Recipe

Make It Into a Cookie: Chocolate Babka Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich

By Elena Besser at Spoon University

Chocolate babka is a delicious bread with chocolate swirls and a fluffy texture similar to coffee cake. Sometimes it’s topped with crumbs of halva, a sesame-based sweet. To reinvent these flavors, I was joined by celebrity chef Eden Grinshpan to make a chocolate babka tahini ice cream cookie sandwich. Get ready to have your tastebuds rocked.

Chocolate Babka Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Servings: 6
  • Advanced
Ingredients
  • 3 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 semisweet chocolate bar, chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 1/4 all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 challah bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 pint vanilla ice cream
  • 1 spoonful of tahini
  • Sesame seeds for rolling

Photo by Max Bartick

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Step 2

In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: 2 1/2 cups of flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

GIF by Courtney Lewis

Step 3

In a separate bowl, beat 2 sticks of butter with granulated and brown sugar until it is fluffy.

GIF by Courtney Lewis

Step 4

Add both eggs one at a time. Then add vanilla extract.

GIF by Courtney Lewis

Step 5

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 parts until combined.

GIF by Courtney Lewis

Step 6

Roughly chop the chocolate bar into small chunks. Then cut the challah bread into 1/2 inch cubes.

GIF by Courtney Lewis

Step 7

Add challah cubes and chocolate pieces to the dough and mix until incorporated.

GIF by Courtney Lewis

Step 8

Dollop the cookie dough onto a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

GIF by Courtney Lewis

Step 9

While the cookies bake, make the crumble by combining 1 stick of butter, 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, and 3/4 cups of powdered sugar.

Step 10

After 10 minutes, take the cookies out of oven and add crumble topping. Bake again for 3-5 minutes.

GIF by Courtney Lewis

Step 11

Cool the cookies on a baking sheet for 30 minutes to 1 hour until room temperature.

GIF by Courtney Lewis

Step 12

For the tahini ice cream, soften the ice cream and add in a spoonful of tahini. Mix until well combined and then place in the freezer to harden.

GIF by Courtney Lewis

Step 13

Once your cookies are cool and ice cream has re-hardened, you are ready to assemble your ice cream sandwich. Scoop the ice cream in between two cookies, roll the edges in sesame seeds and enjoy.

GIF by Courtney Lewis

Hungry for more extravagant cookies? Check these out: