Chocolate Crisp Ice-Cream Sandwiches

Ice-Cream... isn't it one of life's most simple pleasures? And especially wonderful and refreshing during an unusually hot month of June (at least here in Eastern PA)! I recently tried this chocolate wafer recipe posted by Joy Of Baking. I love a crisp cookie... ginger snaps, lemon snaps, anything with big flavor and a nice crunch! These certainly fit the bill - especially if you leave them in the oven for the full amount of time. I did experiment a bit with the thickness when cutting. As you'll see in the picture, the ones that I cut a little thicker got the beautiful crackles across the top... the ones that were sliced more thin, did not (but were even crunchier!). Either way you slice it (haha) the cookie is sturdy enough to mound a nice big scoop of ice cream on top of! And that's what makes this post perfect for a summer treat.

Chocolate Wafers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (50 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed) - I used Hershey's, because it is what I had on hand!
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons margarine (I used coconut oil)
• 2/3 cup (140 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg white

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and margarine/coconut oil until well blended. Add the sugars and vanilla extract and beat on high speed for about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg white. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.
3. Place the dough on your work surface and, using your hands, form the dough into a log shape that is about 9 inches long. Carefully wrap the dough in aluminum foil, parchment paper or wax paper and fold or twist the ends. Try not to flatten the log. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Using a sharp knife, slice into 1/4 inch thick wafers. Place on the baking sheet spacing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until the the cookies puff and the tops of the cookies have crackles (ripples). Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for about 10 days.

Makes about 36 cookies.

An example of what the cookies look like when slicing (I know... it looks like sausage. It's not - I promise you 100% chocolate-y goodness):

Fill cookies with your favorite ice-cream flavor! We love mint chocolate chip at our house, and it is especially refreshing when the temperatures and humidity start to rise. Now, if I could just talk my husband into one of those Cuisinart Ice-Cream machines... Ooooooo!