Directions

To make dough for crust, place flour, 8 ounces butter and 1 tablespoon sugar in the bowl of food processor and pulse until butter breaks down. Then add ice water, one tablespoon at a time, and continue to pulse until dough begins to hold together. (This usually takes a little more than ¼ cup water.)
Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and press into a large disk. Cut disk into two pieces, wrap each piece in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill for one hour. (Note: you will use only one half of your dough for this recipe; the remaining half can be wrapped and placed in freezer to use another time, if preferred).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once dough has chilled, place one disk on a lightly floured work surface and roll out to an approximate ¼” thickness; transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and lightly brush top of dough. In a small bowl, mix 2 teaspoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Sprinkle dough with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Prick dough a few times with the tines of a fork. Place in oven to bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. Remove from heat, transfer to a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, peel, core and dice apples into approximate ¾” to ½” pieces and transfer to a large bowl (approximately 2 cups diced). Following Ingredient List #2, drizzle apples with fresh lemon juice and mix through. Sift flour over apples and mix thoroughly to incorporate; set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon and stir until melted. Add apples and continue to sauté until apples have softened some, stirring intermittently, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Once crust and apple mixture have cooled, place vanilla ice cream in a large bowl and let softened a bit (enough to get a wooden spoon through). Break up crust into bite-size pieces and add, along with apples, to softened ice cream (I used about ¾ of my crust, you can add as much or little as preferred); fold gently to thoroughly combine. Transfer ice cream mixture to a freezer-safe container with lid and return to freezer to firm (1 to 2 hours).

Following Ingredient list #3, sift flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl; set aside. Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add egg, mixing until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Reduce speed of mixer and begin adding sifted flour mixture and continue mixing until flour is fully incorporate, scraping down bowl as needed. Add milk, then oats and pecans and mix just until fully incorporated. Using a teaspoon, and your fingers, make approximate 1” size balls with cookie dough and place 1 inch apart on large baking sheet. Place in 350 degree F oven for approximately 15  minutes, flattening cookies with spatula about ½ way through baking process. Remove from oven and immediately transfer to cooling rack (this will help keep the cookies crisp).

To Assemble:

Using the larger end of a melon baller, place a “scoop” (generous tablespoon) of apple pie ice cream on “flat” side of one cookie and sandwich with another cookie (“flat” side to ice cream).  (Note: press gently in center of cookies to avoid breaking cookies.) Place cookie on clean baking sheet and continue process with remaining cookies. Then place cookie sheet, loaded with ice cream sandwich cookies, in freezer to firm up (1 hour). Once cookies are firm, they can be transferred to a freezer-safe plastic zip bag. (Note: remaining apple pie ice cream can be stored in freezer for later enjoyment.)