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5 from 1 vote

Pecan Praline Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

Homemade ice-cream studded with flecks of pecan praline, sandwiched between two brown sugar cookies - and drizzled with chocolate. The perfect summer treat!
Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time28 minutes
Chill Time12 hours 35 minutes
Total Time13 hours 53 minutes
Servings: 7 sandwiches
Author: Vicki @ Passionate Baker

Ingredients

for the pecan praline

  • 100 g pecans
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 4 tbsp water
  • pinch of salt

for the ice cream

  • 100 g pecans
  • 600 g double cream
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 4 tbsp water
  • 2 large egg yolks

for the cookies

  • 230 g salted butter, at room temperature
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 380 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 200 g light brown sugar

to assemble

  • 30 g dark chocolate, chopped
  • 14.2 g salted butter

Instructions

make the pecan praline

  • Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and have a large measuring jug nearby.
  • Spread the pecans for both the ice cream & the praline (200g combined) on the lined tray & bake for 5-minutes. The aim is not to roast them, only to heat them long enough to release their oils and start to smell luscious. Set aside to cool for 5-minutes, before dividing into two 100g piles again. Roughly chop one of the piles of pecans and place into the measuring jug; leave the other pile unchopped and spread them out of the prepared tray.
  • In a small pot set over a medium heat, combine the sugar with the water and salt. Lightly stir the mixture together until the sugar dissolves, and then stop stirring. Bring the heat to high and continue cooking the mix until it turns a deep amber colour and smells like caramel.
  • Working quickly, pour the caramel over the nuts on the tray & leave to cool. When cool, roughly chop the praline into bite-sized chunks and store in an airtight container until using.

make the ice cream

  • Add the double cream and vanilla extract to the chopped pecans in the measuring jug. Give them a good stir, cover with cling film, and transfer to the fridge overnight/for 8-hours.
  • The next morning, strain the cream pecan mixture into a large mixing bowl and discard the nuts. Using an electric whisk, beat the cold cream until soft peaks appear; set aside. Clean the electric whisk thoroughly and have ready nearby for use. Place the egg yolks into a separate medium bowl and also have ready nearby. Line a 9x13-inch baking tray with parchment paper; set aside.
  • In a small heavy bottomed pot, combine the sugar and the water over a medium-high heat - do not stir. Measure the temperature of the mixture on a candy thermometer. When the mix hits 110°C, begin to lightly beat the egg yolks with the electric whisk. When the mixture hits 115°C, remove from the heat & slowly begin to stream it into the egg yolks, beating on medium all the while. After all of the sugar has been added, turn the mixer to high and beat until the mix is fluffy, very pale, and cool to the touch.
  • Add half of the whipped cream to the egg yolk mixture, and beat to combine. Add the second half to the yolks and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them together. Add the chopped pecan praline to the bowl lightly fold them in. Transfer to the prepared baking tray, spread it out evenly, and transfer to the fridge for at least 4-hours.

make the cookies

  • Line a baking tray with parchment paper; set aside.
    In a large bowl, use an electric whisk to cream together the butter & sugar until pale & fluffy, about 3-minutes. One at a time, add the eggs into the bowl; ensuring you scrape down the sides after each addition. Add the vanilla extract; scrape down.
  • Sieve the flour, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda directly into the bowl, and, with the whisk on low, beat into the dough mixture until homogenous.
  • Portion the dough out into 15 equal sized balls - about 2 tablespoons worth -, place on a lined baking tray, and pop into the freezer for at least 2-hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C, and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
  • Bake the cookies from frozen for 18-ish minutes, or until golden brown, set around the edges, but still slightly underdone in the centre. Leave to cool on the tray for 5-minutes, before removing to a wire rack to cool entirely.

to assemble

  • When the cookies are mostly cool, remove the ice-cream from the freezer & allow to soften slightly - about 10/15-minutes. Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with cookies and turn half of them upside-down.
  • When the ice-cream has softened, use a cookie cutter roughly the same size as the cookies to stamp out 7 circles. Use an offset spatula to transfer the ice-cream circles to the upturned cookies, and top each circle of ice-cream with another cookie, this one right-side-up. Press the cookies down lightly to glue to the ice-cream, and transfer to the freezer for 15-minutes.
  • In a small heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate with the butter and melt in the microwave - no more than 20-seconds at a time. Stir together, set aside.
  • Remove the ice-cream sandwiches from the freezer and drizzle liberally with the melted chocolate. Either enjoy immediately or return to the freezer for later.

Notes

  • the cookie recipe makes one extra cookie than you'll need for the sandwiches - bonus! 
  • ice cream recipe adapted from Claire Ptak.