Ice Cream Sandwiches
Delight your friends and family with decadent, custom made ice cream sandwiches!
Ice cream sandwiches are perfect for all of your summer cookouts and celebrations and these are next-level fun and delicious. Get creative and let friends and kids help put their favorite combinations together.
I made the ones shown to take to a dinner party with three other families. They were a big hit with the kids and the adults! They traveled well (a few neighborhoods away), wrapped individually, and placed in a cooler until I could transfer them to the host’s freezer. Some blank label stickers and a Sharpie identified the different combinations.
Scroll down for the Cocoa Sandwich Cookie and Peanut Butter Cookie recipes. Knowing how the freezing process can suppress flavors, I was deliberate in developing cookies that would be up to the task. A good amount of unsweetened cocoa powder, coconut sugar and molasses provided the texture and depth of flavor I was looking for in the cocoa cookies. The use of mostly brown sugar and the addition of a little cornstarch produced soft, slightly chewy peanut butter cookies. Both are flat and thin, making them perfect for sandwiching your favorite fillings.
Obviously, there are endless options, and your perfect frozen combination might not be the same as mine, but here is a guide with some ideas. And, I hope it goes without saying, feel free to use some store-bought items in place of the homemade cookies, ganache, or jams. It’s a lot of production to make it all. On the other hand, you might take it a step further and make your own ice cream. I’m not that industrious.
Note: Due to the length of the post, so many variations, and lack of comparable items, I did not price these out. I will resume price breakdowns on the next recipe I post!
ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
(16 sandwiches)
INGREDIENTS
16 Peanut Butter Cookies (recipe below)
16 Cocoa Sandwich Cookies (recipe below)
vanilla bean ice cream (amounts vary)
cherry or berry ice cream (amounts vary)
chocolate ice cream (amounts vary)
chocolate ganache or hot fudge sauce (recipe below or store-bought)
raspberry, strawberry, or blackberry jam
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped peanuts (or your favorite tree nuts)
A FEW COMBOS
peanut butter cookies, vanilla bean ice cream, chopped peanuts
peanut butter cookies, vanilla bean ice cream, raspberry/strawberry/blackberry jam, chopped peanuts
peanut butter cookies, chocolate ice cream, chocolate ganache, chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips
cocoa sandwich cookies, cherry/berry ice cream, chocolate ganache, mini chocolate chips
cocoa sandwich cookies, chocolate ice cream, chocolate ganache, mini chocolate chips
ASSEMBLY
Assuming your cookies are baked and ready, start by making the ganache if it’s not already prepared, so it has time to cool.
Remove the ice cream from the freezer to soften a bit and gather the rest of the ingredients. You might need to soften one kind at a time, depending on how fast your assembly will be. If you have some extra hands, employ them to help out. Kids love this kind of work!
If necessary, speed up the cooling of the ganache by placing it in an ice bath. It should be about room temperature or cooler; thin enough to work with but not hot, and not cold enough to solidify.
Chop the peanuts and place them and the mini chocolate chips on separate plates or in shallow bowls.
Lay out the cookies on a parchment-lined sheet pan or other freezer-safe pan or plate that will fit in your freezer (important detail).
Place a generous scoop of ice cream on one cookie, top with the ganache or jam if desired, and place another cookie on top, smashing it down just a bit. Be careful not to break the cookie by having the ice cream soft enough and pressing with a gentle touch.
Dip half the cookie in the chopped peanuts or mini chocolate chips, or both!
Place the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer as soon as possible and allow them to freeze for at least an hour before eating or wrapping them individually in plastic wrap.
COCOA SANDWICH COOKIES
(makes about 18 large cookies)
3/4 cup butter. soft
1 cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
turbinado sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 350º F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or coat lightly with cooking spray.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, cream the butter with the coconut sugar and molasses until the mixture is lighter and well-combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add in the flour mixture and mix, slowly at first so it doesn’t fly out of the bowl, until fully combined.
Drop the cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. I used a mini ice cream scoop to make them uniform in size. Make sure to leave a couple inches of space in between because they will spread out, as shown below. Before baking, depress the tops with your thumb or the back of a spoon and sprinkle some turbinado sugar in the center.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes. They should be pretty flat, as pictured.
Cool the cookies completely and fill them with ice cream, frosting, or ganache.
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
(makes about 20 large cookies)
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter (15.5 ounces)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350º F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or coat lightly with cooking spray.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, cream the butter with the sugars until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and mix well before adding the flour mixture.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt with wire whisk or fork.
Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture until it is just fully combined. (Do not overmix after this step because when the flour is beaten in, the gluten is activated and can produce an unpleasant texture the more the protein structure is developed.)
Drop the cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. I used a mini ice cream scoop to make them uniform in size. Press the dough down with a fork as shown and make a little pattern with them (it doesn’t have to look exactly like mine). Make sure to leave a couple inches of space in between because they will spread out, as shown below.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12 – 14 minutes.
Cool the cookies completely and fill them with ice cream, frosting, or ganache.
GANACHE FOR HOT FUDGE SAUCE OR USE IN ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
(makes about 2 cups)
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I use Ghiradelli 60% chocolate chips)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla or coffee extract
pinch of salt
Place the chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl.
Heat up the heavy whipping cream in the microwave or on the stove. It should be hot enough to melt the chocolate but not boiling. Scrape off any “skin” that may have formed on top, then pour the cream over the top of the chocolate chips.
Stir with a wire whisk until all the chocolate has melted. Add the soft butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir until smooth.
Chill to the desired consistency depending on how you are using it. Putting the bowl of ganache in an ice bath and stirring can speed up the process.