These incredible Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches are so easy to make and are 1000x better than eating ice cream or cookies alone in the Summer! The hands-on assembly time is under 20 minutes and the recipe is easy enough for kids to make too. Use homemade or store-bought cookies and ice cream.
Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches are the perfect easy summer treat to impress your friends and remind you of childhood. Because there is freezing time needed, plan ahead by at least 24 hours if making them for an event or party. If you are making homemade cookies and/or ice cream, you may need to plan ahead even more.
I like to use these recipes for the cookie and ice cream base: Dairy Free Gelato, Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies and Coconut Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies.
For more seasonal options, consider making these ice cream sandwiches with Spiced Molasses Cookies or Gluten-Free Monster Cookies.
For more shareable summer treats, check out our Mango Popsicles, Dairy Free Tiramisu, Iced Mocha, and Gluten Free Funfetti Cake.
How to make it
This recipe is so easy with just a few notes on timing, like re-freezing the sandwiches briefly when open-faced to help them hold their structure. We have you covered with notes and photos in this section!
Ingredients Notes
This recipe can be super quick and easy with store-bought or pre-made cookies and ice cream. Or you can make them entirely from scratch with our recipes or your family favorites!
- Soft-baked chocolate chip cookies - Store-bought or our Homemade Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies work perfectly for this recipe (they don't have to be Vegan, I just have that option on my site and they worked great!). Look for big soft-baked cookies. For a gluten-free store bought cookie, I recommend the Cybele's Free to Eat brand. They can usually be found at Wal-Mart or Fred Meyer.
- Ice cream or Gelato - Any store-bought brand or our Homemade Vegan Stracciatella Gelato make an excellent cookie ice cream sandwich center! For a traditional chipwich flavor, choose vanilla flavored ice cream. I also like coffee ice cream for adults and everyone loves Stracciatella.
See the recipe card for full ingredients and quantities.
Variations
Use any soft-baked cookie and any ice cream flavor to make these ice cream cookie sandwiches seasonal and fun!
Here are some fun ideas:
- Molasses cookies with vanilla ice cream
- Sugar cookies with pumpkin ice cream
- Chocolate cookies or chocolate chip cookies with coffee ice cream
Instructions
- Freeze the cookies ahead of time: The night before making the ice cream sandwiches, put the cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag and place them in the freezer.
- Soften or make your ice cream: When you plan to make these cookie sandwiches, take the ice cream or gelato out of the freezer. Let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften. If you are making churned homemade gelato or ice cream, this recipe works best if you make it right before stuffing the cookies while it is still a thick soft-serve consistency.
- Stuff the cookies: Lay the frozen cookies on a baking sheet with the undersides facing up. Spoon about ¼ cup of ice cream onto half of the cookies. Then place all of the cookies, half without ice cream and half in an open-faced sandwich, in the freezer in a single layer. Wait for 20 minutes for the ice cream to begin to solidify. Then remove the cookies from the freezer. Gently press the undersides of each ice-cream-less cookie onto one of the open-faced sandwiches. Use your palm and even pressure to prevent cookie breakage. You should see the ice cream squish just a little for a snug fit.
- Refreeze the Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches: Place the ice cream sandwiches in a single layer in the freezer and allow to set for 2 hours before stacking and combining them in a freezer-friendly bag or container.
Top tip
Follow the timing and temperature guidelines carefully! If you don't freeze the cookies first, they could break or melt your ice cream. If you don't thaw your ice cream a little bit, it could break your cookie or not settle into a nice shape. The instructions are very detailed for a reason, and this recipe is super easy but does require careful following of instructions.
Recipe FAQs
Store these ice cream sandwiches in a freezer bag or airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Consider these recipes for your cookie and ice cream base:
All of these soft-baked cookie recipes will work great, and the gelato is a family favorite!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the comment field or recipe card below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe
Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 16 soft-baked chocolate chip cookies store-bought or our Homemade Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 1 pint of ice cream or gelato store-bought or our Homemade Vegan Gelato
Instructions
- Freeze the cookies ahead of time: The night before making the ice cream sandwiches, place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and place them in the freezer.
- Soften or make your ice cream: When you plan to make these cookie sandwiches, take the ice cream or gelato out of the freezer. Let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften. If you are making churned homemade gelato or ice cream, this recipe works best if you make it right before stuffing the cookies while it is still a thick soft-serve consistency.
- Stuff the cookies: Lay the frozen cookies on a baking sheet with the undersides facing up. Spoon about ¼ cup of ice cream onto half of the cookies. Then place all of the cookies, half without ice cream and half in an open-faced sandwich, in the freezer in a single layer. Wait for 20 minutes for the ice cream to begin to solidify. Then remove the cookies from the freezer. Gently press the undersides of each ice-cream-less cookie onto one of the open-faced sandwiches. Use your palm and even pressure to prevent cookie breakage. You should see the ice cream squish just a little for a snug fit.
- Refreeze the Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches: Place the ice cream sandwiches in a single layer in the freezer and allow to set for 2 hours before stacking and combining them in a freezer-friendly bag or container.
Stacey says
I made this recipe with the gluten-free cookie and dairy-free gelato recipes linked in the recipe card for my daughter's end-of-summer party! They were a hit! Love that the cookies are also egg-free - we covered every allergy with this one recipe!