In our October/November issue, we chatted up 15-year-old ice
cream lover Adriana Smith. This Bittersweet Baker (visit her on the web at
bittersweet-baker.com) has whipped up everything from hot cross buns and
biscotti to blondies and buttermilk biscuits.
Adriana’s chocolate-chip cookies are always a hit, but she
tweaks every batch she bakes. Her best rendition yet substitutes crystallized
ginger for chocolate chips. Add a scoop of her pumpkin orange ice cream for the
perf ice cream sammie!
Pumpkin orange ice cream
Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup pumpkin puree
5 egg yolks
Zest of half an orange
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
Directions
Heat the milk, salt, orange zest and sugar in a medium saucepan until steam is
visible. Pour the cream into a large bowl and whisk in the pumpkin puree and
ground cinnamon. Set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.
In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Gradually pour the milk into the
eggs yolks, constantly whisking to prevent the eggs from cooking. Once the
yolks are warmed, scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over
medium heat until it has thickened enough to coat the back of the spatula.
Strain the custard into the heavy cream and pumpkin and let cool. Chill the
mixture overnight, then churn in an ice cream maker according to the
manufacturer’s directions.
Ginger malt cookies
Makes about 20 5-inch cookies
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup malt powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cool (not room temp, not cold) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2/3 cup crystallized ginger chunks, cut into ¼ inch pieces
Directions
Sift together the flour, baking soda, malt powder, and salt into a medium bowl
and set aside.
Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream
the butter and sugars on low speed until it is smooth and lump free, about 3
minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
Add the vanilla and eggs, beating on low speed after each addition. Do not
overbeat. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the
paddle.
Add the flour mixture on low speed. Beat until just incorporated. Scrape down
the sides of the bowl. Add the crystallized ginger and mix in with a wooden
spoon. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350. Adjust racks to lower and upper thirds of the oven. Line
two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough using a cookie scooper
2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until cracks have formed and the edges are golden
brown, but the center is still soft and almost underdone-looking. Turn the
sheets front to back and switch racks halfway through.
To assemble
Set out the pumpkin ice cream 30 minutes prior to assembling the sandwiches to
allow the ice cream to soften. To assemble the ice cream sandwiches, place
one scoop of softened ice cream onto a cookie; press down gently with another
cookie and return to freezer to harden.
Remove the sheet from the oven and carefully slide the parchment directly onto
a work surface. When cookies are set, remove them to a cooling rack. Wait at
least 5 minutes before serving or 20 minutes before storing in an airtight
container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Thanks for the recipe, Adriana!!
BY ADRIANA SMITH, THE BITTERSWEET BAKER ON 9/20/2011 5:10:00 PM
POSTED IN sweet treats, cookie, fall recipes, winter holiday recipes, halloween, In the mag, Oct/Nov 2011