Signature Chocolate Dipped Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich

Hudson turned 4 years old (today!) and we have been talking nonstop about what his birthday party should be, and what we should do. Of course I am going over all of the food details. Do I make pizza, or maybe pretzels? Then I got to thinking about dessert. 

A few weeks ago I was invited to fly down to LA for a fantastic trip put together by Albertsons  and Safeway. There we got to play around with their new Signature line of products, and the special guest in the kitchen was Tiffani Thiessen. Yes, I said that right. Kelly Kapowski. Valerie Malone. Mrs. Burke — was in the kitchen making dessert, one of them being an ice cream cookie sandwich. I loved the ease of buying a box of high quality Signature cookies, grabbing a container of Signature SELECT ice cream, and without much effort, putting together a tasty treat. So… there it is. Cookies stuffed with ice cream and then dipped into melted dark chocolate and rolled into crushed walnuts. Now that is a dessert I can get excited about, and hopefully all of the 4 year olds at the party will too!

For this recipe I bought a few different varieties of Signature SELECT cookies and Signature SELECT ice cream and let the kids mix and match the flavors. This would be a lot of fun for a party with kids or event adults!

This post was sponsored by Albertsons and Safeway. Thank you for supporting my recipe collaborations. I buy my Signature products here in Portland at my local Albertsons and Safeway stores, and you can also find them exclusively at all Albertsons Company grocery stores, including Jewel-Osco, ACME, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaws, Star Market, United Express, United and Carrs/Safeway.

*A few notes: Make sure the ice cream is really well-frozen. These are also best to make in advance allowing them to fully freeze and form together.

Signature Chocolate Dipped Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
12 Signature SELECT Thin and Crispy Cookies, any variety (I used Caramel Chocolate Chip) 
1 (1.5 Quart) container Signature SELECT ice cream, any variety  
1 bar Signature SELECT Dark Chocolate
1 Tablespoon Signature Kitchens Vegetable Oil
½ cup rough chopped Signature Kitchens Walnuts OR crushed Signature Kitchens Graham Crackers 

INSTRUCTIONS
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Take your ice cream scoop and place 1 very large scoop of ice cream onto the cookie. Place the second cookie on top and gently press the cookie with the palm of your hand to create a sandwich. Continue until you have made all 6 ice cream cookie sandwiches. Place them on the baking sheet and freeze for about 30-60 minutes. 

In the meantime, melt the chocolate with vegetable oil, and once it is melted, remove from the heat. Place the chopped walnuts into a wide bowl and set aside. Once the ice cream cookie sandwiches are very well frozen, dip the sandwich into the melted chocolate half way, and then quickly dip them into the nuts. Place them back onto the cold baking sheet and continue to dip the remaining ice cream cookie sandwiches. When they have all been dipped, place the baking sheet back into the freezer for at least 30 minutes.