Nothing says “summer” quite like an ice cream sandwich. These iconic treats are readily available in the grocery store, and they’re on sale week after week. The only problem is that the ingredient lists are lengthy and full of chemicals. If you’re a fan of ice cream sandwiches and real food, you are in luck! Homemade ice cream sandwiches are quick and easy to make, they taste far superior to the store-bought version, and they are less expensive. What more could you ask for?
Ingredients for Vanilla Ice Cream (adapted from Ben and Jerry’s recipe)
2 egg yolks
½ cup maple syrup
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Once they are well-combined, transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and mix according to the manufacturer’s directions. I use the ice cream attachment that goes with my Kitchen Aid mixer. After churning the ice cream, place it in the freezer to solidify it. (Note: You will only need about 2/3 of this ice cream for the sandwiches. You can store the rest in the freezer in an air-tight container or snack on it as you’re working.)
Ingredients for the Chocolate Sandwich Base (adapted from Joy of Baking)
½ cup melted butter
½ cup maple syrup
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 8×8 inch pans. Place a piece of parchment paper in each pan.
- Combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine well.
- Transfer the mixture onto the parchment paper and spread it evenly.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the sandwich base is set and the edges are pulling away from the sides a bit.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
To assemble:
- Soften the ice cream slightly so that you can spread it. Don’t let it get runny.
- Place one of the sandwich bases (top side down) on a piece of plastic wrap and spread 2/3 of the ice cream evenly on it. You can save the rest of the ice cream in the freezer for another time.
- Put the other sandwich base on top of the ice cream (top side up) and wrap the whole thing with plastic wrap.
- Freeze for at least 2 hours to let it solidify. Remove from the freezer and cut it in half. Then, cut each section into 6 sandwiches for a total of 12 sandwiches. Enjoy immediately or wrap the sandwiches individually and return them to the freezer.
Price breakdown:
Besides the delicious taste, the best thing about these gourmet-quality ice cream sandwiches is the price. The cost of the ice cream is $3.02 and the cost of the sandwich base is $2.74, for a total of $5.76. The recipe makes 12 ice cream sandwiches, for a total cost of $.48 per sandwich. I couldn’t find any real food ice cream sandwiches to compare this to, but Julie’s Organic ice cream sandwiches, which are healthier than most, retail for $.83 per sandwich. And Julie’s sandwiches contain palm oil, caramel color, and soy lecithin. Do yourself a favor and try this recipe – you won’t be disappointed!
Note: I will be posting a recipe soon for gluten-free, dairy-free ice cream sandwiches. Stay tuned!
Update: Click here for the gluten-free, dairy-free version.
Linking to Recipe of the Week, Monday Mania, Make Your Own Monday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Mix it Up Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Whole Food Wednesdays, Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Fit and Fabulous Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, and Frugal Fridays.
Do you ever cook something that is not delicious and appetizing?
Aww, you’re too sweet! Of course I do – they just don’t make it onto the blog!
Wow, these look perfect for summer. Pinning now!
Great! I hope you give them a try. Your sweet tooth will thank you, and there’s no white sugar in them! You could even cut the syrup way back in the ice cream for more of a “whipped cream” taste.
Yummy! Problem is, I want one right now!
I know, they’re hard to resist!
I love the sandwich base!!
So do I! They’re like mini-brownies and they taste so good with the ice cream.
I couldn’t agree more…summer is ALL about ice cream sandwiches!
Delicious … I want to get some of these loaded up in my freezer as fast as possible!!! I am saving your link!!!
Great! I hope you love them as much as we do.
Do you have to use an ice cream maker or could you make it some other way by hand? Sounds wonderful
Before I bought my ice cream maker attachment, I used to make sorbet in the food processor. I would simply puree all the ingredients until well combined and then freeze them until they solidified. A blender would work as well. Also, I haven’t tried this, but I’ve seen that others make ice cream in a baggie: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/homemade-ice-cream-in-a-bag-684806/. Good luck!
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back later tonight when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts!
What a great recipe…and NO sugar?! I love that. I’m pinning it too!
Thanks, Marsha! It’s great to find ways to make desserts without processed sugar.
My kids are going to LOVE you for this recipe!! These ice cream bars look amazing! Thank you for sharing at Fit and Fabulous Fridays!
This would be good to turn into an ice cream cake!
Great point about the ice cream cake! I almost tried that a few days ago for my daughter’s birthday, but she changed her mind and requested a store-bought coffee cake instead! I guess we have too much homemade food around here.
I’ve been looking for a healthy ice cream sandwich recipe, do you think it’s easy enough to replace the wheat flour with another gluten-free one like coconut flour?
I have a great recipe for gluten-free ice cream sandwiches: http://realfoodrealdeals.com/2012/06/16/ice-cream-sandwiches-gluten-free-dairy-free/. I actually prefer the GF version.