Almond Butter Chipwich

The summers of my childhood were an orchestra of sensations. The smell of chlorine, the hot summer sun, and a delicate trickle of vanilla ice cream dripping down my chunky forearms as I stood barefoot in the cul de sac having successfully chased down the ice cream truck.

What an unbelievably magical scene – the sudden arrival of that unforgettable tune, the scramble of kids and mothers ripping through pool bags to find cash, towels rippling in the wind, slung carelessly across our shoulders as we ran for our lives out of the swimming pool complex and into the street, unashamed of our awkward preteen bodies. As a kid on the plush side, this run was likely the only strenuous physical activity I’d have all summer.

While my more sophisticated friends dabbled in Choco-Tacos, Firecrackers, and those ever-so-technologically advanced Push Pops, I was always a sucker for a classic, the Chipwich.

As we stood in line, there was a lot of “What are you getting?” “Well what are YOU getting?” Perhaps my unchanging answer of “Chipwich” never inspired any “oohs” or “ahhs” from the gang; but, when the transaction was settled and my Chipwich was in hand, I think the Push Pop crowd showed signs of reluctant envy.

Two chocolate chip cookies gently embracing a cloud of vanilla ice cream, it was absolute perfection. The sticky hands, chocolate-stained face, pool water stiffened hair, and full stomach were always the markers of a great day.

The classic is great but here is my slightly updated version, Chipwhich 2.0. Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies with Almond Butter Ice Cream. The chocolate cookies are crazy rich and the almond butter ice cream is the perfect creamy complement.

Make some today and whisk away to your youth, even if only for a moment.

Get all your stuff out. Why a hammer you ask? I realized (too late) that I don’t own a can opener. So I used a hammer to access the evaporated milk and found it amusing.

Put all your ingredients in a bowl and whisk them, breaking up the almond butter and blending everything evenly.

Place the mixture in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’ s instructions. Spin it until it is the consistency of soft serve (that took about 35 minutes for me) and then place in an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours until firm.

While the ice cream is freezing bake a batch of my Chocolate Crush Cookies.

Once the ice cream is firm and the cookies are cool, make sandwiches! Act fast, or you’ll have melt on your hands.

Pool photos credited to the unbelievably talented Callie Broaddus. She’s more than a friend, she’s a photographer. My smile provided by the great Sanjida Rashid.

Look at that melt! After a minute in the D.C. heat the almond ice cream becomes incredibly soft and creamy.

Even after all these years, Chipwich is King!