Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)
Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches start with no-churn vanilla ice cream stuffed between no-bake chocolate cookies. These ice cream sandwiches are gluten-free, dairy-free, and made without an ice cream maker. Your favorite childhood dessert made more wholesome!
Ingredients
Cookie layers
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1/3 cup of your favorite chocolate protein powder *See notes. Can sub more oat flour
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, granola butter *I wouldn't use peanut butter!
- 1/2 cup packed medjool dates
- 3-4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1-2 tbsp water, as needed
Ice cream
- 1 1/2 cups cashews
- 2/3 cup coconut cream *solid white cream from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/3 cup coconut milk *from the can of coconut milk. The liquid!
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- good pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- If you don't have a high powered blender, or you want to ensure you get super creamy ice cream, soak the cashews prior to using! Set a small pot of water over high heat. Add the raw cashews. Let the water come to a boil, then turn the water off. You can leave the pot on the burner. Let the cashews soak for 20 minutes or so, strain the water, then use them in the recipe!
Cookie layers
- Add all of the dough ingredients besides the milk or water to a food processor, processing until everything comes together. The mixture shouldn't quite be a dough yet. You can taste it and decide if you'll want it a little sweeter - if so, you can add 1-2 tbsp extra maple syrup and process again. (Skip this if you don't want it sweeter). Then, Gradually add 1 tbsp water at a time, as needed, until a smooth dough forms. It shouldn't be sticky, but rather form a nice, smooth dough that holds together easily.
- Grab a bread loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the pan, evenly and firmly. Using the parchment paper, remove it from the pan. Fold the parchment paper over the dough and place it in a flat place in the freezer. This is going to be the top cookie layer for the ice cream sandwiches
- .Place another piece of parchment paper into the loaf pan and do the same with the remaining dough. Leave this layer in the pan.
Ice cream
- Next, make the ice cream filling by blending everything together in a high powered blender until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. You can taste & adjust as you'd like. Pour the ice cream mixture over the bottom cookie layer.
- Place the pan in the freezer for 2-3 hours until it's firm enough to press the other cookie layer over top.
- Once it's set, place the other cookie layer on top, gently press it down onto the ice cream layer to ensure it all sticks and stays together. Place back in the freezer for an hour or so before removing them from the pan and slicing into bars.
- Store the individual bars in an air-tight container in the freezer. Let thaw at room temp for 5-10 minutes prior to eating for the creamiest texture!
Video
Notes
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- Chocolate Protein powder: Chocolate protein powder adds a little extra flavor and protein to the recipe, however you can sub in more oat flour! I love using Ka'chava chocolate protein powder as it adds so much flavor and sweetness without adding refined/processed sugar! My link will give you 15% off or you can use my code "DANIBREINER".
- How to make clean cut sandwiches: Before cutting them into bars, I like to trim the very edges to create clean cut lines. Then I cut them into rectangle bars/sandwiches. You can then cut each bar into thirds to create smaller bite-sized sandwiches.
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- How to store homemade ice cream sandwiches: Store ice cream sandwiches in an air-tight container in the freezer. If your bars are too firm for your liking, let them sit out at room temp for 5 minutes before enjoying for the creamiest texture!
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- How long do ice cream sandwiches last? They will last up to a month in the freezer!
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- Tip: Instead of cutting them into larger bars/rectangles, you can cut them into smaller squares to make more and have more of a single serving bite!
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- Can I use store-bought ice cream? Yes! I would let the ice cream thaw a little to make it easier to work with. Simply spread it out evenly over the bottom cookie layer, then press the top cookie layer over top. Return to the freezer for an hour or so before cutting into slices.