Ingredients
- 12 ounce can A&W Root Beer
- 16 tablespoon butter, unsalted and room temperature
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 XL eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups AP flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 gallon vanilla bean ice cream
Instructions
Make the A&W Root Beer Syrup
- In a medium sauce pan pour the A&W Root Beer. Set the pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium. Allow the mixture to reduce to a syrup*. ~30 minutes. Once reduced, transfer to a heat-safe bowl and allow to cool to room temperature
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugars for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides if necessary. Turn the mixer off, add in the eggs and mix. Shut the mixer off, pour in the cooled syrup and mix to combine.
- Turn off the mixer add in the flour, salt and baking soda then mix just until incorporated. The mixture will be sticky and soft. Place the cookie dough into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
- When ready to bake preheat the oven to 350F, rack in the middle. Line a couple baking sheets with parchment. Using a medium cookie scoop ( ~2 tablespoon) form cookie dough balls. Place on the parchment lined pans 2” apart (you will smash them gently down part-way through).
- Bake for 6 minutes, remove from the oven and, using the back of a flat heat-safe spatula gently press down on the cookies so they form a circle. The cookie should be about 1/4” thick. Put the pan back in the oven and bake for 7 minutes or until just barely set. The cookies will be very soft but will firm up upon cooling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Assembly
- Remove your ice cream from the freezer and allow to soften slightly on the counter. The ice cream should be soft enough to scoop and then be easily sandwiched between 2 cookies when pressed.
- Place one cookie, bottom facing up, on your work surface. Take 1 large scoop of ice cream and gently press down ensuring the ice cream is about 1/2” thick all the way around the cookie. Place another cookie on top of the ice cream, gently pressing down forming a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Enjoy or wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and place in the freezer.
Notes
*Reduced Root Beer will be almost 1/4 cup of syrup