Festive Gingerbread & Eggnog Ice Cream Sandwiches: The Ultimate Holiday Dessert
These festive gingerbread and eggnog ice cream cookie sandwiches are made from scratch and studded with crystallized candied ginger, offering a truly unforgettable holiday treat.
This delightful recipe is proudly sponsored by Davidson’s Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs, ensuring peace of mind with every bite.
As the holiday season twinkles into full swing, there’s nothing quite like a homemade treat to capture the spirit of joy and festivity. These Gingerbread and Eggnog Ice Cream Sandwiches aren’t just any dessert; they are a celebration in every bite, quickly rising to the top of my list for favorite Christmas desserts.
Imagine the warm, spicy notes of freshly baked gingerbread cookies perfectly complementing the creamy, rich indulgence of homemade eggnog ice cream, all brought together in a convenient, handheld sandwich. Each one is a delightful fusion of classic holiday flavors, enhanced with the subtle kick of crystallized candied ginger.
Creating homemade ice cream sandwiches for the holidays adds a special touch that store-bought varieties simply can’t replicate. The effort put into baking these chewy gingerbread cookies and churning the velvety eggnog ice cream transforms a simple dessert into a memorable experience, perfect for sharing with loved ones.
The Secret Ingredient for Stress-Free Holiday Baking: Davidson’s Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs
This exquisite ice cream cookie sandwich recipe highlights the versatility and safety of Davidson’s Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs. In the hustle and bustle of holiday cooking, especially when entertaining a crowd or involving children in the kitchen, the peace of mind offered by pasteurized eggs is invaluable. These eggs undergo a gentle, all-natural pasteurization process, eliminating the risk of salmonella without altering their taste, texture, or nutritional value. This means you can confidently enjoy recipes that call for raw or undercooked eggs, like this luscious homemade ice cream base.
One of my absolute favorite applications for pasteurized eggs is, without a doubt, homemade ice cream. Typically, making a custard-based ice cream requires precise cooking to reach a specific temperature to ensure egg safety. However, with Davidson’s Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs, that step is largely simplified. It eliminates the need to cook the custard until it reaches an exact temperature, giving you the freedom to taste the raw ice cream base and adjust any ingredients or flavorings as needed. This not only makes the process more enjoyable but also helps you achieve the perfect flavor balance every time.
As an added bonus, this “lick the bowl” or “taste the batter” step is a fantastic way to catch any potential recipe errors or mistakes, such as accidentally leaving out sugar or salt. Trust me, during the multi-tasking frenzy of the holiday season, such oversight is more common than one might think!
The safety aspect of pasteurized eggs is particularly helpful for my family this holiday season, as my older sister is 32 weeks pregnant. We’re still planning on serving and preparing our favorite dishes that traditionally use undercooked or raw eggs, including runny baked eggs for brunch, homemade aioli for appetizers, and, of course, these incredible homemade ice cream sandwiches. Knowing that Davidson’s Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs are safe to consume, even when raw, allows us to fully embrace our culinary traditions without worry.
Prepare Ahead for Holiday Perfection
While these gingerbread and eggnog ice cream sandwiches do require some prep and chill time, they are a fantastic make-ahead dessert. You can prepare them well in advance and freeze them until you’re ready to serve. This is a huge advantage during the busy holiday season, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your gathering knowing that a delicious, show-stopping dessert is already taken care of.
To quote my friend Connor, “They taste like Christmas,” and I couldn’t agree more. The combination of eggnog and gingerbread is truly a match made in flavor heaven. The rich, creamy, nutmeg-spiced eggnog ice cream provides a cool contrast to the warm, molasses-infused gingerbread cookies, creating a symphony of textures and tastes that perfectly encapsulates the holiday spirit.
The addition of candied ginger bits throughout the eggnog ice cream adds an extra layer of warmth and a delightful chew, elevating the entire experience. It’s these small, thoughtful details that transform a good dessert into an extraordinary one.
Why You’ll Fall in Love with These Gingerbread and Eggnog Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches:
These festive ice cream cookie sandwiches meet all the key requirements for any truly exceptional ice cream sandwich, and then some!
