Mango and coconut ice cream sandwiches

With the holidays just about in full swing, let’s turn our attention to an indulgent sweet recipe. These seasonal mango and coconut ice cream sandwiches are playful, summery and made for our warm Christmas holidays when desserts should be cold, creamy and a bit of fun.

Mango and coconut are a dream pairing, and here they come together in the best possible way. Roasted mango purée is swirled through creamy, no-churn ice cream, then generously sandwiched between white chocolate-coated coconut sugar cookies. Both the ice cream and the cookies can be made in advance making assembly a breeze when the sweet cravings hit.

A few cook’s notes:

I toasted the coconut in a dry frying pan, stirring it continuously over a low heat. It only takes a few minutes and once it starts to brown it goes very quickly. Keep a close eye on it to prevent burning.
Assembling the ice cream sandwiches – if you’re not too fussed (like me), simply press a scoop of ice cream between two cookies before serving. For a neater finish, freeze the ice cream in a shallow tin, then use a 6cm cutter to cut out circles of ice cream that fit perfectly between the cookies. Fancy pants.

MANGO & COCONUT ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Servings: 10
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Mango ice cream

4 ripe mangoes, about 1 kg
500 ml (2 cups) fresh cream
385 g tin condensed milk
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

Coconut cookies (makes 20)

120 g salted butter, room temperature
100 g castor sugar
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
1 large egg
150 g cake flour + extra for dusting
50 g toasted coconut*
2.5ml (½ tsp) baking powder
6 cm round cookie cutter
70 g white chocolate, melted

1.) Preheat the oven to 200º C and line a tray with baking paper. Peel the mangoes and cut into chunks. Arrange in a single layer on the tray and roast for 40 minutes, or until the edges are starting to turn golden. Allow to cool, then use a stick blender or food processor to process into a puree.

2.) Whip the cream until stiff. Whisk in the condensed milk and vanilla. Add the mango puree and fold in. Pour the mixture into a freezer proof container and freeze overnight.

3.) To make the cookies, place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cream for a few minutes until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and egg.

4.) Add the flour, coconut and baking powder and mix until just combined. Tip the dough onto your work surface and shape into a disc. Wrap well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5.) While the dough is chilling preheat the oven to 170°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

6.) Lightly dust your work surface with some flour and roll the dough out to a thickness of
5 mm. Cut out circles and arrange on the baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

7.) Turn the cookies over so that the undersides are facing up. Brush with white chocolate and leave to set.

8.) Take the ice cream out of the freezer 10 minutes before serving. To assemble, place a scoop of ice cream on a cookie. Place another cookie on top and gently press together. Use the back of a teaspoon to smooth the edges.* Serve immediately.

*See cook’s notes above