Have you ever heard of a Chipwich before? Growing up, they were my ice cream treat of choice: two soft chocolate chip cookies sandwiched with creamy vanilla ice cream and rolled in mini chocolate chips. I can’t find them as easily these days, plus I enjoy making my own frozen treats (3-ingredient strawberry banana popsicles anyone?!). So, on occasion, I’ll whip up a homemade version of this nostalgic dessert.
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
The cookies DO NOT REQUIRE DOUGH CHILLING. (Yes, I find the need to shout that!) Cookies are soft and won’t break your teeth after freezing. Use any ice cream flavor you enjoy. Rolling sides in mini chocolate chips or sprinkles adds texture, plus it helps seal in the ice cream. They’re a great make-ahead treat for a hot summer day.
And if you love brownies, you’ll flip for these brownie ice cream sandwiches!
This Recipe WORKS.
Cookie ice cream sandwiches are a favorite summertime treat and I’ve made several variations over the years. One of my top choices as the sandwich “bread” is this cake batter chocolate chip cookies recipe. They’re always a hit, but the cookie dough requires chilling. It’s a lot of waiting and they’re certainly worth the effort, but a quicker cookie recipe is obviously more convenient. Today’s recipe is the essential cookie for a homemade ice cream sandwich. It’s my giant chocolate chip cookies recipe made with mini chocolate chips and portioned smaller. (And, if you’re comparing, it’s basically my popular chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe only with softened butter!) They’re soft, which means they won’t be rock hard after freezing. The cookies are also nice and flat, which makes sandwiching (and eating as a sandwich) very easy. Chilling cookie dough prevents spreading and it also helps the dough develop better flavor. However, you do not have to chill this cookie dough because there’s enough flour to soak up the liquid, so the cookies will not overspread. And a slightly more developed flavor isn’t quite as important because we’re turning the baked cookies into something else!
Grab These Cookie Dough Ingredients:
You also need 3 cups (about 540g) of your favorite ice cream. Notice two slightly special ingredients: cornstarch & an extra egg yolk. Cornstarch helps produce a super soft cookie, which is the ideal “bread” for a frozen cookie sandwich. And an extra egg yolk keeps the cookies flavorful and tender. 1 egg is not enough for this dough and 2 eggs is too many.
Success Tip: Use Mini Chocolate Chips
Mini chocolate chips are perfect for frozen cookie ice cream sandwiches. When frozen, the smaller chips aren’t as rock hard as the regular-size chocolate chips. They’re simply easier (and more pleasant) to eat, plus you can enjoy more chocolate in every single bite when you use smaller chips. Expect a creamy cookie dough: A medium cookie scoop is the perfect size for portioning your cookies. This recipe yields 24 cookies, which means you’ll have 12 ice cream sandwiches. Soft cookies with a nice spread:
Assembling & Freezing Your Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
After all of the cookies cool completely, you can assemble your ice cream sandwiches. There’s no need to soften your ice cream prior to starting this step, though if your ice cream is particularly hard to scoop, give it a couple minutes to slightly soften. Flip a cooled cookie over and place 1 generous ice cream scoop, about 1/4 cup or 45g, on top. Use your scoop to gently spread the ice cream to the edges. Sandwich a cookie on top, then pick up the assembled sandwich and gently press it all together in the very center to make a compact sandwich. And I mean a VERY gentle press because if you press too hard, the cookies could break. Roll the edges in mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, or even finely chopped nuts. This little extra is not only tasty, it’s actually functional because it holds the ice cream in place. You can enjoy the cookie sandwiches immediately, but I recommend freezing to set their shape.
3 Success Tips for Freezing
I have never felt more rushed than during this photo shoot. These treats melt quickly!!!
And Finally, a Sugar Cookie Variation
And if you love sugar cookies, follow my sugar cookie recipe and add 1/2 cup (about 75g) of sprinkles to the dough after it’s mixed together. (Or skip the sprinkles in the dough.) Cut chilled rolled-out dough into 2.5-inch circles. After the cookies bake and cool according to the sugar cookie instructions, assemble your ice cream sandwiches using the assembly instructions below. If you’re still craving cookie ice cream sandwiches when fall hits, try them with the cookies from my pumpkin oatmeal cream pies! For more cookie inspiration, today’s cookies join 25+ others on my Summer Cookie Recipes collection page. Have fun!
