Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookie Peach Ice Cream Sandwiches

Photo by Becky Rosenthal

This, to me, has been the Summer of Peaches. So, when my dear friend, Becky, suggested we make ice cream sandwiches together, I was all, "Yes! Peach ice cream! Butterscotch cookies!" Becky has excellent taste and she was all for not only letting me come over to bake them with her, but even making the delicious peach ice cream ahead of time so that it would be ready when I got there (and assembled the sandwiches, and took the photos, and edited them, and sent them to me . . .).

Becky is super generous like that. If you don't know her (though so many of you Salt Lakers probably do), you should. She does events and shares her love of food and Salt Lake with as many people as she can.

And I'm lucky enough to get to bake delicious things with her--though not as often as I'd like, and not often enough to keep up with the many many wonderful recipes she and I scheme up together.

These cookie-ice cream sandwiches are some of our best work yet. The cookies are rich and caramel-y, which compliments the sweet-tartness of the peach ice cream so well. Seriously, they are so good. Go make them. Now.

Photo by Becky Rosenthal

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies*
makes about 3 dozen

1 cup of butter, browned and refrigerated until solid but still soft

3 cups of certified gluten-free oats

1 cup gluten-free oat flour

1 cup brown or white rice flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup butterscotch chips, plus more for spreading on the cookies, if desired (NOTE: not all butterscotch chips are gluten-free. READ THE LABEL. Hershey's butterscotch chips ARE gluten-free)

In a large bowl, stir together oats, oat flour, rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream together prepared browned butter and both sugars for about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix on low, just until combined. Add oat mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Refrigerate dough, wrapped, for at least 1 hour, or up to a week.

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 

Scoop dough by rounded two-tablespoonful mounds onto prepared sheet, 2 1/2 inches (Seriously, space them--they will spread.) Bake 12-15 minutes, until set.

Allow to cool before removing from baking sheets. Spread half of each cookie with melted butterscotch chips, if desired, and allow to set before filling with ice cream.

Peach Ice Cream*

makes about 1 quart

1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt
7 large eggs yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1/2 cup peach juice (if you use peaches that are super juicy, you can use what drips out when you're cutting them)

3 medium, very ripe peaches, cut into small pieces 

Combine milk, cream, and sugar in a medium saucepan and stir together. Set over medium-high heat and heat to just below a simmer. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks together. When cream is heated, slowly stream half of the cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return the eggs yolks to the pan with the remaining cream mixture. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about five minutes, until mixture coats the back of a spoon.
Pour mixture through a fie mesh sieve into a separate bowl. Stir in vanilla bean powder or extract and peach juice. Cover the surface of the mixture and refrigerate until completely cool (several hours or up to a few days).

Process ice cream according to ice cream maker's manufacturer instructions. Move to another bowl and stir in peach pieces. Freeze for several hours.


To assemble the sandwiches:

If ice cream is very frozen, allow to sit out for awhile, until soft but still frozen.

Using a 1/3-1/2 cup-sized scoop, scoop ice cream onto the flat half of a baked and cooled cookie. Place another cookie on top and gently press down until ice cream reaches the edges of the cookie. If desired, smooth sides with the backside of a spoon or a small offset spatula.

Place sandwiches in a prepared container, separating each layer with parchment paper. Freeze for several hours before consuming.

Photo by Becky Rosenthal

*If you don't need to eat gluten-free, check out Becky's website, The Vintage Mixer, for a variation on these cookies, as well as an alernative peach ice cream recipe.