So we are on day two of our journey through southern Colorado. The real reason we are venturing down is because Zach has a conference in the area, but anytime I can hitch a ride with him and enjoy the great outdoors for cheap is a major win! We visited Great Sand Dunes National Park yesterday, which, let me just tell you, was one of the most unbelievable sights I have ever seen. For the rest of the week, we will be dabbling in some day hiking/climbing some 14ers and then doing a short backpacking trip towards the end of the week. I will be keeping in touch though and have some lovely recipes ready to post. I promise!
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Here is just a glimpse of what we saw yesterday!
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So, let’s talk about these sandwiches. This recipe is an ice cream lover’s drrreeeaaammmmm. I can’t tell you how obsessed with these I was, and how I’m kind of, sort of, devastated that I don’t have any more left. :(
The ice cream is store-bought, but you can totally whip up your own batch. Unfortunately, I do not have a recipe hiding somewhere in my internal recipe book. I do think this is a great recipe if you are looking for one: Cooking Classy’s Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.
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The cookies and the marshmallow are what make this recipe shine because they are made with beer! For obvious reasons, these are my two favorite parts of these ice cream sandwiches. The beer marshmallow is a recipe adapted from How Sweet Eats and they are just divine. Marshmallows can be finicky, and they do take some patience. Buy a candy thermometer if you don’t have one, and just follow the instructions closely. I’m sure you will be just fine!
The cookies are super delicious and super fudgy, which is why I just adore them. They are the perfect vessels to stuff a vat of ice cream in between. I may or may not have eaten 1/4 of the dough the first time I made them. They are THAT amazing.
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Before we venture out on another adventure today, here’s some beer info!
Brewed By: Alesmith
Style: American BarleyWine
Alcohol Content: 11.0%
IBU: 96
Description: On a normal day, I would definitely be pairing these sandwiches with a stout or porter, especially since I cooked the marshmallow and cookies with a stout. I couldn’t pass up pairing these sandwiches with Alesmith’s Old Numbskull. I think it’s the combination of mint chocolate chip ice cream and the extreme maltiness and bitterness in this beer that makes this the perfect pairing. This barleywine is an experience. If you’ve never had it, please don’t miss out. It is sooooo good. It is malty, yet bitter and this makes it one of the most well-balanced beers I’ve ever had. It has caramel and toffee notes which makes it a great pairing with sweet dishes, and it has hints of dark fruitiness, which is just awesome. It really compliments the beer in these cookies and in the marshmallow and really tones down the overall sweetness of the dish. This beer is great to drink the day of or age it for years for extra deliciousness!
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Happy Sunday! I hope everyone had a great weekend!
Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches with Beer Marshmallow
Servings:
8Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 quart store-bought mint chocolate chip ice cream
- :FOR THE BEER FUDGE COOKIES
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (1 and 1/2 sticks)
- 1/2 cup stout or porter beer
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- :FOR THE BEER MARSHMALLOW SPREAD
- 3 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup flat and cold stout or porter beer
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- seeds from one vanilla pod
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Start with your fudge beer cookies.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, with paddle attachment fixed, beat together the butter, beer, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix again to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and flour until combined. With the mixer set on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet until they come together to form a soft dough.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Pour the dough out onto a lightly dusted surface. Divide the dough in half. Taking one half of the dough, roll it out to 1/4 of an inch thick with a lightly dusted rolling pin. Cut into squares or with a cookie cutter. Repeat this step with the other half of the dough.
- Place the cut-outs onto your prepared sheets and place in the freezer to harden for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until they are set around the edges, but still soft in the middle. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way. Set aside.
- To prepare the marshmallow, add the gelatin and 1/2 cup of the beer to the bowl of your stand mixer. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, with a candy thermometer ready, add the rest of the beer, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla pod seeds. Heat over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved.
- Raise the heat to medium-high until the marshmallow reads a temperature of 240 degrees F. Once it reaches this temperature, remove from heat.
- NOTE: I had some bubbling over when I did this. Beware, and start with a lower temperature and work your way up or you will have a considerable mess on your hands.
- With your mixer set on low, add the sugar and beer mixture to the gelatin mixture. When you have added all of the sugar and beer mixture, crank the mixer up to high and beat until the candy has tripled in volume. This took me about 8-10 minutes.
- While your mixer is running, prepare your egg whites. In a bowl, combine the egg whites and the salt. Beat with a whisk or electric hand mixer until soft peaks have formed.
- Once your sugared mixture has tripled in volume, fold in your egg whites until completely incorporated.
- At this point, I used the marshmallow as a spread for my cookies. You may also pour the marshmallow in a pan that has been dusted with powdered sugar, and let sit at room temperature for 3-4 hours or until they are set. Cut into squares and enjoy!
- To assemble your cookies, spread the beer marshmallow onto once cooled cookie. Top with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream, and eat immediately or cover tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to two days.
- Enjoy!
Beer Marshmallow Recipe Adapted from How Sweet Eats
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4 Responses
Everything about these sounds delicious! Love all the flavors, and hello, who would I be to turn down an ice cream sandwich with BEER MARSHMALLOWS in it?!?
Thank you so much, Rachel!
These look like such a treat- and I’m impressed with the use of beer! Sounds really delicious, especially with that barleywine. Hope you enjoy your time in southern Colorado ;)
Thank you so much, Allie! I hope you are having a great week! xoxo