Lunch: Neapolitan Ice Cream Sandwiches

The history of Neapolitan ice cream is a colorful one, as you might expect. Though the ice cream method came from Naples, pressed blocks of frozen desserts in multiple flavors became all the rage in France in the 19th century. One of Naples's most famous

Ingredients

3 c. light cream or whipping cream
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. powdered freeze-dried strawberries
1 tsp. powdered freeze-dried strawberries
1 tbsp. Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Ice Cream Base: Bring cream to a bare simmer in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, just until it is steaming and small bubbles form around he edges. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar until fully dissolved.
Divide equally into 3 bowls, with about 1 cup in each (there will actually be a little more than 3 cups total). Whisk powdered strawberries into one bowl, cocoa powder into another, and vanilla into remaining bowl.
Cover each bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until fully chilled.
Sandwich Cookies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut a sheet of parchment paper and a sheet of waxed paper large enough to fit your baking sheet.
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl until well blended and uniform in color.
In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl, add egg, and stir on low speed for 30 seconds to combine thoroughly. Add dry ingredients until just incorporated to make a sticky dough, scraping down bowl halfway through to make sure everything is homogenous.
Turn dough out onto parchment paper, press it into a rough square, and place waxed paper on top. Roll into a 13 by 11-inch rectangle 1/8 inch thick. Try to make edges as even as possible to avoid having to trim and waste dough after baking.
Remove waxed paper and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until dough seems puffy and slightly underbaked but a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then carefully slide entire cookie and parchment paper onto a large wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
Assembly: Using an ice cream maker, freeze each ice cream base according to the manufacturer’s instructions until it reaches soft-serve consistency (about 10 minutes per flavor). If you only have one ice cream bowl, transfer each finished flavor to a clean bowl, cover, and store in the freezer until all the flavors are finished. You can clean and re-freeze your bowl before starting a new flavor or simply use a silicone spatula or spoonula to scrape out ice cream (no metal tools—they’ll irreparably damage the bowl). A few bits will remain, but most will peel off so a new base can be poured in.
Trim cookie as needed to a 12 by 10-inch rectangle, then use a pastry or pizza cutter to slice it into 4 (10 by 3-inch) strips. Flip strips over onto a large sheet of waxed paper so that flat undersides are facing up. Using an offset spatula and your fingers, spread 2 rectangles with even stripes of 3 ice cream flavors, running the long (10-inch) direction. Top with remaining cookie rectangles, flat sides down, pressing very gently to adhere.
Cover and freeze for 2 hours to make sure ice cream is completely firm. Slice each strip into 5 ice cream sandwiches, each 2 inches wide. For an extra touch of authenticity, wrap each in parchment or butcher paper.
Store sandwiches in freezer in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

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