Margarita Ice-Cream Sandwiches

I decided to return to my Cooking Light (June 2011) after making the Black Beans and Chorizo Appetizer that was fantastic and try another one of their summer recipes.  This one immediately caught my eye as who does not love a Margarita?  I was intrigued and put them to the test.  

Margarita Ice-Cream Sandwiches

Cooking Light, June 2011, Page 146

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 large egg

5 Tsp. grate lime rind, divided

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 Tsp. baking powder

1/8 Tsp. table salt

1 Tsp. Turbinado sugar (if you cannot find it, I used regular sugar and it worked fine)

1/2 Tsp. coarse sea salt

2 c. vanilla reduced-fat ice cream, softened

2 c. lime sherbet, softened

1. Place butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Add egg, 1 Tbsp. lime rind, and line juice; beat 2 minutes or until well combined.

2. Weight or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/8 Tsp. table salt; stir with a whisk.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and beat until combined.
3. Divide dough into 2 equal portions.  Shape each portion into a 6-inch log.  Wrap logs individually in plastic wrap; chill three hours or until firm (I actually only did this for 1 1/2 hours and it was perfect)

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Cut each log into 16 slices, and place 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle the cookies evenly with remaining 2 Tsp. lime rind, turbinado sugar, and sea salt.  Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Cool.

6. Place vanilla ice cream and sherbet in a medium bowl; lightly fold and swirl together.  Scoop 1/4 c. ice cream mixture onto bottom of one cookie, and top with one cookie.  Cover each sandwich with plastic wrap; freeze 4 hours or until firm.

How did they turn out?  They were a hit!  The kids even loved them.  It definitely has a strong lime flavor with a balance of salty and sweet.  They are extremely refreshing for a summer afternoon.  The one problem is that they were a bit time intensive, but worth the work.  Not as good as a REAL margarita, but a fantastic summertime dessert non-the-less.