IHCC Kid at Heart: Frozen Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs Giada is helping us feel like a Kid at Heart.

IHCC asks: "What makes you feel like a kid again?  Is it the smell of your favorite dish as a child?  Is it melting ice cream dripping down the side of a cone?  Is it biting into a warm chocolate chip cookie?"

Ice cream or chocolate chip cookies?  I say both!  

The best part...I can be a kid at heart and no one's gonna tell me I'll spoil my dinner.

Notes:
* I couldn't use the Skor bar and used chopped pecans instead.  A few years ago I sprinkled toffee bits on a frosted cake.  Just about every time I've made a cake since, The Boy asks with this worried, panicky voice, "that cake doesn't have toffee does it?"  How dare I commit such villainy!

* Some Food Network reviewers mentioned that the amount of chocolate chips was way too much.  Like several of them, I reduced to 3/4 c...and still had a few spoons left over.  That's good eatin' right there.

These were fun and messy and indulgent--

all things that every kid

(whatever age) needs!

Frozen Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches
from Giada De Laurentiis via Food Network.com


1 pound chocolate chip cookie dough (recommended: Nestle Toll House)
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (reduced to 3/4 c)
1 teaspoon peanut or vegetable oil (used 1/2 tsp shortening)
2 (1 1/2 ounces) chocolate-toffee candy bars, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (recommended: Skor) (used chopped pecans and decorative sprinkles)
2 medium bananas, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 pint vanilla or banana ice cream, softened

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Form the cookie dough into 12 equal-sized balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Cool for 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, toss together the chocolate chips and oil. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Spread the melted chocolate on top of 6 of the cooled cookies. Place on a parchment or waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the chocolate-toffee candy pieces on top of the melted chocolate. Place the remaining cookies, flat-side-up, on the same baking sheet. Arrange the banana slices in a single layer on the flat side of the remaining cookies. Freeze all the cookies for 45 to 60 minutes until the chocolate has set and the banana slices are frozen.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop about 1/3 cup softened ice cream on top of the frozen bananas. Place a chocolate covered cookie on top and gently press to form a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining ice cream and cookies. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours until firm.