The Best Ice Cream Sandwich Ever

- Merrill

The night before our wedding in Maine, we hosted a traditional lobster bake for our out-of-town guests (read: pretty much all of our guests). We lucked out with the weather, which was perfect, and the food was equally stellar. Along with lobster and drawn butter, there were mussels, corn on the cob, both a potato and a green salad, Parker House rolls, and burgers and dogs for the non-shellfish eaters. For dessert, the caterer made a huge fruit salad with lots of local berries. But the stars of the show -- by far and away -- were the Harbor Bars.

Harbor Bars are enormous, chocolate-dipped ice cream sandwiches made with soft chocolate chip cookies. They're a Maine thing, and my sister and I grew up eating them during the summer and fantasizing about them the entire rest of the year. At one point, Harbor Bars disappeared from the local markets for about ten years, and we were heartbroken. Then a few years ago, we spotted the signature wrapper in the far corner of the freezer at the general store in town. Harbor Bars were back, and as good as ever! (Click here for the complete Harbor Bar history.)

When the time came to plan the menu for the wedding weekend, I knew we had to incorporate them somehow, and the lobster bake seemed like the perfect opportunity. And am I glad we served them. Everyone raved. Some even managed to eat two all on their own, and I was witness to a conversation among several guests from different parts of the country where Harbor Bar "franchising" was seriously discussed. (Yes, they're that good.)

Below you'll find my attempt at recreating the illustrious Harbor Bar -- using mint ice cream, which is my favorite (it comes in vanilla as well); feel free to use whatever ice cream flavor you like. I happened upon this formula for the chocolate coating, which evokes a lovely bit of nostalgia: it's essentially a homemade version of Magic Shell! (And yes, Amanda shamelessly stole my discovery last week for her post on S'mores Semifreddo.)

Don't miss the photo slideshow of the lobster bake below -- courtesy of my friend Adele and my new cousin-in-law Rachael!

Mint Chocolate Harbor Bars

Makes 4 gigantic ice cream sandwiches (serves 4 to 8, depending on how willing you are to share)

• 16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or organic vegetable shortening
• 1 pint mint or mint chip ice cream
  
• 8 chewy chocolate chip cookies (I like this recipe from Alton Brown)