Mini Ice Cream Ginger Snapwiches

Mini Ice Cream Ginger Snapwiches | the pig & quillI think I may have confessed a time or two…my love for Young Adult Novels? Or YA as the cool kids say. A group I’d clearly like to join, all joking aside.

Lately I’ve been sorely behind on keeping up with the other members of my unofficial YA Book Club (you know who you are) — distracted by things like sweet potato obsessions and giveaways and fabulous culinary adventures to time zones afar. The ridonkulous weather this week hasn’t helped, either. Who wants to stay inside cooped up with a book or a ‘puter when there are things like beer garnish to enjoy in the warm California sunshine?

No one.

Which is why today, following Thursday’s hot YA sesh at the local library, my little book club has an even hotter date with my backyard, a couple of beach towels and L.A. Weatherly. Because, didn’t you know? Angels are the new Vampires. Or is it Immortals? I can’t keep track.

(Did I mention my YA obsession is anchored pretty firmly in the supernatural? Yeah…)

Anyway.
Where was I going? Oh, right.

This afternoon is all about backyard vegging, book in hand. Or book in one hand, I should say, because you know what’s gonna be in the other?
One of these guys.

Mini Ice Cream Ginger Snapwiches | the pig & quill

Oh alright, more than one of these guys.

A handful of these guys.
A bucket of these guys?
A whole schnicking heap of fruhggin ice cream sandwiches, ok?

I’m just going to go ahead and call your weekend plans Lame (with a capital-L) if they dont include one — or more — of these mini sweet n’ savory indulgences. I know it’s harsh, but your excuses mean nothing to me.

We’re talking EEEEEE. ZZZZZZ. PEEEEEE. POLLLLLLS. As in, store-bought ice cream. (Sure, you could use homemade.)
Store-bought ginger snaps. (Sure, you could bake your own.)
And a generous coating of CA’s finest smoked almonds. (If you smoke your own, we might not be friends.)

Mini Ice Cream Ginger Snapwiches | the pig & quill

And, of course, the variations are completely endless, so let’s say you’re hosting a Father’s Day BBQ and dad is a huge fan of the sherbz. Hello, snickerdoodles and orange sherbet rolled in mini yogurt chips!

Or brownies with mint chip and crushed Andes mints!
Or PB cookies with Marianne’s Oregon Blackberry rolled in honey roasted peanuts!

Totally limitless — although this combo is a hands-down fave around here thanks to the perfect melding of subtle spice and smoky salt.

So get out there, folks, and enjoy what has got to be one of the nicest weekends we’ve seen this summer.
Ice cream sandwich(es) in hand, of course. And your favorite paperback, if you’re just that lucky.

HAPPY (early) FATHER’S DAY!

Mini Ice Cream Ginger Snapwiches | the pig & quill

Mini Ice Cream Ginger Snapwiches
By Emily Stoffel
Cook time: 10 mins (plus an hour chilling) | Makes 24 snapwiches

Mini Ice Cream Ginger Snapwiches | the pig & quillNote: Ready to be blown away? My favorite ginger snaps are from Trader Joe’s: the Triple Ginger Snap variety, to be exact. While you’re there, they also have a great premium vanilla ice cream and TJ’s-branded smoked almonds that’ll do the trick here. One-stop shopping for the win!

Ingredients:

  • 48 mini ginger snap cookies (see note)
  • 1 quart good vanilla ice cream, slightly softened (about 10 mins out of the freezer)
  • 1/4 cup good smoked almonds, finely chopped

Instructions

The main gist? Sandwich ice cream between two cookies, roll in nuts (ha) and chill. But here are the details…

Clear room in your freezer to stash a rimmed baking sheet as flat as possible. Pour almonds into a shallow plate or bowl.

Line baking sheet with parchment and arrange 24 cookies flat-side up. Using a very mini ice cream scoop or a two spoons, apply a heaping tablespoon of ice cream to top of each cookie. Top with remaining cookies, pressing down so that ice cream squeezes to edges. If you’re super anal, you can use a small spatula to smooth away excess ice cream before rolling in the nuts; otherwise, I find that just mashing the slightly imperfect sandwiches through the nuts works just fine and creates a look that we’ll call…”rustic.”

Chill snapwiches in the freezer for about an hour before serving.

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