertime. Every hot day is the perfect excuse to try another cool treat. Luckily, basically every day around here is hot so there are no shortage of frozen treats in my life (although I may soon have a shortage of clothes that still fit me). Of course, Grace, Luci and I couldn't think of a better way to end our 3x3 summer posts than with frozen treats. Luci crafted a yummy non-dairy treat, Grace blended up a delicious and unusual milkshake and I made you a sweet & salty treat that uses only 3 ingredients (yes, really). You know that saltine toffee that's totally can't-stop-won't-stop eating it good (It doesn't have the nickname 'crack toffee' for no reason!)? Well, these ice cream sandwiches are basically the frozen version of that toffee. Equal parts sweet, salty, chocolate-y, crunchy and cool, 100 % addictive. They're a bit messy to make and to eat, but they taste so delicious that you won't even care!
SWEET + SALTY ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
INGREDIENTS
- Caramel Ice Cream
- Chocolate Chips
- Saltine Crackers
- Sea Salt (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Let your ice cream stand out for just a few minutes (but no more than 5) so that it can soften.
While it's softening, line a baking sheet with wax paper or a silpat mat. Lay out as many saltine crackers as you would like to make sandwiches (i.e. for 10 sandwiches, lay out 10 crackers).
Once your ice cream has softened, scoop about 1/4 cup on top of each cracker. I find that it's actually easiest to use a butter knife to "cut" layers of ice cream for each cracker, but you can also use a spoon, a small rubber spatula or an ice cream scoop.
Place the tray in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the freezer and place another cracker on top of each scoop of ice cream. Place back in the freezer until the ice cream is hard (I put mine in overnight for 24 hours).
Once the ice cream is frozen solid, you'll want to give them a chocolate dip. In a double boiler or small saucepan, melt the chocolate chips (for 10 sandwiches I used about 1 cup). I didn't use a double boiler so I melted my chocolate in 1/4 cup increments (i.e. melt a 1/4 cup of chips, dip a couple of sandwiches, then repeat) to prevent the chocolate from burning or hardening too quickly. Once the chocolate is melted, quickly dip one side of a sandwich into chocolate. Place it back on the tray, sprinkle with a little sea salt (if desired), then repeat until you've dipped all your ice cream sandwiches. Place them back on the tray (cover it with fresh wax paper if the other piece has too much liquid/melted ice cream on it since this will make the sandwiches soggy) and freeze until the chocolate and ice cream are both solid, about an hour.
If you somehow manage to have any leftovers, store them in a single layer (or put wax paper in between layers) in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 days.
