Forget the ice cream man. Make your own Ice Cream Sandwiches this summer.
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You know how much I love freezer cooking, right? I did write the book on it after all. 🙂 Freezer cooking helps me save time in the kitchen and helps us avoid costlier fast food or restaurant fare. That’s all the more important during summer when I’d rather be playing at the pool with my kids or lying on a hammock reading a book.
And dessert time is no exception.
Having a stash of desserts in the freezer makes summer so much easier — and tastier.
A few years ago, I developed these homemade ice cream sandwiches for my first cookbook, Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook. They were so fun to test. I made them many different ways until I found a method that packed the biggest flavor and the easiest prep. These are them.
(There are over 100 other great recipes in that book that aren’t available online. If you don’t already have a copy, grab one now.)
These ice cream sandwiches are so delicious. They taste better than the boxed variety, boast a better ingredients list, and are infinitely customizable. Just change the flavor of the ice cream or roll the completed item in sprinkles or chopped nuts. If you want to guild the lily, stir some mini chocolate chips into the cookie batter. Oh my!
They can be dressed up or dressed down, and are best served with a friend to share them with.
Since dishes are the bane of my existence — and that of the child on dish duty this month — we’re on the hunt for dessert without dishes. These ice cream sandwiches are ranking top at our list.
I have a few tools that help making these a little bit easier:
- silpat mats or parchment paper
- a quick-release cookie scoop
- commercial-grade sheet pans
- anti-freeze ice cream scoop (do not put in dishwasher!)
If you’ve got those gadgets in your kitchen, they will help you make quick work of this recipe. And making them quickly (about 5 minutes to mix, 10 to bake, and 10 to fill) will get you enjoying them all the sooner. Yum-O! As they say….
You’ll be so pleased with these, you really won’t think twice about chasing down that scary looking van playing freaky music this summer. All you need to do is open the freezer door.
Not Your Ice Cream Truck's Ice Cream Sandwiche
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoon butter , melted (¾ stick)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 egg
- ½ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ to 1 qt vanilla ice cream or other ice cream of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat baking mat.
- In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, eggs, flour, vanilla, and baking powder. Stir until well blended.
- Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the batter onto the prepared sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between them. You should have 16 cookies.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until set. Remove to racks to cool.
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer to soften slightly at room temperature.
- Place one cookie, flat side up, on a small sheet of plastic wrap. Place a scoop of ice cream on the cookie. Place a second cookie, flat side down, on top of the ice cream. Press the cookies together until the ice cream flattens and spreads to the edges of the cookies. Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place immediately in the freezer. Continue assembling the sandwiches and placing them in the freezer. When all the sandwiches are have been assembled and wrapped, place them all in the freezer bag and store in the freezer.
Annie
I have a box of red velvet cake mix to use up from our pantry. Will this work, or will it be too runny? Maybe I could make cupcakes, and slice them cross ways instead?
Jessica Fisher
I have heard of making cookies with cake mix. Google the recipe. I think it should work fine.
Kathy
They sound fabulous and I was going to try the recipe until I did some quick estimating – with regular ice cream, each yummy sandwich will be contain around half of the recommended daily limit on saturated fat – am going to do an oil based chocolate cookie instead.
Jessica Fisher
I was just thinking about trying it with vegetable oil instead of butter. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Heather
they sound yummy. I will have to make some next time I make ice cream.
Jessica Fisher
These would be great with homemade ice cream!
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup
I agree… summertime is when we are the most temped to eat out. Who wants to be in the kitchen cooking all day when it’s so much more fun to be outside? These are adorable and I imagine they do taste so much better than the boxed variety. I find that the more I get used to the taste of homemade, the less I like the taste of packaged products. It’s almost as though you can taste the added preservatives. Thanks for the recipe. Freeze ahead and no dishes are a bonus, too!