Lavender Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread Ice Cream Sandwich

I hope you’re staying cool out there! We’re finally back down to cooler weather here in Sonoma County after a really hot few weeks, but it won’t be long until we’re in the 90’s again. 

I was lucky enough to escape the tail end of the heat in Lake Tahoe and spent some much-needed time swimming, hiking, and enjoying time with family. 

Being up at the lake really reminded me of what it felt like to be a kid in the summertime. No agenda and just time to play outside and relax. It was glorious and I hope you get a chance to do the same at some point this summer. 

Never take for granted the power that water, sunshine, and a day off can do for you—on so many levels! 

This recipe was inspired by that summertime-kid-nostalgia. Growing up, I loved getting ice-cream sandwiches on a hot day. To me, they’re the perfect dessert. Not too big, just enough sweetness and cookies are the main component. What’s not to love? 

On a super hot day, you’ll probably catch me trying to evade the heat in the redwoods over in Occidental grabbing a Coolhaus Chocolate Chip Icecream Sammie from the Bohemian Market. A true *peak summer* moment for me. 

What I love about this recipe is that it’s so versatile. It’s just a basic shortbread made with almond flour, but the variations you can make are endless. I chose to go floral and fresh with some dried lavender blitzed into the sugar and lots of lemon zest. 

I also used local Strauss ice cream, but you could easily make your own ice cream or blend in some fruit to your favorite flavor to make it even more special. 

What I will suggest is making a double batch of cookies. This recipe only makes four cookies or two sandwiches, but you could probably make smaller dough balls and get six cookies out of it. Otherwise, just double it depending on how many sandwiches you want to make. 

Another suggestion, especially with this heat, is to make the cookies in the early morning. Using the oven is not ideal this time of year, but there’s not really another way to get around it if you want a homemade cookie. Trust me, it will be worth it. 

You can bake off the cookies in the morning, let them cool completely, add your ice cream, and pop them into the freezer to set and eat in the afternoon or for dessert. It takes a bit of planning, but avoiding an even hotter house is ideal here. 

Here are some more ideas for shortbread flavor options to get your creative juices flowing. 

Lemon verbena | ground pecans | vanilla 

Rose petal | cardamom | fennel seeds 

Rosemary | orange | cinnamon 

Chamomile | lemon | poppy seed 

What makes this ice cream sandwich even more special, is rolling it in edible flowers. I’ve got a ton of bachelor buttons in the garden and use them a lot in food because they’re so delicate and easy to eat. Most edible flowers will work here, though I would suggest petals that are delicate like calendula, sage, borage, or fennel.

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