Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

You just can’t beat the summer heat without a refreshing ice cream treat! I’m convinced there’s no other way to get through July and August. These homemade ice cream sandwiches are the perfect dessert to carry you through these last few weeks and straight into Fall.

The best part about these ice cream sandwiches is the chocolaty cookie base that pairs with almost any ice cream flavor. Vanilla? Classic. Strawberry, coffee, butter pecan, mint chocolate chip? Amazing. Try them all and find your favorite!

Oh, and don’t worry – they’re still delicious in the fall, winter, and pretty much every other time of the year too!

How To Make Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches:

For the Cookies:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and espresso powder. Set aside.
2. Using a stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until the mixture is fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue beating until well combined. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the cocoa flour mixture a little at a time until incorporated.
4. Form the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until firm.
5. After the dough firms up, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to set at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes. It should be easy to roll with a rolling pin, but not sticky.
6. Lightly flour a silicone mat or piece of parchment paper and roll the dough until it’s about ⅛-inch thick. Use a large biscuit cutter (about 3-inches in diameter) to cut circles into the dough.
7. Use a spatula to transfer the dough to parchment lined baking sheets and transfer the baking sheets back to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up again.
8. While the dough is in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until they are just barely crispy around the edges and soft in the center.
9. Remove the cookies from the oven, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. After they’ve cooled completely, transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet, and place the baking sheet in the freezer. Wrap the baking sheet in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. I like to leave the cookies in the freezer until I’m ready to assemble the sandwiches.

For the Ice Cream:

1. Remove the ice cream of your choice from the freezer and allow it to soften in its container. Meanwhile, line a small pan with raised sides (similar to a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan) or a baking pan with 2 or 3 layers of plastic wrap, and allow the plastic wrap to overhang the sides.
2. Once the ice cream has softened, scoop it into the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it out into an even layer. Fold the plastic wrap around the pan, adding additional plastic wrap if needed. Add a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for 4 to 5 hours until the ice cream has firmed back up completely.
3. After the ice cream firms up, work quickly and remove the entire wrap block of ice cream from the pan and place it on a silicone mat.

Assembling the Sandwiches:

1. Unwrap the ice cream and use the same 3-inch biscuit cutter used to cut the cookies. Press straight through the ice cream to cut out circles and place the ice cream circles onto a frozen cookie. Place a second cookie on top to create a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining ice cream and cookies.
2. Immediately wrap the entire tray of assembled sandwiches with plastic wrap, and a layer of aluminum foil. Transfer back to the freezer and allow the homemade ice cream sandwiches to set for 8 hours or up to overnight.

Tips and Variations:

• The recipe easily makes 14 cookies (7 sandwiches). It’s possible to get 16 cookies (8 sandwiches) if you use every last bit of dough without wasting any scraps. For the photos, we kept it simple and made 12 cookies (6 sandwiches). It really comes down to how big you want to make your cookies.
• Don’t overcrowd the cookies on the baking sheet. They do spread a bit even after refrigeration. It’s important to let them sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or longer, to firm back up or they’ll spread too much while baking and you’ll wind up with one giant cookie. That’s not what we want this time but could be great for an ice cream cookie cake?
• I used Dutch process cocoa powder for the cookies because it’s less acidic and has a milder chocolate flavor than regular cocoa powder. However, regular cocoa powder can be used as a substitute.
• I always have some ice cream leftover and have played around with different sizes. My favorite size to get the right amount for the sandwiches is a 48 ounce container (usually Great Value brand). It works great on a jelly roll pan. If you have ice cream leftover, either place it back in the original container to enjoy later, make milkshakes, or toss it. It’s up to you! You can always try using a smaller sized container too.
• Make sure to let these homemade ice cream sandwiches set in the freezer before giving them a try. Otherwise, the ice cream will be too soft and squish out all over the place.
• The cookie dough will be the consistency of playdough. It should be very slightly tacky but not stick to your fingers.

Storage:

Freezer: Store any leftover ice cream sandwiches in tightly wrapped plastic wrap. These can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Cool Off For Summer With One Of These Chilly Desserts:

• Simple Pineapple Sorbet
• Coffee Ice Cream
• Easy Strawberry Cream Popsicles
• Coconut Sorbet Recipe
• Easy Pineapple Popsicles
• Lime Sherbet
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Strawberry Mango Popsicles