Ice Cream Sandwich

These Ice Cream Sandwiches are made with a buttery brown sugar graham cracker crust that comes together in just a few minutes. Creamy, homemade strawberry, blueberry, or vanilla ice cream is sandwiched together between the graham cracker crust, then frozen. The no churn ice cream is simple to make and can be made in under 20 minutes. These are the perfect treat to enjoy on a hot summer day.

Ice cream is my go to summer treat. Okay, actually it’s my go to treat all year long, but especially during the warm summer months. And what I love even more during the hot summer days is making my own ice cream.

I don’t really have any big story of where my inspiration for these ice cream sandwiches came from, other than the hot summer sun. We just had a week of near record breaking temps, with temps reaching over 100 degrees Fahrenheit a couple days. And all I wanted to do was lay by the pool, with a tall glass of ice cold lemonade and an ice cream sandwich in the other hand.

So, I got to work on making ice cream sandwiches. I wanted to make these easy enough that I could whip them up in under an hour and simple enough that my kids could help me make them. These ice cream sandwiches have a graham cracker crust, similar to a cheesecake crust. You don’t even need to bake the crust!

I’ve shared my two favorite ice cream flavors – strawberry and blueberry. And if you don’t add any of the homemade jam to the ice cream base, you’ll have a delicious, creamy vanilla ice cream.

Here’s what you will love about this ice cream sandwich recipe

• The crust requires only a few minutes to make, and does not need to be baked. So, you don’t even have to turn on your oven during the hot summer days!
• From this recipe, you can make vanilla, strawberry, or blueberry ice cream.
• The ice cream is a no churn ice cream. No churn ice cream requires under 30 minutes of prep time. The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze!

What’s the difference between churn and no churn ice cream?

Churned ice cream requires the use of an ice cream maker. The machine continuously churns the ice cream to help prevent large ice crystals from forming and incorporates air into the ice cream. The result is a creamy, smooth ice cream.

No churn ice cream relies on the whipped heavy cream to incoporate air into the ice cream. The whipped cream helps achieve the creamy, smooth texture without the need for churning the ice cream. This is a faster method.

How do I make these Ice Cream Sandwiches?

Make the jam

If you choose to make either the blueberry or strawberry ice cream, make the jam first. The jam isn’t thick. It’s more of a syrup like consistency. Anyways, you want to make the jam first, because it needs time to cool.

Add all ingredients for the jam to a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high temperature for roughly 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the fruits to naturally release their juices. Remove from the burner and pour the jam into a bowl. This will help the jam cool faster.

Allow the jam to sit at room temperature while you make the graham cracker crust and ice cream base.

Make the graham cracker crust

The graham cracker crust is the base and the top of the ice cream sandwiches. You can mix the crust in a large bowl by hand, or place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until all ingredients are combined and graham cracker crumbs are moistened.

Make the ice cream

What’s an ice cream sandwich without the ice cream!? We have now arrived at the best part! Please note, this recipe makes enough ice cream for only ONE 8×8 pan. So, if you decide you want to make two or three flavors, you will have to double or triple the recipe.

In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, salt and vanilla extract. Whip un medium-high sped until stiff peaks form. You can tell you have a stiff peak if you are able to lift the mixer attachment out of the bowl, and the kids.

Add the flavors

If you chose to make the blueberry or strawberry ice cream, now is the time to add the homemade jam/syrup. Add the blueberry OR strawberry to the ice cream base. Pour the jam into the ice cream base. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold the blueberry or strawberry jam into the vanilla ice cream base.

Time to assemble!

Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper, making sure the parchment paper sticks up out of the pan on all sides. This will serve as the handles to lift the ice cream sandwiches out of the pan after the ice cream sandwiches are frozen.

Add half the graham cracker crumb mixture to the pan. Use the bottom of a glass to smooth and firmly press the mixture into the pan. This step is very important to make sure the graham cracker crust stays together and doesn’t crumble apart.

Pour the ice cream mixture on top of the graham cracker crust.

Sprinkle the remaining graham cracker crust mixture on top of the ice cream. Since the ice cream mixture is very soft at this point, it will be too difficult to firmly press the top crust down. Instead, use your hand to smooth the surface, then place in the freezer.

Time to freeze the ice cream sandwich

Freeze the ice cream sandwiches for 3 hours. After 3 hours, remove from the freezer and use the bottom of a glass to firmly press the top graham cracker crust down. This will help to ensure the graham cracker crust stays together. If the ice cream still seems a bit too soft to be able to do this, you may leave the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer for 1 additional hour.

After pressing the top crust down, place back in the freezer for 1 more hour. This will help the graham cracker crust freeze together, so that it doesn’t crumble apart.

Slice and enjoy!

Once the ice cream sandwiches are done freezing, remove the pan from the freezer. Use a sharp knife to run along the outside of the pan, helping to loosen the parchment paper/ice cream sandwiches from the cold pan. Once you have loosened all the sides, use the parchment paper handles to pull and lift the ice cream sandwiches up and out of the pan.

Using a sharp knife, cut the ice cream sandwiches into your desired size. I like to wrap the sandwiches in plastic wrap. It makes it a little less messy to eat the sandwich, since you can unwrap the sandwich part way and allow the plastic wrap to catch the melty ice cream and graham cracker crumbles.

Storage

Wrap leftover ice cream sandwiches in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer safe back or container. Store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Here are a few of my favorite summer treats

• Strawberry Shortcake Cake
• Lemon Sorbet
• No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
• Peach Cobbler Bars
• Berry Chantilly Cake

Let me know what you thought!

If you make these Ice Cream Sandwiches, let me know what you thought in the ratings and comments below. I absolutely love reading all of your comments! Also, make sure to snap a picture and tag me @simplebakingwithpep on instagram. It truly makes my day to see all of your wonderful creations.

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