Today we’re making the ultimate summer treat: ice cream sandwiches!
But, instead of using cookies, we’re baking up a batch of fudgy flourless brownies to sandwich our ice cream with.
Trust me, it’s the right thing to do.
I used this recipe for the brownies since it’s one of my all-time favorites (and still stays nice and soft when frozen), but baked it in a larger pan for 15 minutes to yield a thinner layer of brownies, then chilled, cut in half, and sandwiched with ice cream and sliced into single-serve sandwiches.
I went with good old vanilla ice cream for the filling because I was feeling classic at the time, but now that I’ve had time to reflect on ice cream sandwiches (and have an already baked and cooled pan of brownies in the freezer waiting to become my next batch of ice cream sandwiches) I’ve come to realize that vanilla is only the beginning. Coffee, peanut butter, salted caramel, black raspberry, or any combination thereof would make for some seriously dreamy ice cream sandwiches. I might even spread a layer of peanut butter on the brownies before sandwiching because now that I’m committed to an endless supply of ice cream sandwiches in the freezer, I can’t help but experiment.
All this to say, choose whatever ice cream your heart desires, and prepare to have your family request these all summer long.
Kevin literally took one bite and said “you’re gonna need to make more of these”.
If that’s not a winning review, I don’t know what would be.
I seriously think you are going to FLIP over these brownie ice cream sandwiches; they’re super quick and easy to make, have the most perfectly soft brownies, and are absolutely everything on a hot summer day.
If you make them, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your brownie ice cream sandwiches and share it with me on Instagram so I can see what flavor of ice cream you use!!
Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Time: 45 minutes
Yields: 6 sandwiches
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup creamy, all-natural almond butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 a pint of vanilla ice cream (about 1 heaping cup)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place the almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl and stir well to combine. Add cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and stir well to fully combine. Batter will be thick.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, using a spoon to help spread it in a then, even layer, all the way to the corners of the pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top, then bake for 12-14 minutes, or until brownies are set around the edges but still soft in the center.
- Let brownies cool in pan for 10 minutes, then place the pan in the freezer for at least 15 minutes to cool completely.
- Once brownies are cool, remove from the freezer and use the parchment paper to lift the brownie out of the pan. Cut in half, flip one half upside down, then scoop ice cream onto the upside down half. Use a spoon to spread the ice cream out into an even layer, filling any gaps between scoops with more ice cream, if needed. Top with remaining half of brownies and press down firmly to stick the brownies to the ice cream.
- If your ice cream is getting drippy at this point, pop the whole thing back into the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting, if not, simply cut into 6 slices and serve immediately, or store the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- If desired, this recipe can be doubled and baked in two 8×8 pans to yield 12 ice cream sandwiches. No need to cut the brownies in half, simply use one pan of brownies as the bottom layer and one as the top.
SWITCH IT UP: use other flavors of ice cream here, such as coffee, salted caramel, cookie dough, etc. Spread peanut butter onto one of the brownie halves before sandwiching; tuck raspberries into the ice cream; roll the cut ice cream sandwiches into sprinkles, chopped nuts, or mini chocolate chips.