Packed with flavor, these classic ice cream sandwich cookies are a flash back to your childhood! Made with creamy vanilla ice cream, sandwiched between two chocolate fudge cookies. A perfect summer dessert idea!

If you’ve followed me for awhile, you may have discovered that I love making ice cream. I am always churning up a tub of homemade ice cream, experimenting with new flavors and trying to create ice cream recipes packed full of taste without being loaded down by high amounts of sugar.

I’ve always been fond of traditional things. Traditional meals. Traditional attire. And of course the traditional or shall I say, the classic ice cream sandwich. There is just something comforting about a dollop of rich, creamy vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two chewy yet crunchy chocolate cookies. And you can’t forget that those cookies must have tiny holes on top. Why? I doubt they serve much purpose. I guess it is just because they are traditional.

When I set out to make a homemade ice cream sandwich with vanilla and chocolate sandwich cookies, the only recipes I could find started with a boxed cake mix. Considering our household avoids processed food, a cake mix just wasn’t going to fly. I needed to create the cookies from scratch.

To begin the process, I used a simple chocolate cake recipe, reducing the amount of butter and liquid in order to give the cookies a firm, chewy consistency. Plenty of cocoa was added to provide a deep chocolate flavor to the sandwich cookies. I placed the batter between two sheets of parchment and rolled it into a 13” x 9” rectangle. The batter was then scored into 8 pieces and baked for about 10 minutes. Upon removal from the oven, I used a pizza cutter to divide the 8 pieces and then pricked the tops with a fork to give them the classic ice cream sandwich look.

The vanilla ice cream recipe is a Philadelphia style, which means it is practically all cream without any eggs. No eggs means the recipe is easier and quicker to make without the need to temper eggs or create a custard.

This ice cream sandwich recipe is a perfect summer dessert. Or if you’re like my husband, a favorite treat year around.

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich Recipe

Makes: 8 ice cream bars

Ingredients to Make Vanilla Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1 whole milk
1/2 cup sugar or fructose
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients To Make Ice Cream Sandwich

1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 Tbs cocoa
1/3 cup hot water plus 2 Tbs
1 cup plus 3 Tbs all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Directions on How to Make Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

In a saucepan add 1 cup of cream, sugar and salt. Heat over medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Remove from heat. Pour liquid mixture into a heatproof container. Add remaining cream, whole milk and vanilla extract. Chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If the ice cream is the consistency of soft serve after you have churned it, place it in your freezer to firm up a bit before scooping it on the chocolate sandwich cookies.

Directions on How to Make Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a bowl whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth.

In a separate mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix for 30 seconds to blend. Add cocoa mixture and butter. Mix on low until dry ingredients are moistened. Add egg and vanilla. Mix on medium-low for one minute to develop the sandwich cookie structure.

Grab two large pieces of parchment paper. Drop half of the batter onto a the first piece of parchment paper. Spray one side of the second piece of parchment paper. Place greased side down on top of batter. Using a rolling pin, roll batter into a thin 13” x 9” rectangle. Gently remove greased parchment and set aside. Place the dough onto a cookie sheet. Using a pizza cutter, score the dough into 8 pieces. Repeat with remaining sandwich cookie batter.

Bake for 9-10 minutes, until puffed. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, immediately cut along the score lines. Prick holes into the top of each piece with a fork. Pull the sheet of parchment paper off of the cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Place ice cream between two chocolate sandwich cookies. Wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for several hours or until firm.

Tips to Create the Best Ice Cream Sandwich

If your 13” x 9” rectangle isn’t perfect, don’t worry. Use a pizza cutter to trim the edges of the rectangle to create a nice straight edge.

About two medium scoops of ice cream should fill the sandwich cookie.

Got a hankering for some homemade ice cream? Churn up some of our favorites like, root beer float ice cream, pumpkin pie ice cream or a well-loved holiday favorite, white chocolate peppermint ice cream.

Pin for Later