Salted Maple Pecan Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches

If you follow me on social media, you know how obsessed I am with my waffle maker. I’ve made them practically every week since I got it and my freezer is fully stocked. For the whole of the summer I’ve been thinking about waffle ice cream sandwiches but never got round to it. So these are my autumnal waffle ice cream sandwiches: banana waffles, salted maple caramel, toasted pecans, vanilla ice cream and a dark chocolate shell.

I used Preppy Kitchens recipe for the banana waffles because it’s one of my favourites and it defrosts fairly quickly so you won’t be biting into a solid waffle. The maple caramel was a new find for me. It’s a caramel made purely with maple syrup, no granulated sugar. It’s so flavourful and I would make it just to have on my waffles for breakfast. The caramel and toasted pecans are folded through vanilla ice cream before being sandwiched between two layers of the banana waffles. I snuck in even more pecans, caramel and flaky salt before the final layer of waffles. Once frozen, they’re portioned and finally dipped in a thin chocolate shell. Leave them at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before eating so that they’re deliciously soft and melty.

Ingredients - makes 16
Double batch of Preppy Kitchens Banana Waffles - find the recipe HERE
2 x 460ml tubs of good-quality vanilla ice cream
120g pecans
Flaky salt

Salted maple caramel:
200g maple syrup
125g double cream
20g unsalted butter
1/2 tsp flaky salt

Chocolate dip:
200g good-quality dark chocolate
20g vegetable oil

Method
Day One:
Make a double batch of banana waffles per Preppy Kitchens recipe and leave to cool until needed. You should get about 14 waffles.

For the maple caramel; pour the maple syrup into a saucepan and heat it on the stove until it reaches 110ºC on a digital thermometer. Make sure to use a large enough pan as it will bubble up significantly as it boils. Once it reaches 110ºC, remove it from the heat and whisk in the butter followed by the cream. Place the pan back on the heat and bring the caramel back to the boil. Take it off the heat and whisk in the flaky salt. Pour the caramel into a container and place clingfilm on the surface. Place into the fridge to chill until needed.

Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC. Place the pecans onto a baking tray and roast in the oven for 5-10 minutes until they smell nutty and are a pale golden throughout. Leave to cool before roughly chopping and setting aside until needed.

Take the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften. Line an 8inch square baking tray with baking paper, leaving some overhang to lift out the sandwiches once frozen. Place a layer of waffles into the bottom, cutting them to fit. Spoon the vanilla ice cream into a bowl and add 40g of the chopped pecans and 2/3 of the maple caramel sauce. Fold the mix-ins into the vanilla ice cream before spooning it on top of the waffles. Smooth the ice cream into a flat layer. Top the ice cream with another 40g of chopped pecans, another 2/3 of the maple caramel and a good pinch of flaky salt. Place another layer of waffles on top, cutting to fit, gently pressing them into the ice cream to ensure the indents in the waffles are filled. Freeze overnight.

Day two:
Take the ice cream sandwiches from the freezer and lift them out of the tray. Peel off the baking paper and cut the ice cream into four equal strips, then each strip into four so you have 16 squares. Place the ice cream sandwiches into the freezer until you’re ready to dip.

Melt the dark chocolate and vegetable oil in a bowl. Dip half of each ice cream sandwich into the chocolate shell from one corner to the opposite corner. While the chocolate is still melted, sprinkle over some of the remaining roasted pecans and a sprinkling of flaky salt. Store in the freezer in a air-tight container. Keep for up to 2 months. Best eaten once left out for 5-10 minutes to soften. Drizzle over any extra caramel you have.