Celebrate the festivities of summer with these Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches. This is a small batch frozen dessert that combines no-churn chocolate chip ice cream sandwiched between two flourless peanut butter cookies, and finished with a chocolate shell and festive sprinkles.
Peanut Butter Cookie and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches
There are a few other descriptors for this recipe that are not in the title, and they are worthy of highlighting so you know what to expect for these Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches:
- Flourless – No flour in these cookies, and yet we still get crunchy, sturdy cookies.
- No-Churn – I don’t even own an ice cream machine, so I don’t have any other option for making homemade ice cream! 🙂
- Chocolate Coating Shell – Magic Shell was my favorite accompaniment to ice cream growing up. Turns out, it still is.
- Easy – Who doesn’t love an easy summer dessert? I don’t know that I have ever ran into anyone that said, ‘boy, I would sure love to spend 6 hours in the kitchen at my oven making an elaborate dessert during the height of the summer heat.’
Easy 4th of July Dessert
While this particular recipe (i.e. photos) depict a 4th of July dessert, that doesn’t mean you can’t make these ice cream sandwiches for any occasion! I mean, let’s face it, cute sprinkles can turn any dessert into a festive treat. Not to mention, a festive sprinkle makes decorating a holiday dessert so much easier. And I’m all about an easy dessert!
Desserts for the fourth tend to reflect the patriotic spirit of the holiday. Anything that is red, white, and blue can make for a festive dessert. For these Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches, we don’t have to go overboard and add food coloring to any part of the recipe. Or, create intricate sweet layers depicting the colors of the holiday.
No. All we have to do is take a couple easy recipes and mash them up to make one cute little dessert.
- Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies – This recipe already exists on the blog. All we are doing is making the cookies slightly smaller and omitting the cinnamon. Oh, and because they are flourless, I guess you could consider this dessert gluten free too!
- No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream – No ice cream machine required for this recipe! All we need is heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, a little salt, and chocolate chips. Voila – creamy and smooth ice cream!
- Chocolate Coating – Otherwise known as Chocolate Magic Shell. And even better, it is homemade. Two ingredients in this one – chocolate and coconut oil. That’s it.
What You Need To Make Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg Yolk
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Heavy Cream
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Chocolate Chips and/or Chocolate Baking Bar – For the ice cream and chocolate coating shell.
Baking Equipment
- 2 Baking Sheets – One for baking the cookies. The other – a small eighth size baking sheet – for freezing the ice cream. The small baking sheet is a great size baking sheet to have on hand for small batch baking!
- Mixing Bowls
- Cookie Cutter or Biscuit Cutter – For cutting ‘discs’ of ice cream to fit on the cookies. Biscuit cutters are another ‘great-to-have-on-hand’ tool for baking. Great for biscuits and cookies.
- Freezer-Proof Container – For the extra ice cream you will have after cutting out your ice cream discs. Or for freezing the ice cream, if you opt not to freeze on the baking sheet.
Tips For Making Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches
Peanut Butter Cookie Tips
- Use processed peanut butter – I recommend processed, creamy peanut butter – like Jif. Natural peanut butter may have too much oil separation to make the cookie batter come together smoothly.
- Room temperature peanut butter is key – I don’t know many people that store their peanut butter in the fridge, but if you do, make sure it is at room temperature. It will make mixing 100x easier.
- Mix by hand – There is not enough cookie batter in this recipe to use a stand mixer – it will all get stuck on the bottom on the bowl. A sturdy spoon works great to mix the cookies.
- Keep an eye on the cookies while they are baking – They will start to turn golden brown around the edges when they are ready. And we want them to be baked more on the crispy side, to make a sturdy ice cream sandwich.
- Small cookies – Don’t be alarmed at the size of the cookies. They are smaller – about 2-inches – but keep in mind there are two of them in one ice cream sandwich.
No-Churn Ice Cream Tips
- Sweeten to taste – Taste test the ice cream mix as you add the sweetened condensed milk. Add more if you prefer a sweeter ice cream.
- Chocolate chips – Use any kind of chocolate chip you like, and as much or as little as you like. I used mini semi-sweet chips because this is a small batch treat!
- Leftover sweetened condensed milk – You will have leftovers that you can use to make more no-churn ice cream like Cherry Ice Cream, Chocolate Cherry Swirl Ice Cream. Or easy, no-bake Key Lime Bars.
- Freezing the ice cream – The ice cream can be frozen on a small baking sheet (outlined above and in the Recipe Instructions/Notes), or any freezer-proof container.
- Freeze completely – I recommend allowing the ice cream to freeze for at least 8 hours. Or overnight is best!
Chocolate Coating Shell Tips
- Chocolate baking bar – I like to use a Baker’s Bar of semi-sweet chocolate for the chocolate shell coating. Because it is pure chocolate (without the extra ingredients that chocolate chips have), it melts and stays smooth. However, you can use regular chocolate chips as well.
- Don’t overheat the chocolate – Otherwise, the chocolate will seize up into a clumpy chocolate ball.
Common Questions For Making Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches
Yes. The cookie recipe can be doubled. With the recipe as written, you will already have extra ice cream.
While I have not tested it, I can’t imagine the cookies will turn out the same with natural peanut butter. Natural peanut butter has a tendency to separate, which may make mixing it into a smooth batter more difficult. However, if you want to try it, by all means!
You can. Keep in mind this is a small batch cookie batter. So bigger cookies will result in fewer cookie sandwiches. Otherwise, you can double the batch of cookies.
