Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Sandwiches

Indulge in the delectable combination of soft-batch cookies with a tempting strawberry scent, filled with rich vanilla ice cream and coated in crumbly strawberry shortcake bits. This recipe draws inspiration from the beloved American treat, Strawberry Shortcake Bars.

Why This Works

This easy-to-follow recipe uses readily available store-bought ingredients, making it accessible to even the most inexperienced home cook. No baking skills required! The sturdy structure of these ice cream sandwiches ensures they hold up well, making them perfect for immediate consumption or for later enjoyment. If you enjoy this recipe check out these cookie recipes: Milk Cookies with White Rabbit Candy, Miso Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Funfetti Cookies with Ice Cream.

Can I make cookies out of cake mix?

If you’ve ever tried cookies from Insomnia Cookies or Crumbl, you may have noticed their incredible flavor. One of the secrets behind their tasty cookies is the addition of cake mix in some of their recipes. Using cake mix enhances the flavor and makes their cookies even more tasty.

Firstly, cake mix contains extra flavorings and ingredients that make the cookies taste flavorsome. It adds richness and depth to the cookie dough, making them more enjoyable to eat. The cake mix also brings moisture to the cookies, keeping them soft, tender, and moist. Secondly, Using cake mix simplifies the baking process. It saves you time by providing pre-mixed dry ingredients, so you don’t have to measure and mix everything from scratch. The ratios of the ingredients in the cake mix are already balanced, ensuring consistently tasty cookies.

Cake mix comes in various flavors, allowing you to experiment and create different cookie combinations. You can choose from classic flavors like strawberry or lemon or try more exciting options like red velvet or funfetti. This lets you customize your cookies and cater to different taste preferences. Lastly, adding cake mix to the cookie dough can give them a softer, cake-like texture. If you prefer cookies that are less crispy and more tender, incorporating cake mix can help achieve that desired texture. The extra ingredients in the cake mix, such as leavening agents and fats, influence the final texture, resulting in cookies that melt in your mouth.

How to Make the Perfect Cookies

1. avoid substitutions

When it comes to cookies, baking is a science and it’s important to stick to the main ingredients: butter, eggs, sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder for the best results. Substitutions are possible as long as they don’t change the chemistry of the recipe. For example, butter is key for flavor and texture, substituting it with another type of fat may change the final outcome.

2. Use a cookie scooper

Using a cookie scooper simplifies the process, ensures even baking, and produces cookies that look and taste great. It’s a handy tool that can elevate your cookie baking experience.

• It helps ensure consistent cookie sizes and shapes. The scooper allows you to portion out the dough into equally-sized balls, resulting in cookies that bake more evenly. This means all your cookies will have the same thickness and will be done at the same time.
• Using one makes the process easier and more efficient. Instead of using spoons or your hands to shape each cookie individually, you can simply scoop the dough and release it onto the baking sheet. It saves time and reduces the mess, making the baking experience more enjoyable.
• It helps create nicely rounded cookies with a pleasing appearance. The dough is neatly formed into a ball shape, giving the cookies a professional and attractive look. This is particularly important if you’re baking cookies for special occasions or sharing them with others.

3. Allow the oven to heat up to full temperature

Baking requires precise temperature control to achieve the desired results. The oven’s temperature setting indicates the ideal heat level for the specific recipe you’re following. Allowing the oven to preheat ensures that the entire oven cavity reaches the desired temperature before you start baking. If you put your items in before the oven has fully heated, the initial heat may not be sufficient to properly bake your goods.

When you place your batter or dough into a preheated oven, the immediate high heat helps activate the leavening agents (such as baking powder or yeast) quickly. This leads to proper rising and creates the desired texture in your baked goods. Additionally, preheating the oven promotes even cooking throughout the baking process, ensuring consistent results. If you were to skip the preheating step, your baked goods might not rise properly or might cook unevenly. They could end up undercooked in the center or have an uneven texture.

4. Allow the baking tray to cool between uses

To prevent your cookies from becoming misshapen, it’s important to allow the baking tray to cool between uses. This means giving the tray some time to return to room temperature before placing the next batch of cookie dough on it, approximately ten minutes. When the baking tray is hot from the previous batch, it can cause the cookie dough to melt and spread too quickly in the oven. This can result in cookies that are flat, thin, or merge together, losing their intended shape.

This ensures that the cookies will start baking in a properly heated environment. Cooling the tray helps maintain a consistent baking temperature and prevents the cookie dough from spreading too quickly. It allows the cookies to set and hold their shape better during the baking process.

5. How do I get perfectly round cookies?

Reshape cookies before baking and immediately after taking them out of the oven by spinning a pastry ring on top of them, cleaning up the edges while the cookie is still malleable.

How to make ice cream sandwiches without melting?

By following these steps, you’ll be able to make delicious ice cream sandwiches successfully:

1. Choose the right cookies: Pick cookies that are sturdy and chewy, rather than ones that are crispy and easily crumble. This helps the cookies hold up well when combined with the ice cream.
2. Soften the ice cream: Take the ice cream out of the freezer and let it sit for 10-15 minutes to make it softer and easier to work with when assembling the sandwiches.
3. Use a cookie scooper: Use a scoop to portion the ice cream, cake batter, and cookie doughs. This ensures that all the components are of the same size, giving you consistent and evenly-sized sandwiches.
4. Act swiftly: Work quickly during the assembly process to prevent the ice cream from melting. The faster you put everything together, the better the sandwiches will turn out.
5. Chill before enjoying: Once the sandwiches are assembled, place them in the freezer for at least an hour. This allows the ice cream to solidify and the flavors to meld together. It also ensures that the sandwiches hold their shape when you bite into them.
6. Preserve properly: Store the ice cream sandwiches in a freezer-safe, airtight container. This helps prevent freezer burn and keeps the sandwiches fresh for a longer period of time.
7. Mix and match flavors: Get creative by trying different combinations of cookies and ice cream flavors. Experimenting with various flavors can add a personalized touch and make the ice cream sandwiches even more exciting.