Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches

This is a wonderful summer dessert! Cut the cookies into whatever shape suits your occasion, and serve beautifully decorated. The possibilities are really endless!

• Ready In: 2 hrs 12 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 100  g butter, chopped
• 1  teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1⁄4 cup  powdered sugar icing
• 1  egg
• 1⁄2 cup  almond meal
• 3⁄4 cup flour
• 1⁄4 cup cocoa powder
• 1  liter strawberry ice cream

Directions

1. Beat the butter, essence, icing sugar and egg in a small bowl with an electric mixer until mixture is light and fluffy.
2. Mix together the almond meal, flour and cocoa powder and stir into the butter mixture until well combined and a soft dough has formed.
3. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Roll out dough between 2 pieces of baking paper until 3mm thick.
5. Place paper and dough on a tray and freeze for 10 minutes.
6. Cut shapes in dough with a cookie cutter.
7. You can use any shape you like, as long as you can sandwich some ice-cream between it.
8. Try heart shapes for a romantic occasion, rounds, stars or whatever!
9. You need 12 cookies to make 6 sandwiches.
10. Place shapes onto a greased oven tray and bake at 180 degree C for about 12 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and leave cookies on tray for 5 minutes to firm up then transfer them carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.
12. To serve, sandwich the cookies together with scoops of strawberry ice-cream (or another flavour if you prefer).
13. Decorate with a dusting of extra cocoa powder and some fresh strawberries.