Summer: It's time to enjoy refreshing food on the beach or under the sun in your backyard. In fact, we’re pretty sure that if we say “gelato sandwiches,” you’ll crave one instantly. Right?
So – why don’t we try making them ourselves for a little summertime at-home challenge? This recipe for gelato sandwiches is pretty easy to make, anyway. The only caveat? It takes some times – even when you consider the time it takes to freeze the ice cream! But it’s so worth it, we promise.
Read on for our simple homemade gelato sandwich recipe – to make both the gelato and the cookies from scratch. If you want some more helpful tips on making the recipe even better – from flavor variations to tips on storing your gelato sandwiches.
The Recipe: Homemade Gelato Sandwiches
Makes 12 sandwiches
Ingredients:
For the cookie sandwiches
11 oz flour
4 ½ oz powdered sugar
4 ½ oz butter
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 oz millefiori honey
6 g bitter cocoa powder
For gelato
2 ½ cups whole milk
9 oz fresh heavy cream
9 oz sugar
1 fresh vanilla pod
Method:
For the cookies
In a stationary mixer, combine the butter (cold and in chunks) with the flour. Then transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the sifted powdered sugar and cocoa. Mix well. In a separate bowl, beat the egg plus one yolk with the honey.
Mix everything together: The mixture must be almost solid, similar to shortcrust pastry dough. Roll it out roughly onto a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Then let the bbaking sheet rest in the fridge for half an hour.
After 30 minutes pass, roll out the dough pretty thin until you have a thickness of 1/2 cm. Using a stencil, make equal circle shapes from the dough. Place the discs of dough back onto the baking sheet and bake at 350° F for about 20 minutes.
For the gelato
Now that we have the cookie sandwiches, let's continue with the gelato. In a small saucepan, heat the milk with the sugar, cream and opened vanilla pod without exceeding 150° F. (Use a kitchen thermometer!)
Once you reach 150° F, move the pot to another container full of water and ice to bring the temperature down instantly. When the mixture is cold, pour it into an ice-cream maker, stirring it for half an hour and then straightening it. It is now ready to be frozen in the freezer for at least another 2 hours, before using it to fill the cookie sandwiches.
For assembly
Now it’s time to assemble the gelato sandwiches: Take a cookie and wrap it in a sheet of baking parchment to keep the gelato from coming out in the middle. Then fill the baking parchment “cylinder” with gelato (about 2 tablespoons). Before covering it with the other cookie, let it thicken in the freezer for half an hour. Then cover it with the second cookie and you’ve got a proper gelato sandwich! Repeat until you run out of cookie sandwiches!
The recipe for gelato sandwiches... with the cookies already made!
If you don't have time to bake the cookie dough at home, make the process even quicker and easier by using pre-made cookies. Do the following: Grab a large aluminum baking sheet and about thirty cookies. Add some milk to the baking sheet and wet the cookies without completely soaking them – just as you would for ladyfingers in a tiramisù!
Then add the gelato cream (made previously according to the above recipe) and pour it into the pan, leveling it with a spatula. Then cover the gelato with more cookies, making sure you’re matching them up with the bottom cookies. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and put in the freezer for 4 hours.
After the time has elapsed, remove the baking sheet and cut the gelato sandwiches along the edges using a sharp knife.