Law school is over! And as we always do when finals are over, Erik and I spent the weekend off the grid in the mountains, camping and hiking. That means I had to get something made before I left, since I wasn’t sure when I’d be back today. I came up with (yet another) Ottolenghi recipe, though this one didn’t go so well.

Every once in awhile, when I really think I’m on top of my baking game, my kitchen likes to humble me. This was one of those weeks. What was supposed to be ice cream sandwiches has turned into deconstructed ice cream sundaes. Still delicious, just not so pretty.

First, make the saffron ice cream. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat up the milk, cream, vanilla pod and seeds, and saffron until small bubbles form around the outside. Remove from heat.Slowly pour half of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Then, pour that back into the medium saucepan and continue cooking over medium-low heat for around 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the batter coats the back of the spoon. Set aside the batter to cool. When it is cool, refrigerate it over night.

Next, make the cookies. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then 1/2 of the milk, then the second third of the dry ingredients, the second 1/2 of the milk, and last third of the dry ingredients. Remove dough to a lightly floured surface and knead to bring together. Cut in half. Roll out to 1/8 inch thick. Cut circles. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze baking sheet for 15 minutes, than bake at 400°F for 6 to 8 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Finely, when the ice cream is ready to churn, do so according to machine’s directions. Put a little between two cookies, and place on a baking sheet in the freezer.

At this point, I left for my hike. I was expecting to roll the edges in roasted almonds so they looked like this:Unfortunately, when I returned, my freezer door had opened a crack, they looked like this: Alas, it’s not the first time I’ve had a baking mishap. Easy fix: ice cream sundae!As long as you don’t have a freezer problem and time constraint, this shouldn’t happen to you. But if it does, the alternative isn’t terrible.

Enjoy!

Saffron Ice Cream Sandwich

Ingredients:

Ice Cream

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/3 cups whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 vanilla pod, sliced in half and seeds scraped
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

Cookies

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup roasted almonds, chopped

Directions:

Ice Cream

1. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a medium bowl until pale yellow. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla pod and seeds, and saffron over medium heat until bubbles just form around the edges.
3. Slowly pour about half of the hot cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
4. Pour mixture back into saucepan and return to medium low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until coats back of the spoon.
5. Allow ice cream to cool at room temperature. Remove vanilla pod. Refrigerate overnight.
6. Churn ice cream according to manufacturer’s directions.

Cookies

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, around 3 minutes.
3. Beat in vanilla extract to accommodate.
4. Add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the whole milk, and beat after each addition.
5. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead to bring together. Split dough in half. Roll out half until 1/8 inch thick. Cut circles and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Freeze baking sheet for 15 minutes. Then bake at 400°F for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Assemble sandwiches by spooning ice cream between two cookies and placing on baking sheet in the freezer for 5 to 6 hours. After that time, roll in chopped almonds and place in airtight container in freezer.