You will have extra sweetened condensed milk. I have other ice cream recipes if you want to make another batch of ice cream. Or No-Bake Key Lime Bars.
I have only tested dairy-free ice cream using a can of unsweetened condensed milk and coconut milk yogurt. You can follow the recipe for Dairy-Free Strawberry Ice Cream. Omit the strawberries. And sub in vanilla yogurt for the strawberry yogurt.
You do not have to freeze the ice cream on a baking sheet. I like to do this so I can cut evenly sized ice cream discs to fit the cookies. Alternatively, you can freeze the ice cream in any freezer-proof container and just scoop the ice cream to make the ice cream sandwiches.
Adding a little more coconut oil may work. However, I would recommend trying to fix seized chocolate over a double boiler. 1. Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan on the stove. 2. Set a glass bowl large enough to fit on top of the saucepan without touching the water. 3. Add the chocolate to the glass bowl, along with 1/4 teaspoon additional coconut oil. Stir as the chocolate re-melts and add more coconut oil (1/4 teaspoon at a time) until you reach a smooth consistency. If this doesn’t work, I recommend just starting over.
More Fourth of July Dessert Recipes
- Patriotic Soft Sugar Cookie Sandwiches
- Vanilla and Berry Cupcakes
- Watermelon Honey Lime Slushies
- Sparkling Berries and Cream Popsicles
- Mini Vanilla and Berry Layer Cake
- No-Churn Fresh Cherry Ice Cream
Happy 4th of July to all my stateside friends!
Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Equipment
- 1 – Eighth Size Baking Sheet
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookies
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (optional – helps to rise and spread the cookies)
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk
Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (more or less to taste)
Chocolate Coating
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or semi-sweet baking chocolate bar, chopped)
- 1 teaspoons cold pressed refined coconut oil
- sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Peanut Butter Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the peanut butter, vanilla extract, and egg yolk. Stir (with a fork or wooden spoon) until fully incorporated.
- Scoop the dough equally into 8 cookie balls (approximately 1/2 tablespoon). Place on the prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Gently press down on the cookies to flatten them slightly. Note – The cookies are small – about 2 inches in diameter – but keep in mind there are two of them in one serving.
- Bake for 11 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies turn slightly golden brown. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet set on a wire rack for 10 minutes. The transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely. Once the cookies have cooled, place them in an airtight container and freeze until ready to assemble.
Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Line an eighth size baking sheet, in both directions, with plastic wrap that is long enough to fold over and cover the baking sheet. Note – The baking sheet allows you to cut equal size circles of ice cream for the cookie sandwiches. You can also use a freezer-proof container to freeze the ice cream and just scoop ice cream for the cookie sandwiches.
- In a medium mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer to whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks.
- In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the sweetened condensed, and stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Fold the sweetened condensed milk into the whipped cream until fully combined. Note – Taste the mix and add more sweetened condensed milk if you prefer a sweeter ice cream.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips into the ice cream mix and stir to combine.
- Pour the ice cream onto the prepared baking sheet (or freezer proof container). Spread evenly into all corners and sides, then cover securely with the plastic wrap overhang. Freeze for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
Chocolate Coating
- Once the ice cream has frozen, assemble the ice cream sandwiches – In a small microwave safe bowl (that is wide enough to dunk the ice cream sandwiches), add the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Heat in 15 second increments – stirring after each increment – until the chocolate is mostly melted. If there are a few small chocolate bits, they will melt as you stir the chocolate. Note – Do not over-heat the chocolate. It can seize and turn into a big chocolate clump if over-heated.
- Remove the ice cream and cookies from the freezer. Using a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter – that is the same size as the cookies – cut 4 discs of ice cream. Place the ice cream discs on 4 of the cookies to make the ice cream sandwiches. Note – You will have extra ice cream that you can transfer to a freezer proof container. Discard the plastic wrap, and use the baking sheet to freeze the assembled ice cream sandwiches.
- Dunk the ice cream sandwiches in the melted chocolate – as much or as little as you prefer. Sprinkle with festive sprinkles (optional). Set the assembled sandwiches on a the baking sheet and freeze for 15 – 30 minutes, to allow the chocolate to set. Keep frozen until ready to serve. Enjoy!
RECIPE NOTES
- The cookies are small – About 2-inches in diameter. But keep in mind, there will be two of them in one ice cream sandwich!
- I recommend processed, creamy peanut butter for baking. Like Jif. Natural peanut butter may work, but you want to be sure it is mixed well since the oil tends to separate in the jar.
- Room temperature peanut butter is key – I don’t know many people that store their peanut butter in the fridge, but if you do, make sure it is at room temperature. It will make mixing 100x easier.
- I recommend a sturdy mixing spoon, or wooden spoon to mix – Because this is a small batch, using your stand-mixer may not work (everything will get stuck on the bottom). And the batter will come together much faster if you mix it by hand.
- Sweeten to taste – Taste test the ice cream mix as you add the sweetened condensed milk. Add more if you prefer a sweeter ice cream.
- Freezing the ice cream – I like to use an eighth size baking sheet for this recipe. It allows you to cut evenly sized ice cream discs to fit neatly on the cookies. You can also just freeze the ice cream in a freezer-proof container and scoop the ice cream onto the cookies.
- Ice cream ‘discs’ – A round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter work great to cut the discs of ice cream.
- Don’t over-heat the chocolate – Or it will seize up firm. It is o.k. if there are small bits of chocolate after it has mostly melted. The residual heat and stirring the chocolate will melt those.