Creamy slices of rich thandai kulfi sandwiched between crunchy thandai flavored cookies… it’s a double Thandai whammy! I used my thandai kulfi recipe for the filling and to be extra, I dipped the cookies in melted white chocolate, then sprinkled them with dried rose petals and crushed pistachios (I promise I’ll stash the rose petals away until the next festive occasion and no more thandai recipes until next year). As a kid, I enjoyed playing Holi. I may have outgrown the boisterous color exchange, but I wanted to encapsulate the idea of fun in these delicious ice cream sandwiches. With the temperatures already soaring, these frozen treats are a perfect way to end your festive meal. But you absolutely don’t need a special occasion to make them.

Happy Holi to all who celebrate!

Recipes

Thandai Kulfi Sandwiches

(Makes 9)

Ingredients

For the Kulfi -
12 black peppercorns (kali mirch)
4 green cardamoms (choti elaichi)
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1 tsp poppyseeds (khus khus)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (jaiphal)
1 tbsp dried rose petals
2 tsp melon seeds (magaz), roasted until they change color and pop
1 tbsp blanched almond slivers
1 tbsp cashew bits
Pinch of saffron
2 cups single cream (I used Amul Fresh Cream)
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup whole milk
4 tsp cornstarch

For the Cookies -
3/4 cup (170 gms) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp thandai powder
1/8 tsp pure almond extract
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup blanched almond flour
2/3 cup chopped white chocolate
2 tsp oil
1 tbsp slivered pistachios
1 tbsp dried rose petals

Method

For the Kulfi -
In a blender, combine all the spices, dried rose petals, melon seeds, nuts and saffron. Pulse until finely powdered.

Reserve 1 tablespoon of the thandai powder for the cookies and add the rest to a heavy-based saucepan along with the milk and cornstarch. Whisk well until the cornstarch dissolves. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat, whisking continuously. Whisk until the mixture thickens (about 5-7 minutes), then turn off the heat and leave the mixture to cool.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the cream and condensed milk together. Add the thandai mixture and mix until well incorporated.

Grease and line a 9”x13” baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2” overhang on both sides. Pour the kulfi mixture into the baking tray and spread evenly. Cover with cling wrap and freeze for 6-8 hours or overnight.

For the Cookies -
In a large bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar, thandai powder, almond extract and salt until well combined.

Sift the all-purpose and almond flours and fold them into the butter. Use your hands to lightly bring the mixture together to form a dough. Wrap the cookie dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Once the cookie dough has chilled, unwrap and divide it into two equal to parts. Roll each one out (to 1/4” thickness) between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a 3” round cookie cutter to cut out 18 cookies. Place the cookies on the lined baking trays.

Place the baking trays in the fridge to chill whilst you preheat your oven to 180°C. Once the oven is hot, bake the cookies for about 12-15 minutes or until they are lightly golden around the edges. Remove the baking trays from oven. Let the cookies cool on the trays for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the white chocolate and oil in a double boiler or microwave. Stir well until smooth. Dip three cookies partially into the white chocolate to coat. Place them back on the wire rack and sprinkle some pistachios and dried rose petals over the white chocolate (these white chocolate coated cookies will form the top of the cookie sandwiches while the others will form the base).

To Assemble -
Once the kulfi is set, remove the baking pan from the freezer. Use the parchment overhang to gently lift the frozen kulfi slab out of the baking pan.

Dip the 3” cookie cutter into a bowl of hot water, then cut out a circle from the kulfi slab by pushing down the cookie cutter. Lift the kulfi circle and place it on top of a plain cookie. Place one of the white chocolate dipped cookies on top. Proceed to assemble all the kulfi sandwich cookies in the same manner. Place the assembled kulfi sandwiches on a parchment-lined tray and pop them back in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to set completely. Serve the set thandai kulfi sandwiches on a platter and enjoy!
These kulfi sandwiches can be kept frozen in an airtight container for up to a week.