From the Kitchen of Jenna McGregor
Gordon's Summer Standby
Fellow sleuths, here's a piece of Maple Grove trivia Mr. Ellison would never deign to report: Gordon — yes, that Gordon, hardware store Gordon — has a standing order at Brewed Awakenings every summer, and it isn't hardware-related. Jenna keeps a batch of these in the freezer case all summer, mostly for him, though she's stopped pretending it's exclusive. A double chocolate cookie sandwich, made gluten-free, packed with white chocolate and walnuts, and served the way it was always meant to be eaten — with a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two of them.
The inspiration goes back to a certain chocolate duet cookie a certain national chain doesn't sell anymore. Maple Grove wasn't going to let a good cookie stay retired. This is the GF version, and it freezes into an ice cream sandwich that — fair warning — does not last long once it's made.
⏱ Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 12-14 minutes minutes per batch| Cool Time: 1 hour + at least 1 hour in the freezer before consuming| Yield: 18 sandwiches ✅ Gluten-Free | ✅ Celiac-Safe
Ingredients
1/2 cup Navitas cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips (for melting)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 325°F. Whisk together both flours, cacao powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Melt the 2/3 cup chocolate chips with the butter in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until smooth. Let cool enough that it won't scramble the eggs.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla on medium speed. Reduce to low and gradually mix in the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, and walnuts.
Using a 1 1/2-inch scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake 12-14 minutes, until flat and cracked on top — cookies should be semi-soft. Watch your first batch to dial in your oven's timing. Cool completely on the parchment.
Once cool, use the same 1 1/2-inch scoop to place a scoop of ice cream between two cookies, pressing gently until the ice cream meets the cookie edges.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until firm.
Storage note: we genuinely don't know how long these keep — ours never make it past a week.