We only have a few months to consume as many apple cider doughnuts as possible, so I try to take full advantage. I am not a fan of making them at home (I do have a documented disdain for home frying and created my favoritie apple cider blondies as an alternative). So, these ice cream sandwiches use a bit of the same logic- a tiny bit of boiled cider in the cookie, a heft layer of apple butter and an incredible apple cider doughnut ice cream. The homemade apple cider donut ice cream is made by soaking real apple cider doughnuts in my ice cream base before churning. It is the key to all of that insane apple flavor. If you want to save time, don’t make the ice cream from scratch. You will get plenty of flavor in the apple cider doughnut ice cream sandwiches just from the cookie and apple butter if that is all you have time for. So, yes, they’re a project, but every part can be made ahead, and once they’re wrapped and frozen you have homemade ice cream sandwiches ready for weeks.
If you are looking for all of my homemade ice cream bases, they are in my new cookbook In Mood to Bake! The ice cream chapter is one of my absolute favorite parts of the book, so I hope you love it. If you don’t have the book, feel free to use your preferred homemade ice cream base, cook it as directed and steep the warm base with 6 fresh doughnuts.
Why You’ll Love These Apple Cider Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Real donut flavor in the ice cream. Steeping actual cider donuts in the base gives you that fried, cinnamon-sugar flavor in every spoonful, not just apple.
- Cookies that stay soft when frozen. It really irks me when people create an ice cream sandwich with any old cookie. The cookie needs to be soft enough to bite through when frozen. So here, lots of brown sugar keeps them chewy, so you won’t break a tooth (or squish out the ice cream) biting in.
- Apple three ways. Boiled cider in the cookies, cider donuts in the ice cream, and apple butter in the middle.
- Make-ahead friendly. Every component can be made days ahead, and the finished sandwiches keep in the freezer!
How to Make Apple Cider Donut Ice Cream
This homemade apple cider ice cream gets its donut flavor from actual apple cider doughnuts. You tear them up, let them soak in the ice cream base so the cake and cinnamon sugar infuse the custard, then [strain them out / blend them in] before churning.
What you’ll need:
- Ice cream base: In my book you’ll find my Philadelphia-style base, if you aren’t using my recipe, I do prefer eggless because I find the starches in the doughnut in a custard base create a super thick mouth feel that I don’t love.
- Apple cider doughnuts: 6 store-bought or homemade
- Boiled cider-homemade or store-bought works!
Steps:
- Make the base.
- Soak the donuts.
- Blend and Strain Blend the soaked base with an immersion blender then pour the base through a fine-mesh sieve and press the soaked donuts through to get every bit of flavor out
- Chill. Refrigerate the base until very cold, at least 6 hours.
- Churn. Churn according to your ice cream maker
- Spread. Spread the ice cream into an 8X8 pan lined with your baked cookie on the bottom. Place other half of cookie on top and freeze.
Soft Apple Cider Cookies for Ice Cream Sandwiches
The biggest problem with most ice cream sandwich cookies is that they freeze rock hard. These apple cider donut cookies don’t. They’re made with a little boiled cider for concentrated apple flavor and a lot of brown sugar, which holds onto moisture so the cookies stay soft and chewy even after days in the freezer.
What is boiled cider?
Boiled cider is apple cider cooked down until it’s tangy syrup that thickens as it cools and it is about 7 times more concentrated than regular cider. A small amount packs a big apple punch without adding much liquid to the dough. If you want to buy it King Arthur sells it or Wood’s Cider Mill. If you are making it from scratch, I like to make a big batch to keep in the fridge but if you just want enough for this recipe, you’ll need to boil down two cups.
What you’ll need:
- Brown sugar
- Boiled cider
- Butter
- Flour, baking powder, kosher salt
- Spices
- Egg
- Cinnamon sugar coating: This is just sugar and a little bit of cinnamon- like an apple cider donut coating!
