Cover rimmed sheet pan with parchment. Let ice cream soften enough to get it out of the container whole. Run a knife around the inside edge to help loosen the sides and make it melt faster. Once out of the box, lay the ice cream block on its side and cut into 5 or 6 slabs, ¾ to 1" thick. Lay each slab on the sheet pan as cut, and flatten to even out if you have a thick edge. Repeat with all ice cream, working quickly so it does not melt too much. Once cut, put sheet pan and ice cream back in freezer to totally re-freeze (ice cream can be cut and covered with parchment overnight). This amount of ice cream will make 10 or 12 finished 3" sandwiches.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour blend, cocoa powder, sugars and salt. Add butter and mix. Then add eggs and vanilla. Mix until it comes together on low, about 1 minute, scraping sides as needed. It will be shiny and pliable when done.
Divide dough in half and roll between 2 sheets of sprayed parchment. You want to roll these as thin as possible, 1/8" or less. You can roll out each sheet to 12" x 16", which when cut into 3” squares will make 12 cookies per half dough. If dough squirts out edges, remove and reroll with the rest of the dough. (This size will make a thin dough. If they are too thick it is hard to bite through the sandwich without the ice cream squishing out.) Place on a sheet pan in freezer for about 10 minutes or refrigerator until firm. Meanwhile roll out the other half of the dough and repeat the process.
Pre-heat oven to 325° with rack in center of oven. Once chilled, remove top piece of parchment, and use cookie cutters or a knife to cut to desired shape. You can use cookie/biscuit cutters that have that wavy edge if you like that look. A 3” square is easy to wrap and store. Using a metal spatula, remove scrapes from around cookies and slide under to place on parchment covered sheet pan with at least 1" in-between. If dough starts to get warm it is hard to work with, so put back in to chill and work with the other sheet pan. Once sheet pan is full, poke 5 or more holes in cookies, if desired, for that traditional look.
Bake in oven 6 to 7 minutes, until cookie springs back when touched. Do NOT over bake, or cookies will not soften as nicely with the ice cream. Cook one sheet pan at a time.
Cool on sheet pan on a wire rack UNTIL TOTALLY COOLED. They will be thin and fragile when warm, so move carefully.
Once cookies are totally cool, turn upside down on sheet pan or surface. Have another sheet pan w/ parchment ready in the freezer. Trim edges on ice cream slabs and cut in half. You should have twelve 3" squares of ice cream. Place one ice cream square on top of a cookie and put a cookie on top. You now have an ice cream sandwich. Put that sandwich on the parchment lined sheet pan in the freezer to start setting up. Repeat until all ice cream is used.
To Wrap: Cut 10 to 12 pieces of wax paper about 6 to 8" long (or as many as you have ice cream squares). Set wax paper in front of you long ways, Set a sandwich about 4" from the bottom of the paper. Fold the bottom up and over sandwich, then continue to roll sandwich up until paper is used. Now, leaving flat on the work surface, fold one end like gift wrapping a present, leaving the ends sticking out to the side. Then do the same to the other end. Now tuck the folded ends under, and set down on folded side. Repeat with all sandwiches. Freeze and store flat in a plastic bag or container. For best results, wait three days to eat. It will be worth it!
Chef’s Note: You will need more ice cream to make the full 14 sandwich recipe. It is best to use full fat or custard base ice cream as the reduced fat or slow churned ice cream is softer and melts quicker.
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