Oh, look at sweet sweet Julia throwing icing sugar on her classic yule log cake, which has already been covered in meringue-mushrooms and lain in a manger of festive laurels. Over the past seven years, I’ve made all sorts of Bûches de Noēl: Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Malt, Chocolate Hazelnut, Cannoli, my odds-on favourite Lemon with Mascarpone, Gingerbread, and traditional Chocolate with Coffee Cream.
This year, we’re throwing out the cake pan and making a yule log of a different sort: an assemblage of chocolate dipped oatmeal cookie ice-cream sandwiches. That’s right. We’re creating the gourmet version of my favourite California ice-cream novelty: the It’s-It ice-cream sandwich. And then we’re sandwiching the sandwiches all together with an easy whipped cream icing for a yule log like never before!
Voila! The Chocolate Covered Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich Bûche de Noël!
IT’S-IT Style Chocolate Covered Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich Bûche de Noël
Ingredients
Ice Cream
- ~1.8 Litres of Ice Cream any flavour. Straight flavours or those with finer chopped mix-ins are the best. We used Roasted Marshmallow and Mint with fine chips.
SSJ’s Best Oatmeal Cookies [the half recipe]
- Makes 20-22 You will 18-20 for the recipe
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/16 tsp cloves
- 1/16 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats or rolled oats [but not minute oats]
Gourmet Chocolate Shell
- 8 oz [225 grams] semi-sweet or dark chocolate
- 6 tbs [100 grams] coconut oil
- 1-2 generous pinches Maldon flake or other sea salt [OPTIONAL]
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Frosting [For the Buche de Noel] – halve?
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbs sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Preparation Essentials
- 9 x13x2 Glass or Metal Baking Pan
- Plastic Wrap
- 3 inch Biscuit Cutter
- Wire Racks
Instructions
Prep and Portion the Ice Cream
- Allow ice cream to soften in its container on the counter for 20-30 minutes until it is soft enough to push with a spreader.
- Line the tin/baking pan with plastic wrap.
- Spread ice cream to 1 or 1 ¼ inch height across the baking sheet.
- Freeze for 1-2 hours.
- Cut 8 circlets with the 3-inch biscuit cutter.
- Rewrap each circlet in plastic.
- Freeze for at least 2 hours.
Make the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a stand mixer or large bowl beat butter on medium to high until softened.
- Add brown sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt and beat until combined.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary.
- Beat in the flour.
- Beat in the oats.
- Drop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets by proper tablespoonfuls (not rounded) 2 to 3 inches apart.
- Bake until lightly browned at edges and set in the centres, approximately 10 minutes.
- [If cookies are larger than 3 inches, trim with a biscuit cutter while still warm]
- Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack & cool completely.
Make the Chocolate Shell
- Over a double-boiler or in 20 second medium-power bursts in the microwave, melt the chocolate and the oil.
- Add the salt and vanilla and stir to combine.
Assemble the Sandwiches
- Place 8 cookies down on wire rack.
- Place a circlet of ice cream over the top so that it extends evenly over the edges of the cookie.
- Place a second cookie on top of the ice cream circlet.
- Pour the chocolate shell over the tops of the ice cream sandwiches.
- Dunk the bases of the cookies in a bowl of the magic shell, or flip and pour again.
- Return to freezer to harden completely, 15 minutes to an hour.
Make the Whipped Cream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract.
- Using the whisk, whip on medium-high for 2-3 minutes, until the cream is fluffy and holds a medium-firm peak.
Assemble the Bûche de Noël
- One at a time, use a bit of whipped cream to attach six ice cream sandwiches end to end to create a “log.”
- Then, attach the final two sandwiches as "knots" on towards the top and bottom of each side of the "log."
- Decorate with additional frosting in a piping bag if so-desired.
- Cover well and freeze until ready to serve.
- Allow to sit for 10-15 for cookies to thaw before serving.
Notes
You can also find individual recipes here for 1) IT’S-IT STYLE CHOCOLATE COVERED OATMEAL COOKIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES; 2) SSJ’S BEST OATMEAL COOKIES; & 3) GOURMET CHOCOLATE SHELL.
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