Cookies and cream ice cream is sandwiched between two soft and cakey rich chocolate cookies in these gluten free ice cream sandwiches. They’re everything you could want in an ice cream sandwich and more!
When was the last time you had an ice cream sandwich? I seriously cannot remember myself. It’s been years, I do know that. But I haven’t even seen any gluten free versions in stores, have you?
I chose to make these Mickey Mouse-shaped gluten free ice cream sandwiches because we’re currently at Disney World and I can’t have them here. But I made them before I left so I wouldn’t be jealous while watching my family eat them without me! I got the cookie cutter here.
Why You Should Make These Gluten Free Ice Cream Sandwiches
- They’re easy to make
- They’re delicious
- You can stock your freezer with them
- You can make them in any ice cream flavors you want, including two-tone
- Your kids will love them
- Your husband will love them
- You can make them into any shape you want, ideal for themed parties, kids’ favorite shapes and characters (Mickey Mouse?), or whatever you want. Some suggestions? Stars for Fourth of July, hearts for Valentine’s Day, shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day (with mint ice cream!), etc, etc.
- You can finally have an ice cream sandwich because no one makes them gluten free except YOU!!
Making the Chocolate Cookies
When you bite into an ice cream sandwich, the cookie shouldn’t be so hard that it’ll break your teeth. I made that mistake once and we all had to gnaw our way through the sandwich. It was tasty so we did it anyway, but ya know, no one really wants to gum an ice cream sandwich. Do they?!?!
I found this recipe on Bon Appetit and modified it to be gluten free. The list of ingredients for these cookies is similar to other cookie recipes:
- Kim’s gluten free flour blend–or another flour blend of your choice containing xanthan gum.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder–I’ve said it before, but if you have a Lidl in your area, their store brand cocoa powder is dark and super chocolaty and I’m addicted to it.
- Baking powder–that little bit of lift that the cookies get from the baking powder keeps them soft when they’re frozen.
- Salt–there’s extra salt in this recipe because apparently freezing cookies mutes their flavor so we need that little boost of flavor from the extra salt.
- Butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
Make the dough by creaming butter with sugars until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, pulsing on and off to avoid a cocoa dust cloud, until well combined.
Divide the mixture among two pieces of plastic wrap and shape into disks. Wrap well and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
Cutting the Cookies
You’re welcome to make the typical rectangular ice cream sandwiches, but I’m at Disney World right now so I wanted to make them Mickey shaped in honor of my trip! And I also have a bin of cookie cutters overflowing so why not use them? My kids are no longer little so I have to get my cookie cutting out jollies somehow, haha!!
After chilling the dough, remove it from the fridge and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes but no longer. Roll it out on a large sheet of lightly floured parchment, cut out the shapes you want, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Chill the first half of the cookies while you roll out the rest. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes. They won’t spread much so you’ll have to use your sense of smell to alert you when they’re done (but 12 minutes is nearly spot on).
Preparing the Ice Cream
I chose to make a semi-homemade cookies and cream ice cream by mixing softened vanilla ice cream with crushed gluten free sandwich cookies. But feel free to use your favorite ice cream.
Put the ice cream in a large bowl and allow it to soften slightly at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to mix ice cream until it’s the consistency of a thick buttercream.
Spread the ice cream into a 9 by 13-inch straight-sided baking pan that’s been lined with plastic wrap using an angled spatula to even it out. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least four hours.
Using the same cookie cutter you used to cut out the cookies, cut out shapes of the ice cream. Place the ice cream on an overturned cookie and put another cookie on top and press down lightly to adhere. Do this with all the cookies and ice cream. You’ll have scraps of ice cream, which can be placed in a container and put back in the freezer. Or you can just eat it. I say just eat it 😋😜
You really should have eaten those ice cream scraps. Because you’ll be tempted to dig right into those sandwiches, but you need to wait! The cookies need to have a chance to soften and the ice cream to harden, so an overnight sleep in the freezer is best.
These gluten free ice cream sandwiches sure hit the spot when you need something sweet and cool and yummy!
Gluten Free Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups (315 g) Kim's gluten free flour blend (or any blend with xanthan gum)
- ¾ cup (89 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup (226 g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 half gallon vanilla bean ice cream
- 1 package gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies (fake Oreos), crushed in large ziptop bag with rolling pin
Instructions
PREPARE THE ICE CREAM
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow it to soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Place it in a large bowl and stir it until it's the consistency of thick buttercream frosting. Add crushed chocolate sandwich cookies and stir until combined.
- Line a 9 by 13-inch cake pan with plastic wrap, letting it overhang. Scrape the ice cream into the pan and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap directly on the ice cream and place the pan in the freezer to freeze for several hours, at least 4, or overnight.
MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH
- Whisk the gluten free flour blend, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- Cream butter with sugars until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the flour mixture on low speed and pulse just until combined. Use a spatula to incorporate any dry ingredients left in the bottom of the bowl.
- Divide dough in half and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
BAKE THE COOKIES
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Remove the dough from refrigerator and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes to soften slightly. Roll out on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper to about ⅛-inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters (or cut into rectangles of equal size).
- Transfer cutout cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to chill while rolling out the other disk of dough.
- Bake the chilled cookies until edges are firm, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets. Flip half the cookies over.
ASSEMBLE
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer and, using the same cookie cutter, cut out shapes from the ice cream and place on the overturned cookies. Top with another cookie and press lightly to adhere.
- Wrap sandwiches and freeze overnight, until ice cream is hard and the cookies are slightly softened. The longer the cookies sit in the freezer, the more the cookies will soften so making them several days in advance is best.
Notes
Adapted from Bon Appetit’s Chocolate Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches
I made these today and the cookies came out with kind of a sour taste. I used your gf blend and chilled the dough for 2 hours. Any ideas what could have happened?!
I’ve never had a sour taste in these cookies and my non-gluten free family say they can’t tell they’re gluten free, so I’m not sure what could cause the sour taste. Maybe your milk powder was bad? What brand did you use?
Hmm weird! The milk powder I used was brand new. It was the Good & Gather brand from Target. The only other brand they had was Nestle Carnation and it said “may contain what” on their ingredients.
Hmm weird! The milk powder I used was brand new. It was the Good & Gather brand from Target. The only other brand they had was Nestle Carnation and it said “may contain what” on their ingredients.