When Chef Becky decided to make the Ice Cream Sandwiches in bigger batches to sell at Farmers Markets and through our online store, it was in part to share the magic, but also for a practical reason.
“We thought it would be a fun way to sell the ice cream without containers. Because we didn’t have any!” said Chef Becky.
Developing new treats in the Farm Kitchen is a process requiring both creativity and logistical insight. These Ice Cream Sandwiches wouldn’t be served at a farm-to-table dinner, they had to make it to markets and through delivery. The original cookies from that harvest dinner were going to be too thick.
“We made them with our Graham Crackers at first. But they were too strong a flavor. We needed something a little milder for the ice cream. We needed a cracker. Something that would hold up through freezing without compromising that great eating experience. It needed to be firm enough to hold it all together when you take that bite. You don’t want the cookie lifting up on one end!”
“This cracker couldn’t be overly sweet, but also couldn’t be savory. Most importantly, it has to be soft when you bite into it and doesn’t let the ice cream escape through the wide end of rigid, ice cream sandwich fulcrum. So annoying! I think we got it right. The one we came up with that we use now goes great with the peach, apricot, plum and mulberry ice creams. Then the pear caramel version gets a cracker version of that original ginger cookie we made years ago. It holds up nice with the pear. And for cherry, we have a chocolate wafer—a deep chocolate. The cherry chocolate combo is reminiscent to me of one of my favorite ice cream flavors, Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia.”
From our fleeting mulberries to the sun-kissed peaches, each piece of fruit is hand-picked and brought to the Farm Kitchen to be made into our fruit-forward hand-crafted Ice Cream Sandwiches. The variety pack we sell showcases the spectrum of our flavors and seasonality we are famous for. The fruit we make our ice cream with might not have been the most visually beautiful (i.e. it didn’t make the cut for the grocery stores), but it doesn’t go to waste!
Each batch of ice cream filling is made by one person over the course of two days and combined with our house-made wafers.
- Day 1: The ice cream is made then quickly churned for about 5 minutes in a churning machine then spread out on a sheet pan to chill. Cookies are baked for about 15 minutes in the oven and chilled.
- Day 2: Ice cream is carefully, by hand, sandwiched between the cooled cookies then cut and meticulously smoothed out. Myra is a master at this. And it’s truly mesmerizing to watch! She then places the finished sandwiches into the freezer to fully firm up.
- Day 3: The sandwiches are taken from resealable bags and (delicately, origami-like) wrapped by hand and then labeled with stickers and placed in the freezer.
Chef Becky and Myra both agree on a favorite: the Pear Caramel.
“It’s that spiced cracker. I like that one the best,” says Chef Becky.
Myra also makes other pastries, like our seasonal fruit cakes, but her favorite thing to make, by far, is the ice cream.
And the result is truly a dream. So, go ahead, you’ve earned it. Or, if you happen to feel generous, gift our rainbow of flavors to a loved one. They'll be sure to please any palate.