Directions

Shortbread Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.

2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. 

3. Gradually add the combined flours, beating on low speed until almost combined. Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.

4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth. If the mixture is too wet add a little more flour and if it's too dry and crumbly add a dash of water.

5. Divide the dough in halves and then roll the dough out on 2 silicone baking mats or baking paper.  Place your star cookie template on top of the dough and using your cookie dough cutting tool or butter knife, cut carefully around the cookie shape.  Remove the excess dough from around the edge of the shape and the inside of the star.  Repeat for the other star cookie shape.

6. Sprinkle the top of one of the large star cookies with caster sugar and prick the cookie with a fork all over to give the look and texture of premium store bought shortbread cookies.

7. Move cookie cutouts on their mats or baking paper to large baking sheets or trays.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden in colour and cooked through and remove from oven.

8. Leave the large cookies to cool completely on the trays before moving them.  I like to leave mine to cool overnight.  

Raspberry Sorbet

1. Add water and raspberries to a food processor or high powered blender.  Pulse or blend and until the mixture has a smooth consistency.

2. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl.  Press the pureed raspberry mixture through the strainer using the back of a large spoon or rubber spatula.  This will leave only the seeds in the strainer to be discarded/

3. Add sugar, vanilla and lime juice to the raspberry juice in the bowl.  Mix until the sugar is dissolved.  TIP: Add half of the lime juice and then taste.  Add more if required.  The raspberry mixture will taste sweeter once it is frozen.

4. Freeze according to your ice cream makers instructions.  If you do not have an ice cream maker then place in freezer and stir every couple of hours until you have a sorbet like consistency.  Leave overnight to freeze to a firm consistency.

ICE CREAM SANDWICH ASSEMBLY

1. Place one star cookie on a serving tray or platter.  This will be the base of the ice cream sandwich.

2. Take raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream out of the freezer and for 5 minutes.

3. Roll out some cling wrap / plastic film onto your benchtop. Carefully spoon a row of icecream and a row of sorbet onto the cling film. Roll up the "log" of sorbet/ice cream you have made, snip the end off it and place this into an icing bag fitted with your choice of large openings. I used a fine star nozzle with a 13mm opening. Working quickly, pipe the sorbet mixture onto your cookie. If your ice cream mixture is getting too soft place it back into the freezer to firm up a little.

4. Place your other star cookie on top of your ice cream and you are ready to serve!  At this stage you can place it all back into the freezer and bring out again when it is dessert time.  The extra freezing time makes it really easy to cut and serve too.