While it’s no secret that I’d likely opt for another savory serving of holiday fare… or a simple bowl of fresh fruit… in lieu of a slice of pie, my sweet tooth is still firmly intact.  I like desserts… I just don’t clamor for them. I do, however, happily make them (and taste them) for the ones I love. It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it.

With the bevy of sweets that get rolled, stamped, filled and baked throughout the holidays, I believe it’s also nice to have something on hand that’s a little more restrained. Don’t get me wrong… I know the wonders derived from a perfect slice of homemade apple pie. However… I love having an option of underindulgence… usually satisfied by something in “mini” form. And that’s where these little treats come in.

These little Mini Apple Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches are made with Stemilt’s beautiful Jonagold apples, but any firm Stemilt apple will work! Apart from being able to make these ahead of time…they’re a great grab-it-when-you-want-it dessert. No slicing, plating or mess involved. A perfect holiday treat for a busy time!

Making holiday favorites into bites and nibbles gives everyone the option to have just a little treat (or a lot of treat!). And with homemade apple pie being a classic favorite, it just seems natural to turn the whole plating (ice cream and all) into one (two or three) little bites. These particular little treats start with dressing up your favorite store-bought vanilla ice cream with bits and pieces of a homemade pie crust that’s sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and a sweet medley of fresh, diced apple that’s quickly infused with the flavors of the season. Your DIY apple pie ice cream then gets sandwiched between crisp little pecan-cinnamon cookies that bake up in a flash, resulting in sweet little treats that are packed with holiday goodness… each a perfect little mini indulgence.

Mini Apple Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Mini Apple Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 8 oz cold butter cut into cubes, plus 2 tbsp
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup ice water, added by tbsp
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 to 4 Stemilt apples (a firm variety such as Jonagold, Gala, etc)
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 4 1/2 cups vanilla bean ice cream
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tbsp 2% milk
  • 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

This is an easy-breezy way to dress up store-bought ice cream that gets deliciously sandwiched between little homemade “mini” cookies.

Rate this recipe:
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
  • Yield
    18 servings
  • Prep time
  • Cook time
  • Total time
  • Cuisine
    American
  • In Category
    Dessert

Instructions

  1. To make dough for crust, place flour, 8 ounces butter and 1 tablespoon sugar in the bowl of food processor and pulse until butter breaks down. Then add ice water, one tablespoon at a time, and continue to pulse until dough begins to hold together. (This usually takes a little more than ¼ cup water when I make it.)
  2. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and press into a large disk. Cut disk into two pieces, wrap each piece in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill for one hour. (Note: you will use only one half of your dough for this recipe; the remaining half can be wrapped and placed in freezer to use another time, if preferred).
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  4. Once dough has chilled, place one disk on a lightly floured work surface and roll out to an approximate ¼” thickness; transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and lightly brush top of dough. In a small bowl, mix 2 teaspoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Sprinkle dough with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Prick dough a few times with the tines of a fork. Place in oven to bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. Remove from heat, transfer to a cooling rack.
  5. Meanwhile, peel, core and dice apples into approximate ¾” to ½” pieces and transfer to a large bowl (approximately 2 cups diced). Following Ingredient List #2, drizzle apples with fresh lemon juice and mix through. Sift flour over apples and mix thoroughly to incorporate; set aside.
  6. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon and stir until melted. Add apples and continue to sauté until apples have softened some, stirring intermittently, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
  7. Once crust and apple mixture have cooled, place vanilla ice cream in a large bowl and let softened a bit (enough to get a wooden spoon through). Break up crust into bite-size pieces and add, along with apples, to softened ice cream (I used about ¾ of my crust, you can add as much or little as preferred); fold gently to thoroughly combine. Transfer ice cream mixture to a freezer-safe container with lid and return to freezer to firm (1 to 2 hours).
  8. Following Ingredient list #3, sift flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl; set aside. Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add egg, mixing until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Reduce speed of mixer and begin adding sifted flour mixture and continue mixing until flour is fully incorporate, scraping down bowl as needed. Add milk, then oats and pecans and mix just until fully incorporated. Using a teaspoon, and your fingers, make approximate 1” size balls with cookie dough and place 1 inch apart on large baking sheet. Place in 350 degree F oven for approximately 15  minutes, flattening cookies with spatula about ½ way through baking process. Remove from oven and immediately transfer to cooling rack (this will help keep the cookies crisp).
  9. Using the larger end of a melon baller, place a “scoop” (generous tablespoon) of apple pie ice cream on “flat” side of one cookie and sandwich with another cookie (“flat” side to ice cream). (Note: press gently in center of cookies to avoid breaking cookies.) Place cookie on clean baking sheet and continue process with remaining cookies. Then place cookie sheet, loaded with ice cream sandwich cookies, in freezer to firm up (1 hour). Once cookies are firm, they can be transferred to a freezer-safe plastic zip bag. (Note: remaining apple pie ice cream can be stored in freezer for later enjoyment.)

Nutritional Information

Per Serving

  • Calories: 257

Lorie Hopcus

Lorie is a self-taught cook with a passion for good food and fresh ingredients. Based just outside of Portland, Oregon, Lorie’s inspiration for creating fruit recipes on The Stem comes from trying new restaurants and reading and viewing almost anything food related, as well as traveling throughout the world with her husband, or to visit her two daughters. Lorie loves all Stemilt fruits but Honeycrisp apples are her favorite.

Lorie's Posts