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stack of easy homemade 4th of july ice cream sandwiches with festive red white and blue m&ms

4th of July Ice Cream Sandwiches

These festive and patriotic 4th of July Ice Cream Sandwiches are the perfect easy summer dessert! Made with M&M chocolate chip cookies and customizable with the ice cream flavor of your choice. Perfect 4th of July dessert recipe for a crowd!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword 4th of july, ice cream sandwiches
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Inactive time 1 hour 20 minutes
Yields: 13 ice cream sandwiches
Recipe by Tessa Arias

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

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls using a large cookie scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheets.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. Place another cookie directly on top, and press together gently to form the sandwich.

  9. 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. But you can always return the ice cream to the freezer if it gets too warm as you assemble.

  10. Repeat for remaining cookies, working quickly. If ice cream begins to melt, return to the freezer until firm again.
  11. Freeze sandwiches until firm, at least 1 hour, before serving.
  12. 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.