Chocolate Crackle Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

The weather outside is frightful! And we don’t mean that in a festive, Christmassy way. This summer has been a scorcher, and everyone is looking for ways to cool off in the sweltering heat. Maybe it’s time to take a cue from your childhood and indulge in a nice, cold ice cream sandwich. Don’t go chasing down that ice cream truck just yet, though. Our ice cream sandwich recipe with chocolate crackle cookies will beat any treat you can buy on the street.

Humans have been turning to some form of ice cream to help them cool off for millennia. The earliest known frozen dairy dish was created in China around 200 BC, and was made from a mixture of milk and rice. Even before this, there is evidence that ancient Greeks and Persians enjoyed frozen desserts made by mixing snow or ice with natural flavoring agents like honey and fruit.

Ice cream has been popular in America since colonial times, when it was brought here by the Quakers. George Washington was such a fan that records show he ordered a variety of ice cream making and serving equipment to the nation’s capital when he was president. Other Founding Fathers, including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison, were also quite fond of the cold concoction.

The first known ice cream sandwich was served by an unknown New York City street vendor in 1899 and consisted of vanilla ice cream pressed between thin graham wafers. This basic recipe has barely changed over the years, with the most notable difference being that the wafer-thin cookies are typically chocolate flavored these days. Let’s be honest, though: when it comes to the sad, bland ice cream sandwiches you find in the freezer section of your grocery store, “chocolate-flavored” is being generous, and the components barely resemble either cookies or ice cream.

Fortunately, making your own ice cream sandwiches is easy, and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand already. We like to use crackle cookies as our base. Think chewy, gooey brownies in a cookie form. Best of all, they actually taste like chocolate. Add a scoop of your favorite premium ice cream, top with another cookie (because two cookies are better than one), and enjoy. Check out our ice cream sandwich recipe with chocolate crackle cookies below for a delicious treat that will help you cool down this summer.

Chocolate Crackle Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich Recipe

Yields 12 Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup Dutch Processed Dark Cocoa Powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons salted butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon Madagascar Vanilla Extract
  • 5 Tablespoons confectioners' sugar
  • 1 quart vanilla bean ice cream (or ice cream of your choice)

Directions:

Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, then add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, dark cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and beat at low speed until well incorporated.

Pour the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop cookie dough. Lightly roll into a ball and roll each cookie in the powdered sugar.
Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat, about 4 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Gently rap the bottom of the baking sheet on the oven rack before removing from the oven. Cool to room temperature.

Once cookies have cooled completely, turn half of them upside down. Place a scoop of ice cream on each overturned cookie, then top with a second cookie and gently press down. If not eaten immediately, these ice cream sandwiches can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer.