Put these cute gluten free patriotic ice cream sandwiches on your Memorial Day menu for both kids and adults alike! They’re the perfect treat to usher in summer.
Who doesn’t love an ice cream sandwich?? And how often do you see a gluten free ice cream sandwich at the store (or anywhere)? Never, you say? Yeah, me neither. But we’re about to change that and it couldn’t be easier!
Making Gluten Free Patriotic Ice Cream Sandwiches
When we went to Disney World back in February (before the pandemic hit), I posted Mickey shaped ice cream sandwiches in honor of our trip. And they were soooooooo good. And chocolatey!!
But I also wanted to be able to make them without chocolate, so I reformatted the recipe to make them more like a sugar cookie. And a STAR was born! Get it? Star? Because they’re star-shaped? I know. That was a lame joke. A true dad joke as my kids would say. Haha!!
Rolling out the Dough and Cutting out the Cookies
For these particular sandwiches, I wanted something that would be patriotic for Memorial Day weekend. Not just star shaped either. I wanted that red, white, and blue! To do this, divide the dough into thirds and color one third red and another third blue. Leave the final third the normal cookie dough color. Then lay them out beside each other and started rolling out the dough.
Your first roll will be the best, so make it count. After that, the colors start to bleed into each other. Towards the end you’ll be left with only red stars and only blue stars, which is also fine. They’ll taste great regardless!
Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for 10 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes, or until set but not browned around the edges. Remove from the oven to cool completely on a wire rack.
The Ice Cream
The last time I made gf ice cream sandwiches, I added crushed gf sandwich cookies (fake Oreo’s) to make cookies and cream ice cream. This time I wanted a different flavor. And one of my favorite flavors EVER to add to ice cream is peanut butter. So I made peanut butter and jelly ice cream sandwiches!!
Start by preparing a straight-sided 9 by 13-inch pan. Line it with plastic wrap or foil and set it aside. Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir to combine and set aside.
Take a half gallon of ice cream from the freezer and allow it to soften for about 5 minutes on the counter. Then dump it into a large bowl and stir until it’s the consistency of a thick buttercream frosting.
Pour the peanut butter into the ice cream and quickly fold it in. Add jelly (any flavor you’d like) and fold that in as well. Work quickly to spoon ice cream into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an angled spatula. Cover it with plastic wrap right on the surface of the ice cream and place the pan in the freezer to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Putting it all Together
Remove the ice cream from the freezer and peel away the plastic wrap on top. Using the same cookie cutter used to cut out the cookies, cut out ice cream. Place ice cream on top of cookie and place another cookie on top. Press down lightly and then wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap before putting it in the freezer.
Repeat with all the other cookies and ice cream, placing them all in the freezer. You might be tempted to eat one right away, but you need to be patient and let them sit in the freezer overnight. This will allow the cookies to soften and the ice cream to harden.
You’ll get rave reviews if you serve these this Memorial Day weekend, from both kids and adults!
Gluten Free Patriotic Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 3 cups (420 g) Kim's gluten free flour blend (or your favorite blend with xanthan gum)
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 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
ICE CREAM
- 1 half gallon vanilla bean ice cream
- ½ cup (125 g) smooth peanut butter
- ½ cup (125 g) jelly or jam (any flavor)
Instructions
PREPARE THE ICE CREAM
- Prepare a straight-sided 9 by 13-inch pan by lining it with plastic wrap or foil. Set aside.
- Put the peanut butter in a small microwavable bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir and set aside. It should be a pourable consistency.
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow it to soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Dump it into a large bowl and stir until it's the consistency of thick buttercream frosting.
- Pour the peanut butter into the ice cream and begin folding it throughout, not overmixing. Then add the jelly and do the same.
- Pour the ice cream into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an angled spatula. Cover it with another piece of plastic wrap and place the pan in the freezer for at least 4 hours or until the ice cream is solid.
MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH
- Whisk the gluten free flour blend, baking powder, and salt 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 the 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 the refrigerator and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes to soften slightly. Divide the dough into thirds and color one third with red food coloring (no taste if you can find it) and another with blue. Leave the third with no color. Set them side by side, red, white, and blue, and roll them out together.
- Cut out with star cookie cutter and place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about ½-inch apart (they won't spread). Chill the cookies for 10 minutes. Then bake at 350° F for about 12 minutes. They should be just set, but not golden around the edges. Let cookies cool on baking sheets on wire racks.
ASSEMBLE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer and, using the same cookie cutter, cut out the star shapes and place them on overturned cookies. Top with another cookie and press lightly to adhere.
- Wrap sandwiches in plastic wrap 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. Ice cream sandwiches will keep in the freezer, well wrapped, for up to three months.
Inspired by Bon Appetit’s Ice Cream Sandwiches
These look amazing! Can’t wait to try them! All your stuff is amazing!
Thanks, Ginger!! They’re so good 🙂 And you’re too kind!
I love this idea! If only we could have company right now. I would make them asap. Maybe 4th of July? Hope so.
We’re having a Memorial Day get together at my parents and doing the social distancing thing outside, sitting 6 feet apart from one another. It’s better than nothing at least. I can’t wait for things to be back to normal, if that ever happens.