Ingredients:

  • 300g (2 ¼ cups) All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt (Fine Sea Salt)
  • 170g (12 tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 200g (1 cup) Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • ½ teaspoon Almond Extract (Optional)
  • 60g (½ cup) Rainbow Sprinkles (Jimmies, for cookies)
  • 4 L (6 cups) Premium Vanilla Ice Cream, slightly softened
  • 60g (½ cup) Yellow Cake Mix (Dry Powder), heat-treated
  • ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract (for filling)
  • 2 tablespoons Rainbow Sprinkles (Jimmies, for filling)

Instructions:

  1. Prep the Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. Cream the Fats: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (approx. 3–4 minutes). Scrape down the bowl.
  3. Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Mix in the vanilla and almond extract.
  4. Combine and Form Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture on low speed until just combined—do not overmix.
  5. Fold in Sprinkles: Gently fold in the 60g of sprinkles by hand using a rubber spatula.
  6. Chill the Dough (Crucial Step): Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. This prevents the cookies from spreading too thinly during baking.
  7. Scoop and Flatten: Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line baking sheets with parchment. Scoop dough balls (approx. 3 tablespoons each) and place them 5 cm (2 inches) apart. Use the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar to slightly flatten the dough balls into uniform discs (approx. 1 cm thick).
  8. Bake: Bake for 12–14 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. The edges should be set, but the centres should still look very soft and slightly underbaked.
  9. Shape While Warm (The Chef's Trick): Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, use the 4-inch (10 cm) ring cutter to scoot around the edges of the cookies to create perfectly round discs.
  10. Cool Completely: Allow the cookies to cool fully on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  11. Heat-Treat Cake Mix: While the cookies cool, gently toast the 60g of dry cake mix on a baking tray in the oven for 5 minutes (or microwave for 60 seconds) to eliminate any potential bacteria. Cool completely.
  12. Prepare Ice Cream Filling: In a large bowl, combine the slightly softened vanilla ice cream, the cooled, heat-treated cake mix powder, the extra vanilla extract, and the 30g of sprinkles. Mix just until incorporated.
  13. Set the Filling: Scrape the mixture into a shallow, parchment-lined baking dish (approx. 20x30 cm) and spread evenly to about 2 cm thick. Freeze for at least 2 hours until firm.
  14. Cut the Filling Discs: Remove the chilled filling slab from the freezer. Use the same 4-inch (10 cm) ring cutter used for the cookies to stamp out uniform ice cream discs. Return the discs immediately to the freezer on a tray.
  15. Assemble the Sandwiches: Take two matching cookies. Place one ice cream disc on the bottom of the first cookie, and gently press the second cookie on top. Wipe away any excess filling spilling out.
  16. Final Freeze: Wrap each assembled sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours, ideally overnight, before serving.