Summer Meets Fall: Pumpkin Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

September is such a fickle month. Its kind of like the middle child. One day she steals her older sister’s makeup because she wants to be grown up. The next day she hides behind the couch while her little brother watches Sesame Street… because secretly she still loves Elmo. September is the middle child month. You wake up in the morning and need a sweater… but by noon you are wishing that the community pool was still open.

My friends Ryan and Sarah joined Ryan and I for a labor day barbecue (too many Ryans!) I debated what to make for dessert. Do I make pumpkin cupcakes since labor day is the unofficial start of fall? Or do I make ice cream sundaes in honor of the end of summer? I decided to combine by favorite ingredient from each season: ice cream and pumpkin!These ice cream sandwiches are a hybrid… a summer meets fall dessert so to speak.

 

The cookies reminded me of pumpkin bread. They were super moist and chewy with a nice crunch from the pecans. The maple in the vanilla ice cream added another layer of fall flavor. These would be perfect for a fall party or just a lazy Sunday.

Pumpkin Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Serves 6

Time: 30 minutes + 30 minutes to chill

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup oats

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 1/2 tb butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1/3 cup pumpkin

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 cup vanilla ice cream

2 tb pure maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease cookie sheet.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

3. Cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar until well blended.

4. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and pumpkin and blend until creamy.

5. Gradually add dry mixture and stir until just combined.

6. Stir in pecans.

7. Place 12 rounded spoonfuls on cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until bottom starts to brown.

8. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

9. Soften 1 cup vanilla ice cream in the microwave. Be careful, you just want the ice cream slightly softened, not ice cream soup! In my microwave this only took 10 seconds.

10. Stir in 2 tb of maple syrup.

11. To assemble ice cream sandwiches: Place ~ 1-2 tb of ice cream on 6 cookies and top with the remaining six cookies. Eat immediately or return assembled cookies to the freezer.

I predict another ice cream sandwich in my future… I love three-day weekends!