Sweet & Salty Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ice cream is sandwiched between two Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies and then rolled in crushed pretzels and chocolate chips, making these irresistible Sweet & Salty Ice Cream Sandwiches. They’re the perfect summer indulgent and make for a special treat on a hot day. You can make them dairy-free and/or gluten-free if you wish.

A twist on a childhood favorite!

Growing up, chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches were a favorite summer treat of mine and still are today! I remember many summer days at the cabin going to the Back40. A small convenience store that had a rather strange smell, a dog that smiled, and just one antique looking gas pump. My family liked to give the lady who owned and lived at the convenience store as much business as they could to keep it up and running but avoided any food items that could absorb the odd scent of the store. Thankfully ice cream treats were safe as they were stored in a chest freezer and therefore many trips were made to the Back40 for ice cream treats. This memory is what inspired the creation of these Sweet & Salty Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Ingredients for Sweet & Salty Ice Cream Sandwiches

All you need is just a few ingredients to make these scrumptious ice cream sandwiches! If you haven’t made the cookies just yet, you’ll want to do that and let them cool completely, placing them in the fridge or freezer if needed. My favorite cookie to make the ice cream sandwiches with is our Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies (pictured) but you could also use our Monster Cookies, or really any cookie you like as long as it’s on the softer side. A crunchy cookie could work but it wouldn’t be as forgiving when making the sandwiches and might break. It would also be pretty hard to eat when frozen.

Note: When making the cookies for ice cream sandwiches, I recommend making them a little smaller than you normally would to account for the fact that two cookies will be consumed in one serving. For example, if the recipe makes 24 cookies, I will make 28-30 cookies.

• 12 cookies – such as our Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies or Monster Cookies.
• Ice cream of choice – just soft enough to scoop. If it’s too hard it will be challenging to sandwich and if it’s too soft it won’t hold up the top cookie and will result in a melty mess. Feel free to use dairy-free ice cream if needed.
• Chocolate chips – mini chocolate chips work great or you could also use a roughly chopped chocolate bar.
• Crushed pretzels – gluten-free if needed. I like the Glutino brand or Quinn snacks.
• Chopped salted nuts – optional, for even more crunch and saltiness!
• Plastic wrap – for wrapping the sandwiches to store in the freezer.

How to make Sweet & Salty Ice Cream Sandwiches

Get ready to make a little mess! Trust me, it’s totally worth it!

When making these sandwiches you’ll want to be pretty quick at the task so that the ice cream doesn’t get too melty. It’s okay if the sandwiches don’t look perfect, mine certainly didn’t! Also, it’s very helpful to have two sets of working hands. One person to make the sandwich and one person rolling and wrapping in the plastic wrap.

1. The first step is to gather the ingredients and set up the ice cream sandwich making station in this order: cookies (must be cooled) –>  Ice cream and scoop  — > plate or shallow bowl of chocolate chips, pretzels, and optional nuts –> plastic wrap
2. The next step is to make the ice cream sandwiches. Again, working quickly. Scoop 1/4 cup of ice cream at the bottom of a cookie. Top with another cookie. With the palm of your hand gently press the top cookie down slightly to sandwich. Smooth ice cream out with fingers if needed.
3. Then roll the sandwich in the crushed pretzels and chocolate chips or use hands to press into the ice cream. Whatever works best!
4. Now it’s time to either enjoy the sandwich (so good!) or if making to enjoy later, place the sandwich on a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the sandwich in the plastic wrap and place it immediately in the freezer before moving onto the next sandwich.

How to store and serve Sweet & Salty Ice Cream Sandwiches

You can store the ice cream sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap in the freezer for up to 3 months. To enjoy from frozen, I recommend removing the sandwich from the freezer and allowing it to sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften up just a bit for easier enjoyment!

Other cool summer treats you’ll love!

Dairy-free Mint Chip Ice Cream 

Healthy Mocha Frappe

Dairy-free Almond Butter Banana Nice Cream

 

Pin now, make later!

---

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!