*This “grown-up” version of our favorite childhood dessert – the Ice-cream Sandwich is so quick to make and so satisfying! The Baileys Semifreddo comes together in a heartbeat and really can be sandwiched between whatever cookie you have available, eat it with a spoon directly out of the tin or put a big scoop in cold coffee!
I spent days drooling over desserts made with Baileys… Cheesecakes ofcourse seem to be the popular choice… Also parfaits loaded with chocolate or coffee and spiked with the Irish Cream served between layers of whipped cream or cream cheese… Decadence overload! Everything looks good. Everything looks indulgent… I’ll be damned if I didn’t dream about chocolate and Baileys desserts atleast once in the last few days.
When I think of Irish Cream, I think of watching movies or late night shows, curled up on the couch in Dubai, with a glass of Baileys on ice, mixed with a splash of milk. Sometimes there would be a chocolate chip cookie to go along (or a couple). So it made sense to finally make something with cookies and chilled Baileys and voila these Chocolate Chip ‘ice-cream’ sandwiches happened. Since I had recently made Semifreddo, I did not delve too much on the fact that I don’t have an ice-cream churner and therefore cannot make “real” ice-cream. This is just as good and since a semifreddo melts faster than ice-cream, it gives you an excuse to gobble these down in a hurry! As if we need excuses.
This is not a featured post obviously. This blog is too new for that. But when I think of Irish Cream, I think of Baileys because it is the only one I have tried. If you have tried other brands and have a suggestion for something that tastes better, do let me know.
Baileys ‘Ice-cream’ Sandwiches (Chocolate Chip Cookies)
For the Semifreddo
Ingredients – Makes 2 mini loaves
2 large eggs, separated
½ cup fine granulated sugar
3 tbsp Irish Cream liqueur
150ml whipping cream
Directions
- If using metal loaf pan, line with cling wrap. Leave an overhang on all sides, big enough to over the top and lift out the semifreddo easily if needed. No need for this step if using silicone baking pans.
- Whisk whipping cream till stiff peaks form. Cover and refrigerate.
- Mix egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and place over a bain marie/double boiler over simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Whisk till pale and thick and the mixture is hot to touch. Don’t over heat it or the eggs will start to cook and scramble. Remove from heat, let cool.
- In the meantime, Whip the egg whites with 1 tbsp sugar over the same double boiler, till it reaches 160F. Remove from heat and whisk till stiff peaks form and it is almost room temperature.
- Fold the whipped cream into the yolk and sugar mixture.
- Stir in the Irish Cream liqueur.
- Lastly gently fold in the egg whites. Pour into prepared pans and place in the freezer for atleast 4 hours or overnight.
My go-to Chocolate chip cookies
Ingredients – Makes about 12 fat cookies
1 cup flour
1/3 cup finely ground instant oats
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp baking pwd
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup butter
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract / paste
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Sift and measure out flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Mix well with a whisk and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and gradually add sugars until pale. Beat in the egg and vanilla until mixed well.
- Blend the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until well combined. Add in chocolate chips and mix to form a rough dough. Don’t over work it.
- Stick it in the fridge for atleast half an hour or up till 24 hours as recommended by some recipes, if you can wait.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line two non-stick baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape the cookie dough into tablespoon sized rounds and place on pans about two inches apart.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove cookies from oven when they are golden around the edges, but look a little under-baked in the centre. Transfer to wire rack after half an hour and let cool completely.
When ready for a treat, place 2 tbsp of Bailey’s Semifreddo in between two Chocolate Chip Cookies and eat before it melts.
