I am so beyond excited to finally share my new blog with you! It’s been so hard keeping it a secret for this long, but when you’re running a small design and handmade business, it’s sometimes hard to get your own personal projects finished. It’s been about a year since I decided I wanted to change from blogger to my own domain, soon finding out that So Good & Tasty was already taken, so I had to come up with a new name, not exactly easy when there’s already so many sites out there.

I thought carefully this time about a name I really felt connected to and that would describe exactly what I want to share here and Good Things Grow was one that just seemed to stick. It resonates with the fact that I enjoy cooking with whole foods that were grown and tended by a farmer and not long listed complicate ingredients that come from a box. I also feel this is a place for me to grow and learn personally and feel that even if things don’t turn out perfectly as planned I’ve still grown from it and that’s ultimately a good thing.

I really want to thank everyone who comes here and reads or even actually makes any of the recipes I share, it means so much to me. There’s always been something about sharing food with others, even if only virtually, that really makes me happy, so I’m truly so glad you’re here. I’d greatly appreciate it if you let me know by email, if you notice any site glitches. I’ve also set up a page on facebook for Good Things Grow and you can also follow me on twitter (sorry if it’s confusing being @slidesideways, that’s our business name), and Pintrest. I’m hoping to add some extra things at a future date, but for now I’m really excited about how everything turned out.

I have one amazing lady to thank for bringing my vision together. Although the logo and design of my site was done by my husband and I, my brain absolutely can not code a website. So a huge thank you to Kristy of Wreckless! She is amazing to work with and I can’t recommend her enough if you want to take your website or blog to the next level. p.s. check out her photography work too, she’s multi-talented!

Now, let’s talk about why you really clicked over here… ice cream sandwich cookies! I know this is a summer time favorite, but I couldn’t help myself and they made it feel like summer was just around the corner, even if it was just for that fleeting moment. Plus these little guys are vegan, gluten free, and processed sugar free, but they’re so tasty you seriously wouldn’t even know it. Several times I kept exclaiming to Scott that come this summer I think our freezer is going to be filled with nothing but these little sandwiches! Heck, I want to make more for this weekend.

Lemon Almond Coconut Ice Cream Sandwiches / makes 10 sandwiches

These cookies do have several steps, but you can do it over the course of a couple days if you want. Bake the cookies and make the ice cream first, then do all the assembling the next day.

coconut ice cream
1 can coconut milk, preferably full fat
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt.

Process according to your ice cream maker manufacture’s instructions. Place in a freezer safe container and allow to freeze for at least 3-4 hours before assembling the sandwich cookies.

lemon almond cookies
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
4 tablespoon honey (maple syrup or agave if making vegan)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 large lemon

Whisk the almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, combine the coconut oil, honey, lemon juice, and lemon zest, mixing well. Pour into the dry mixture and stir until everything is well moistened, the dough will be slightly crumbly, but should hold when pressed together with hands.

Lay out a piece of parchment and use your hands to sort of squeeze the dough together and transfer to the parchment. Carefully roll into a large log about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Works best if you roll with the parchment, tucking in the ends. Place in the freezer for 1 hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking pan with parchment.

The best method I found to cut these was to unwrap the chilled dough and cut into 1/4-inch slices, then lay the parchment back over each slice, one at a time, and flatten it out to an 1/8-inch thick. The reason for doing this is if you try cutting them 1/8-inch they start to sort of crumble apart. If any pieces do break off just re-press together, they’ll bake fine.

Place slices on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Make sure to check after 8 minutes, then only add a minute at a time, you don’t want them to burn. Allow to cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack, this is an important step! If you transfer before letting them rest they will break. Cool completely before filling with ice cream. You can also place them in the freezer if you’d like to speed up the process.

To assemble, spoon out one scoop of ice cream, place in the center of an upside-down cookie, top with another cookie and carefully smash down, applying even pressure. Place in the freezer for another hour to re-chill before serving. If you’ve let your ice cream chill for longer than 4 hours you may want to set it out to soften a bit before this step. Soft ice cream works best when assembling sandwich cookies.