The Apple Butter Layer
A thin layer of apple butter between the cookie and the ice cream adds a deep, caramelized apple flavor and a little tang to cut through the sweetness. It also stays soft when frozen, so it won’t turn icy. I use store-bought, if you prefer to make it from scratch-go for it!
How to Assemble Apple Cider Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches
- You’ll see in the instructions or in this video, that we spread the cookie dough out into a thin layer on a large cookie sheet. If you do have 2 8X8 pans, feel free to just split the dough in half and bake them at the same time. Otherwise, we bake in a thin layer and cut out two 8X8 squares that get layered into the pan.
How to store ice cream sandwiches
Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap or parchment and store in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to [X weeks].
FAQ
What are the best soft cookies for ice cream sandwiches?
Cookies with a high ratio of brown sugar stay soft when frozen because brown sugar holds onto moisture. That’s why these apple cider cookies stay chewy straight from the freezer instead of freezing hard.
Can I use store-bought apple cider donuts in the ice cream?
Yes! I did!
Can I make apple cider donut ice cream without an ice cream maker?
No, unfortunately this recipe is for ice cream machines only BUT you can make this with your favorite vanilla, any apple, brown sugar or any fall ice cream flavor you can find at the store.
What can I use instead of boiled cider?
Just omit the boiled cider if you do not have, don’t replace it with anything.
Can I skip the apple butter?
You can, but it adds a concentrated apple flavor and helps the cookie stick to the ice cream.
How long do these ice cream sandwiches last in the freezer?
For me, no more than a week because we eat them all, but technically, wrapped tightly, up to 5 weeks.
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Apple Cider Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwiches
Equipment
- Ice cream machine
- 1-2 8X8 pants or 1 half sheet pan
- Parchment Paper
- Offset Spatula
Ingredients
Apple Cider Donut Cookie
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 213 grams
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 170 grams
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar 300 rams
- 2 tablespoons boiled cider
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg
Assembly
- 3/4 cup apple butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Apple Cider Doughnut Ice Cream
- 1 quart homemade ice cream base see In the Mood to Bake for my recipe, or use your favorite homemade base
- 6 apple cider doughnuts
Instructions
Make the homemade ice cream
- Make your homemade ice cream base according to its recipe, stopping after the dairy is cooked. Pour the hot base over the apple cider doughnuts, cover, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Use an immersion blender to blend the doughnuts into the base until smooth, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids. Churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.
Make the Cookie
- Line 2 8X8 pans with parchment paper, or line a large cookie sheet (half sheet pan size) with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to combine and set aside.
- In a 2 qt saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring with a nonstick spatula until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. If it looks separated, that is okay. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature before adding in the egg and boiled cider, mix with nonstick spatula to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Then spread the dough using one of these methods:Two 8×8 pans: Divide the dough in half and spread one half evenly into each pan.One cookie sheet: Spread the dough into an even, thin layer at least 16 inches long and 8 inches wide. After baking, you’ll cut two 8×8-inch squares from it.Bake for 13-16 minutes until edges are slightly browned, cookie looks light brown and slightly puffed but set. Remove from oven and let cool. Set an 8×8 pan upside down on one end of the baked sheet and trace around it with a sharp knife. Move the pan to the other end and trace a second square. Cut along the lines all the way through, then let the cookie cool completely before lifting the squares out.
- Line a clean 8×8 pan with parchment, leaving some overhang on two sides so you can lift the bars out later. Place one cookie square in the bottom of the pan.Spread the freshly churned apple cider doughnut ice cream evenly over the cookie, then freeze for about 15 minutes to firm up. Spread the apple butter over the ice cream in a smooth layer. Top with the second cookie square and press down gently.Freeze: Freeze the whole pan for at least 5 hours, until firm enough to cut.In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Use the parchment to lift the block out of the pan, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top, and cut into bars with a very sharp knife. Enjoy!Storage: Wrap the bars individually and tightly in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for up to 5 weeks.
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