Red Velvet Ice Cream Sandwiches

For the Red Velvet Ice Cream:
Freeze the bowl and paddle of your ice cream maker for a few hours before starting.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the whole milk and the sugar. Whip with a whisk attachment until sugar dissolves. On slow speed add the cocoa powder and salt. Whip until combined. Add the heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Whip until light and fluffy. Add the food coloring and mix on slow until well combined.

Cover the bowl and pop it in your fridge for at least one hour.

Remove bowl from fridge and transfer liquid to your frozen ice cream maker bowl. Turn on ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions, for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Pour into a parchment lined shallow dish. I used two 8 x 8 square dishes. If you freeze the ice cream so it’s not too deep then you can use a cookie cutter to cut the ice cream. This will make your life easier when putting the sandwiches together. Stick the dishes in the freezer and freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Remove when cookies are ready so it doesn’t melt.

For the cookies:
In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate medium sized bowl combine the butter, brown sugar and egg.

Now combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until it forms a ball, much like dough. Divide dough in half and roll out first half on a lightly floured surface. You want the cookies about 1/4 of an inch thick. Think about how thick you would want the ice cream sandwich to be when taking this step.

Cut an even number of cookies with a cookie cutter (your preferred size and shape) and then place the cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Pop in the freezer for about 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove cookies from the freezer and pop in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

For the assembly:
Set half of your cookies bottom side up (the good side down) on a work surface.

Take your ice cream out of the freezer and working quickly, cut out shapes (same shape as the cookies). Place the ice cream on top of the bottom cookie. Place another cookie on top. Press together.

Serve immediately or wrap with plastic wrap and pop back in the freezer. Serve with a big old Red Velvet smile!

Yields 5 cups of ice cream.

Cookie recipe slightly adapted from Martha Stewart’s Holiday Cookies Magazine.