Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for coconut and cherry ice-cream sandwiches

It’s rare that I’ll decide to make my own ice-cream. I’m more than happy jazzing up something shop-bought and pairing it with a homemade bake – and, in this instance, coconut cookies. It couldn’t be simpler; the cookies come together very quickly without needing to be chilled, and the cherry sauce gets rippled through your ice-cream of choice. I usually go for vanilla, but it’s also fab with pistachio or a good-quality chocolate.

Coconut and cherry ice-cream sandwiches

Prep 15 min
Freeze 3 hr+
Cook 1 hr
Makes 6

200g cherries, pitted and halved
40g caster sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 litre vanilla ice-cream

For the cookies
115g unsalted butter, melted
100 light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 egg
150g plain flour
80g desiccated coconut, plus extra to decorate
25g oats
¼ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Put the cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for four to six minutes, until softened and syrupy. Spoon the mixture into a food processor and blitz smooth.

Let the ice-cream sit at room temperature until softened. Then, spoon it into a loaf tin and swirl through the cherry sauce to create ripples. Cover and freeze for three to four hours until firm.

Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5 and line two baking trays with baking paper.

Combine the melted butter, both sugars and vanilla paste in a bowl, then mix in the egg. Tip in the flour, desiccated coconut, oats, salt and bicarb, stirring to get a thick dough.

Roll into 12 balls, then bake in batches on the prepared trays for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.

To serve, sandwich the cookies together with a scoop of ice-cream and some more desiccated coconut.