Choc Chip Cookie-Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sandwich

Double Chocolate Cookies

Makes: 20 to 24 cookies | Active time: 20 to 25 minutes

1. Mix wets: Place butter in a saucepan and set over low heat until just half is melted. Cool for 5 minutes.

2. Pour cooled butter into a large bowl. Add sugar and whisk to combine. Whisk in egg and yolk, one at a time, then whisk in vanilla. Set aside.

3. Mix dries: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.

4. Add dries, one third at a time, to wets, mixing with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to combine. Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

5. Wrap bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 325°F, with racks in lower and upper thirds of oven. Line two half-sheet baking pans with parchment paper.

7. Form dough into balls about the size of whole walnuts and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are light brown and centers are still wet, don't overbake.

9. Immediately transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Let cool for 1 hour.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Makes about: 1 1/2 quarts | Active time: 15 to 20 minutes

1. In a 4-quart saucepan, combine milk and cream and heat over medium-high heat until just before boiling. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk yolks and half of sugar until smooth, heavy, and pale yellow, about 30 seconds.

3. Heat a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, sprinkle remaining sugar into pan by the spoonful. As each spoonful melts, add another and gently mix with a long-handled whisk or wooden spoon. Repeat until all sugar is used.

4. The sugar will begin caramelizing very soon. The color will go from pale to golden to amber to dark. (Don't panic! The color needs to be dark for the ice cream to have flavor.) When the bubbles get foamy and smoke rises, remove pan from heat. (Do not allow caramel to burn.)

5. Whisk a small amount of hot cream mixture into caramelized sugar. Be careful: It will steam up and bubble. Keep adding cream mixture, whisking, until it is all incorporated.

6. Return pan to medium-high heat and gently bring mixture to a boil. Whisk to gently incorporate any hardened rocks, or pieces of caramel sticking to side of pan.

7. When caramel-cream mixture comes to a boil, in a slow stream, pour half of cream mixture over yolk-sugar mixture, whisking constantly until blended.

8. Return pan to stovetop over low heat. Whisking constantly, stream yolk-cream mixture back into pan.

9. With a wooden spoon, continue stirring until mixture registers 165°F to 180°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes. Do not heat above 180°F, or eggs in base will scramble. Mixture should be slightly thickened and coat back of spoon, with steam rising, but not boiling. (If you blow on the back of the spoon and the mixture ripples, you've got the right consistency.)

10. Transfer to a bowl and mix with an immersion blender or a hand mixer. Mix in sea salt.

11. Pour into a clean, airtight container and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

12. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

13. Scrape into an airtight storage container. Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours before serving.

Sandwich between freshly baked, cooled Double Chocolate cookies.