Lemon Blueberry Ice Cream Bars
As summer comes to a close and fall is right around the corner, I wanted to be sure to post this summer treat. I made these little guys to take on our vacation at the end of August. They’re a great refreshing treat that will cool you down after being out in the sun all day. Everyone really enjoyed these and no one guessed that I made them dairy free so I could enjoy them too!
The recipe says to only put the blueberry compote on top of the ice cream, but I decided to put it on both sides of the ice cream and swirl it in. I’m glad I did. I love the look of the blueberry swirls!
I’ll definitely be making these again next summer and plan to try a variety of flavor combinations. Tons of other fruits go with lemon and I’d even like to try different ice cream flavors as well. I would love to make them with a raspberry or strawberry compote and cheesecake flavored ice cream. One note though, when I make these again, I think I’d decrease the amount of ice cream in the bars. They are pretty thick, as you can see in the photos, and it’s hard to bite all the way through a bar at once (if you notice though, the pictures on Gourmet don’t make them look very thick…).
Lemon Ice Cream Sandwich Bars
Yield: 8 bars
Ingredients:
For Lemon Ice Cream
2 pints premium vanilla ice cream
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
For Blueberry Compote
2 cups blueberries (10 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar
2 (3- by 21/2-inch) strips lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp cornstarch
For Sandwich Layers
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (4 oz or 8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Make Lemon Ice Cream
Transfer ice cream to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 30 percent power in 10-second intervals, stirring, until softened, about 50 seconds total.
Stir in lemon zest and juice. Spread ice cream thinly in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish and freeze while making compote and sandwich layers.
Make Blueberry Compote
Cook blueberries, sugar, and zest in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, thoroughly crushing blueberries with a potato masher, until juices are released and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.
Stir together lemon juice and cornstarch, then stir into blueberry mixture. Boil, stirring, 1 minute (mixture will thicken).
Transfer blueberry compote to a bowl and chill until cold, about 1 hour. Discard lemon zest.
Make Sandwich Layers while Compote Chills
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter baking pans and line with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on each side, then butter foil.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat together butter and brown sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, add flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing until just combined.
Divide batter between baking pans and spread into thin, even layers with offset spatula. Bake until golden-brown but still tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely in pans, about 30 minutes.
Assemble Sandwiches
Dollop tablespoons of blueberry compote all over ice cream, then swirl it gently through ice cream with a spoon. Spoon all of ice cream over 1 sandwich layer (in pan) and spread evenly using clean offset spatula (I dropped spoonfuls of the blueberry compote on the bottom cookie, then topped with all of the ice cream, then the rest of the compote on top of the ice cream. I then took a knife and swirled the blueberry compote and ice cream together). Invert second sandwich layer over ice cream, pressing gently to form an even sandwich. Wrap baking pan in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.
Transfer sandwich to a cutting board using overhang. Trim edges if desired, then cut into 8 pieces.
Recipe from Gourmet
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
These pancakes look perfect! I don’t make pancakes that often, but this mix would be an easy throw together to keep in the freezer. Yum!
Great idea to freeze the mix. I have been making our pancake batter from scratch for a while now, and it’s nearly impossible to go back to the boxed stuff! They just taste flavorless and cardboard-y. I had been reluctant to make mix ahead of time because I didn’t want it to go bad. Thanks for the idea!
What a great idea to have a homemade pancake mix on hand!
A good substitute for buttermilk – since most of us don’t keep it on hand, but do have milk in the fridge:
1 TBS white vinegar with enough milk added to make 1 cup. Allowed to sit for at least ten minutes, this mixture will clot up and mimic buttermilk sufficiently for most recipes.
Those pancakes look amazing!! Oh my goodness.
i think it is a great idea about freezing milk, too. I buy whole milk for baking only so I need to do that.
Wow. Those look so good I might have to whip some up…..like…NOW.
http://www.simplysweeter.blogspot.com
You can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar in the substitute for buttermilk provided by Nancy.
One thing to note about this recipe though. Not only is the buttermilk needed for the chemical reaction, but it also provides a great flavor to the pancakes that I don’t think you get from using the substitute. Also, buttermilk will keep for a very long time in the fridge since it’s acidic.
AB mentioned in his cookbook that there are only four thinks he will not make without buttermilk: cornbread, biscuits, waffles, and pancakes. I tend to agree with him.
What a great idea to make your own pancake mix and then when you want quick pancakes, you can have a healthy mix 🙂
Mmm, these look way better than a mix! Great tip to store the mix in the freezer too!
Yum! I love blueberry ‘anything’. Alton Brown recipes are always winners. If you’re looking for an even healthier pancake recipe, check out my ‘fluffy whole wheat pancakes’ on my blog. I mix batches of the dry ingredients and keep them in the freezer. Thanks for posting – I’m off to buy some blueberries! Oh, and I’m a new follower 🙂
These pancakes look amazing!! Bookmarked!
Hey Jen I am eating these pancakes at this very moment. They are so fluffy and filling! May I borrow this recipe for my blog and link it back to you??