Healthier Ice Cream Sandwiches

Thursday was the first “official” day of summer but I honestly feel like we’ve been enjoying summer goodness for at least a month and a half now. Isn’t it the best when summer comes early?! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I was born in the wrong climate. I’m a sunshine-loving, sandy toes, beach-going, cool eats kind of girl, through and through. Winter just isn’t my jam, so when the weather is hot and the sun is out you better believe I’m soaking up every minute of it.

With all the time I’ve been spending outside in this amazing weather I’ve had many days where I’m craving cool eats and treats. I’ve been blending up smoothies, throwing together salads, and whipping up some delicious homemade ice cream sandwiches.

When we were in Maui in April I finally had the chance to try out the new Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss Sandwiches and I was impressed. Not at the price, they are expensive. But the taste, oh me oh my, so delicious. I knew when I got back home I’d have to concoct my own ice cream sandwich recipe to satisfy my coconut bliss cravings as I can’t find those sandwiches locally (if anyone knows where to get them in YEG do tell!).

I’ve made my own ice cream before on the blog (see here, here, and here), but for these sandwiches I decided to use the Coconut Bliss vanilla dairy-free ice cream and then make my own thin, perfectly soft – but not crumbly, sweet – but not overly sweet, healthy cookies to hug both sides of the ice cream.

The cookies are made with oat and brown rice flour keeping them gluten free and sneakily filled with fibre. They contain avocado oil for healthy omega rich fats, and coconut palm sugar for a natural unrefined sweetness. A hint of dark chocolate chips add a little bit of crunch and I also used unsweetened almond milk to keep these ice cream sandwiches dairy-free.

For little ones with nut allergies you could easily swap out the almond milk for rice or soy milk and voila! they become nut-free too.

I shared my ice cream sandwiches (yes, I actually did) with my in-laws and they were impressed with how well the cookies held the ice cream together without crumbling or dripping all over the place, and they were also impressed with how tasty they are, especially for a healthier ice cream sandwich!

The best part of all is how easy these are to make. The cookies come together in a snap and then just a good scoop of your favourite dairy-free ice cream and you’re set. Hello summer deliciousness! 

Do you make your own healthier versions of classic summer treats? I’d love to read about it in the comments below! 

Healthier Ice Cream Sandwiches

 

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Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

1 hour 12 mins

 

Serves: 6-7

Ingredients

• Chocolate Cookies:
• ⅓ cup avocado oil
• ½ cup + 2 Tbsp coconut palm sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk or another non-dairy milk of choice
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup oat flour
• ¾ cup brown rice flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ½ tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips
• Ice Cream Filling:
• 1 cup of your favourite dairy free vanilla ice cream (I used Coconut Bliss)
• Optional Garnishes:
• hemp seeds, cocao nibs, crushed nuts, crushed rose petals

Instructions

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the oil, milk, egg, and coconut palm sugar and whisk to combine.
3. In another bowl combine the oat flour, rice flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and mix to combine.
4. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir to combine, be sure not to over-mix.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Scoop heaping tablespoons of the cookie batter and roll into balls, then set on the baking sheet and press into ¼" thick rounds (the cookies will only slightly expand in the oven).
7. Make 12-14 cookies.
8. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until slightly browned on the bottom but still a bit soft to the touch.
9. Allow the cookies to cool completely then place in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill (chilling the cookies will make it easier to assemble the sandwiches).
10. Once chilled scoop a 2 tablespoon sized scoop of ice cream on the flat side of one cookie, then top with another cookie and press to sandwich the ice cream.
11. Repeat the process to make 6-7 ice cream sandwiches total.
12. Roll the sandwiches in the optional garnishes and chill again for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
13. Enjoy!

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Have a wonderful Sunday, happy OFFICIAL summer, and be sure to pin this recipe below so you can make it soon!