I love the heat of the summer months, but one of the reasons that I love this time of year so much is that there are plenty of ice cream options to enjoy, especially if you like ice cream sandwich cones. I love dipped cones from ice cream trucks and ice pops from the store, but if I had to choose my favorite toy of ice cream, it would be an ice cream sandwich.
Traditional Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich
Traditionally, most ice cream sandwiches are made with either cookies or waffles. Depending on the type of ice cream that is in the center of the sandwich, both can be great options. I do love a nice fluffy waffle because it is the more savory option, and it reminds me of a waffle cone. In fact, this is an option that you can even make yourself.
All you need is a waffle iron to make the waffle. The waffles can be plain, blueberry, strawberry, chocolate chip, or any other flavor that you want. Make sure to grease the waffle iron before you add the batter. Once the waffle is ready, allow it to cool completely, and then cut it into quarters. Add your favorite ice cream to one quarter, and top with another waffle quarter to make it a sandwich. You can also add ice cream toppings and fresh fruit to the sandwich if you want something a little more extravagant.
Ice Cream Sandwich Cone Recipe
Waffles are a great option, but recently I had some wafers in my pantry that I used to make a cake, and I thought that the thin, crispy wafers would be a great choice for an ice cream sandwich, so I grabbed my favorite ice cream, which is moose tracks, and got to work creating my delightful dessert. If you would like to recreate this treat, both the wafers and the ice cream were homemade.
Wafers
Start by separating six, room temperature eggs. Cream together the egg yolks and a cup of confectioner’s sugar. Add four ounces of clarified butter and ½ of a teaspoon of vanilla. Mix in 1 ¼ cups of flour, and combine until the mixture is thick, but can still be poured.
Then, in a separate bowl, whip the egg whites. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, and then begin heating the wafer iron. Brush the surface with butter before adding the batter. The wafer should only require about a minute of cooking time per side. Allow the wafers to cool fully before adding ice cream or filling to them.
Ice Cream
You will need:
- 1 ½ cups of half and half
- One cup of sugar
- Two beaten eggs
- One cup of heavy cream
- Two teaspoons of vanilla bean paste
- 1/3 of a cup of fudge sauce
- ½ of a cup of miniature peanut butter cups
In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar and the half and half until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl, and then quickly whisk in the warmed half and half mixture. If you do not whisk quickly, the eggs will become scrambled eggs.
Once combined, put the mixture back in the saucepan and add the heavy cream and the vanilla bean paste. Cook over medium heat until the cream thickens and coats the spoon. Pour into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap must be touching the cream to prevent a skin from forming while it chills for two to three hours.
Once the mixture is chilled, pour the cream mixture into an ice cream maker to freeze it. When the mixture is an ice cream consistency, add fudge sauce and mini peanut butter cup to the ice cream and continue to mix. At this point, you can either serve the ice cream on the wafers to make a sandwich or freeze the ice cream to allow it to harden a bit.
Japanese Ice Cream Sandwich
As it turns out, I was definitely not the first person to come up with this concept of a cone-like ice cream sandwich. The Japanese have created an ice cream sandwich called monaka that is made out of cake cone wafers and ice cream.
Vanilla is one of the most common flavors that you can purchase in Japan, but there are other flavors as well like chocolate, green tea, and red bean, which are all popular ice cream flavors in Japan. There is also a variation of this bar that is vanilla ice cream with a thin piece of chocolate candy in the center. I really love this variation because it is chocolate, vanilla goodness that is only about 315 calories.
I like to enjoy this treat by allowing it to set out for a minute or two before indulging in the creamy treat so that the ice cream in the center melts just a little bit. If you are looking for this treat in the United States, you will need to visit an Asian food store that has Japanese food available for purchase.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of different options that you can consider when you are looking for an ice cream sandwich cone, but if you like the taste of a cake or a waffle cone, then using these options will give you an ideal treat. If you have the opportunity to try the Japanese Jumbo, make sure to take the opportunity to enjoy this take on an ice cream sandwich, but if you cannot find them near you, try making your own using the recipe that I provided above.