- Perfectly Chewy Gingerbread Cookies: The gingerbread cookie recipe is specifically designed to remain soft and chewy, even when frozen. There’s nothing worse than an ice cream sandwich with a rock-hard cookie that shatters upon first bite. Our cookies maintain their delightful texture, providing a pleasant contrast to the creamy filling. They are robust enough to hold the ice cream without falling apart, yet tender enough to bite through cleanly.
- Creamy, Scoopable Eggnog Ice Cream: A touch of brandy in the homemade eggnog ice cream isn’t just for flavor; it also plays a crucial role in preventing the ice cream from firming up too much when frozen. This results in a wonderfully creamy, scoopable texture that melts in your mouth, rather than a solid block of ice. The subtle warmth of the brandy also beautifully enhances the eggnog spices.
- Effortless and Uniform Assembly: To make the assembly process incredibly easy and ensure uniform results, the ice cream is spread into a thick, even layer in a lined cake pan. Once frozen solid, it’s then cut into perfect rounds using biscuit cutters. While this might seem like an extra step, it is absolutely worth the effort. You’ll be rewarded with beautifully shaped, perfectly proportioned ice cream sandwiches that look as good as they taste, making them ideal for holiday entertaining.
If your holiday schedule is simply too packed to assemble the full sandwiches, do yourself a favor and at least try making the eggnog ice cream! It is truly spectacular on its own, studded with those spicy candied ginger bits, and makes a fantastic addition to any holiday dessert spread, perhaps served alongside a slice of apple pie or a warm brownie.
These Gingerbread and Eggnog Ice Cream Sandwiches are more than just a recipe; they’re an invitation to create festive memories and savor the flavors of the season. Gather your ingredients, enjoy the process, and prepare to delight your taste buds with this unforgettable holiday treat!
Gingerbread and Eggnog Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches
Pin
Review
SaveSaved!
Equipment
-
KitchenAid 5 Qt. Artisan Stand Mixer
-
KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment
-
Half Sheet Pan
Ingredients
Eggnog Ice Cream:
- 6 largeegg yolks Safest Choice Pasteurized Brand
- ⅔ cup (135g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240 mL) whole milk
- 1 cup (240 mL) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon brandy
- ¼ cup (40g) finely chopped crystallized ginger
Chewy Gingerbread Cookies:
- 5 ounces (140g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon + ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup dark unsulphured molasses
- ⅙ cup (40 mL) vegetable oil
- ½ largeegg beaten
- ⅙ cup (40 mL) hot boiling water
Instructions
-
Prepare Eggnog Ice Cream (the day before): In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar aggressively until the mixture is thick and pale yellow in color. It should fall from the whisk in thick ribbons (otherwise known as ribbon stage). Combine the whole milk, heavy cream, and freshly grated nutmeg in a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Remove immediately from the heat. Temper the milk and cream mixture slowly into the egg yolk sugar mixture, whisking continuously.
-
Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until the ice cream base has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove and pour the custard into a large bowl set over an ice bath. Stir in the brandy and allow the custard to cool completely, stirring every 5 or 10 minutes. Refrigerate the base overnight or until chilled. Freeze the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s manufacturer’s directions. Just before the ice cream is finishing churning, add the chopped candied ginger. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan with wax paper. Spread the ice cream into the cake pan with an offset spatula until it is in a smooth flat layer. Cover with plastic wrap and foil, and allow to freeze for 4 to 6 hours or preferably overnight.
-
Prepare Gingerbread Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center position. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add the molasses, oil, and half (beaten) egg and whisk to combine. Slowly pour in the boiling water and whisk until smooth. The batter will be thick.
-
Scoop the dough into balls (the dough should yield 12 cookies) and place onto the lined sheet pan, setting hte cookies at least 1-inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack and allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
-
Assemble the Ice Cream Sandwiches: Once the ice cream has chilled, remove from the freezer and lift the ice cream out of the cake pan. Using a 2½-inch biscuit cutter, cut the ice cream into six discs (the ice cream should be very firm, but not difficult to cut). For each ice cream sandwich, place 1 disc of ice cream between 2 gingerbread cookies. Gently press together (ice cream should spread to edge of cookies). Serve immediately or wrap well and freeze until ready to serve.