(All photos by of Sophie Bourdon)

Instructions

Make the Ice Cream 

Advance Preparation

1. Soak cashews in a bowl of water, covering the nuts with at least 2” of water, for at least 6 hours or the night before blending. If using an ice cream maker, chill churning bowl in the freezer overnight.

Preparation

1. Boil a full kettle of water. In the meantime, half fill a medium bowl with ice and top up with cold water. Place mint leaves in a mesh strainer. When the water has boiled, pour over the mint to wilt the leaves, holding the strainer above the sink, and then immediately transfer the wilted leaves into the ice water bath to shock them. Promptly drain and squeeze the water from the mint.
2. Add mint and coconut milk to a high-speed blender and blend until very smooth, about 1 minute. Optional step: For an ultimate smooth and creamy ice cream, strain coconut milk mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any fine grits of mint, and then pour mixture back into blender.
3. Add cashews, coconut oil, honey, Focus Matcha Superblend (or matcha powder) and salt to the blender and blend until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Taste and add peppermint extract and/or additional honey or matcha, as desired.
4. No-churn option: Chill mixture in the fridge for 6 hours or up to overnight. Blend one more time on high speed for 30 seconds. Transfer ⅓ of the mixture to a freezer-safe container and add ⅓ of the chopped chocolate. Repeat this until you have used up all of the mixture and chocolate, and then stir with a spoon to distribute the chocolate. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
5. Ice cream maker option: Chill mixture in the fridge for 2-3 hours or up to overnight, then churn in ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer ⅓ of the mixture to a freezer-safe container and add ⅓ of the chopped chocolate. Repeat this until you have used up all of the mixture and chocolate, and then stir with a spoon to distribute the chocolate. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Make the Cookies

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut oil, sugar and vanilla and beat with a hand mixer or using a stand mixer until fluffy, about 20-30 seconds.
3. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet mixture and continue to beat on low speed until incorporated. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until fully incorporated. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough should not be sticky — it will appear somewhat crumbly, but should hold together when pinched.
4. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat it into a disc and wrap. Set in the fridge to cool for 20-30 minutes, until cold and firm but not completely hardened.
5. Preheat oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, until pliable (this may take less or more time depending on temperature of the room).
6. Lay a large sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Unwrap dough and place on the parchment, cover with another sheet of parchment and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough about ⅛” thick.
7. Using a round 2.5”-2.75” cookie cutter, stamp out cookies as close together as possible and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll remaining scraps and repeat. Recipe should yield 20 cookies, enough for 10 ice cream sandwiches.
8. Bake in the oven for 6 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 3 minutes — do not over bake. Remove from oven and let cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
9. Sandwich mounds of ice cream between two cookies and enjoy immediately. Alternatively, wrap assembled sandwiches in parchment or wax paper and keep them in a freezer-safe bag or container in the freezer. Store any unused cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.