Lemon Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream Sandwiches

It had been waaay too long since I made ice cream. I’ve been too busy to notice, but Ben mentioned it recently and I realized he was right. I do believe red velvet with a cream cheese swirl was the last time…months ago! Well, clearly that wouldn’t do. I was in the mood for something fresh and summery, and we just happened to have lemons and raspberries hanging around. I also found a disc of graham cracker dough stashed in the freezer and egg yolks left over from making swiss meringue buttercream. Clearly, this was meant to happen.

If you have ever attempted to make homemade ice cream sandwiches by squeezing a scoop of ice cream between two cookies, you know that 1) yes, it works and is still delicious but…2) it’s usually an unsightly, drippy mess. The method of spreading the ice cream out in a dish to freeze and then cutting out squares to sandwich in between cookies – genius. It’s easier to do, and it is definitely less messy. Now that the weather is starting to heat up here, we are glad to have a stash of these in the freezer!

Yield about 15 servings

Ingredients

For the ice cream:

1 cup whole milk
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar, divided
2 cups heavy cream, divided
Pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
6 oz. fresh raspberries

To assemble:

30 (2-2½ inch square) graham crackers (or your choice of cookie – sables would also be great!)

Directions

01
Combine the milk, ¾ cup of the sugar, 1 cup of the cream, and the salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is warmed through and small bubbles appear on the surface. Meanwhile, pour the remaining cup of cream into a bowl and set a fine mesh sieve over the top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.
02
Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon (170˚-175˚ F on an instant read thermometer). Pour the custard through the mesh strainer into the bowl with the cream. Stir in the vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Let cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate until completely chilled.
03
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.Line a chilled 9 x 13″ pan with plastic wrap. While the ice cream is churning, combine the raspberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl. Mix to combine, mashing slightly. Let stand to macerate slightly. When the ice cream has reached a soft serve consistency, spread some of the ice cream into the pan in an even layer about 1 inch thick. Top the surface of the ice cream with dollops of the raspberry mixture and lightly swirl into the ice cream with a skewer or knife. Freeze until firm.
04
To assemble the sandwiches, use the same cookie cutter that was used for the cookies (if homemade) to cut out square pieces of ice cream. Layer one piece of ice cream between two of the cookies and return to the freezer immediately. Wrap the sandwiches individually as desired. Keep frozen until ready to serve.

Source

ice cream adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, method from Tartlette