Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Cookies + ice cream are a match made in heaven.
Texture: Texture PERFECTION. Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie with a slight crunch from the chocolate chips and M&Ms. Paired with fresh, rich, melty ice cream.
Ease: Very easy! The trickiest part is just assembling before the ice cream melts too much.
Pros: Can be made ahead of time for a super easy 4th of July dessert.
Cons: None!!
Would I make this again? I make these every year for the Fourth!
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I make these 4th of July Ice Cream Sandwiches pretty much every year for the holiday. My guests LOVE them. I mean, I did write an entire cookbook about ice cream sandwiches after all!
They’re easy to make. They’re festive and patriotic. They can be made ahead of time. Annnd they’re total crowd-pleasers – both kids and adults love these!
These homemade ice cream sandwiches with vanilla ice cream are the perfect dessert for your Fourth celebration!
There’s truly nothing that feels more like summer than biting into a soft cookie sandwich with slightly melty ice cream while watching a fireworks show.
These festive ice cream sandwiches make such a fun treat!
Make sure to check out the tip box below, where I share tons of tips for making perfect homemade ice cream sandwiches that taste and look amazing.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make 4th of July Ice Cream Sandwiches
What Type of Cookies are Best for Ice Cream Sandwiches?
For these cookies, I used my famous Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies as the base and swapped in festive red, white & blue M&Ms. The M&Ms in the cookies pictured on this page are actually filled with peanut butter, which I think takes these cookies to a whole new level!
What Kind of Ice Cream for Ice Cream Sandwiches?
The best part about ice cream sandwiches is that they’re totally customizable! I love my homemade vanilla bean ice cream, but you can select just about any flavor you’d like. Here are some other ideas:
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
- Raspberry Ice Cream (found in the flavor variations about halfway down the page)
- Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream
- Death by Chocolate Ice Cream
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Mint Chip Ice Cream (found under Method #1 flavor ideas)
- No Churn Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Can I Make Ice Cream without a Machine?
Absolutely! Check out my full article on a variety of ways for how to make ice cream without an ice cream machine!
Can I Make Ice Cream Sandwiches in Advance?
Definitely! Ice cream sandwiches are perfect to make in stages to accommodate your busy schedule!
- Make the cookies ahead and allow them to cool completely.
- Freeze the cookies until solid on a baking pan.
- Then transfer to an airtight container until ready to use.
- If making your own ice cream, transfer it to an airtight container, and freeze until ready to use.
- Once assembled, the ice cream sandwiches can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap, placed in an airtight container, and frozen for up to 1 month.
How Can I Decorate My Ice Cream Sandwiches?
You can roll the outside of your 4th of July Ice Cream Sandwiches with:
- Sprinkles (red, white, and blue sprinkles for an extra patriotic look!)
- Finely chopped nuts
- Mini chocolate chips
- Crushed cookies (Oreos would be delicious!)
- Top with mini American flag toppers
- Or anything else small or crushed up that you desire!
Tips for Decorating Ice Cream Sandwiches:
- If the shape of your sandwiches isn’t round or square/rectangular, you can place the sprinkles/nuts/etc. in a bowl, and press them onto all sides of the sandwiches evenly with your hands.
- You can drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate, melted white chocolate, or chocolate ganache before assembling. If desired, add sprinkles, nuts, crushed cookies, etc., before the chocolate dries!
How Do I Store My Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches?
To freeze the sandwiches for longer than a day, wrap them individually in plastic and pop them in an airtight container for a week. They may keep even longer than that, depending on your freezer!
How Should I Serve My Ice Cream Sandwiches?
If your sandwiches have been in the freezer for an extended period of time, you may want to allow them to sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This way they’re not rock solid!
How Do I Achieve Perfect Edges? How to Make Ice Cream Sandwiches Look Perfect:
- Lay out a large sheet of plastic wrap on your work surface.
- Take a scoop of ice cream and place it on one side of the plastic.
- Stretch the other side of the plastic wrap over to cover.
- Use the bottom of a measuring cup or a glass to press down on the scoop until it is a perfectly flattened disk that matches the diameter of the cookies.
- Use your hands to cup the edges to smooth them out.
- Then unwrap the plastic and place the ice cream disk on a cookie and sandwich.
- You can also trim off imperfect edges, once frozen solid, if possible (shape permitting).
More Fourth of July Dessert Recipes:
- Blueberry Cobbler
- S’mores Fudge Bars
- Red Velvet Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- No Bake Frozen Blueberry Pie
- Best Ever Chewy Brownies
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4th of July Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 3 cups (380 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature (67°F)
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups (247 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (255 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (96 grams) red, white, and blue M&Ms, milk chocolate or peanut butter
Homemade or store bought ice cream, in any flavor of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and the M&Ms with a spatula.
- If time permits, wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours. This allows the dough to “marinate” and makes the cookies thicker, chewier, and more flavorful. Let dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop.
- Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls using a large cookie scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. If it's a hot day, freeze the cookies before assembling the sandwiches.
- Place your chosen ice cream in the fridge for about 20 minutes to evenly soften. Spoon a generous scoop of the ice cream and place on the bottom of a cookie.
- Place another cookie directly on top, and press together gently to form the sandwich.
- As you assemble, you’ll likely need to pop the fresh ice cream sandwiches in the freezer before they’re all assembled. Start with everything cold so you don’t have to fight against melting. You can always return the ice cream to the freezer if it gets too warm as you assemble.
- Repeat with remaining cookies, working quickly. If ice cream begins to melt, return to the freezer until firm again.
- Freeze sandwiches until firm, at least 1 hour, before serving.
- Ice cream sandwiches can be individually wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer for up to 1 week. Let sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
This post was originally published in 2022 and has been updated with additional baking tips. Photos by Joanie Simon.
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