Plum sorbet sandwiches with molasses cookies

My first ice cream sandwiches – I could not believe how moreish these are. :D

Even thought I thought the cookies overpowered the sorbet flavor a little – I would go for vanilla cookies with this sorbet next time – these sandwiches were pretty good. :)

Speaking of moreish, I’m hoping Natalie Portman gets the Oscar this year: not only because her performance on “Black Swan” is absolutely breathtaking, but also because she delivers the best acceptance speeches – yes, Natalie, it’s not OK to be an a**hole; some people I know should definitely listen to you. :D

Plum sorbet sandwiches with molasses cookies
sorbet from Sunday Suppers at Lucques, cookies from Flour

Sorbet:
450g (1 pound) very ripe juicy plums
½ cup (100g) caster (superfine) sugar
2 tablespoons honey
juice of ½ lemon

Cookies:
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ¼ cups (220g) light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup unsulphured dark molasses
1 egg
granulated sugar, for coating

Start by making the sorbet: cut the plums in half, remove the pits, then cut the halves into quarters. Toss the plums with the sugar and honey and let sit for 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender and purée until very smooth – I tried using a food processor, but the mixture was still to chunky, to I used the processor after that. Season with lemon juice, to taste.
Chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator, then process the purée in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Now, the cookies: in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the butter, brown sugar, molasses and egg in low speed for about 10 seconds or until well combined. Add the dry ingredients at once and stir just until they’re totally incorporated and the dough is evenly mixed. Scrape the dough into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Scoop out 1 leveled tablespoon of dough and roll gently the granulated sugar – if the dough is very cold you’ll be able to roll the dough into balls using your hands before rolling them in the sugar.
Place onto prepared pans, spacing them 2.5 inches apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the cookies crack on top and are just barely firm to the touch – mine never cracked, so I remove them from the oven when they were lightly golden on the bottom. Let cool on the baking sheet, on a wire rack, for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 50 cookies

Assembling the sandwiches: scoop about 2 ½ tablespoons of the sorbet onto the bottom side of one cookie, then place the bottom side of a second cookie over the sorbet pressing gently to make a sandwich. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

Makes about 15 sandwiches – there will be some cookies left; they can be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days.