Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches with Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Everyone knows and loves the classic ice cream sandwich. You know, the one with a soft, super thin, cake-like wafer filled with vanilla ice cream. The kind you’d get from the ice cream truck on a really hot day. We’ve all experienced the rush of trying to eat ice cream as it quickly melts in the blazing heat. While that jolt of adrenaline is enticing, why wait for the ice cream truck, when you can stock your freezer with homemade ice cream sandwiches?

While I do love the classic vanilla ice cream sandwich, I think its time for an update. My homemade ice cream sandwiches slap a layer of cookies and cream ice cream in between fresh chocolate Oreo cookies. These chocolate cookies are filled with crushed Oreos and dark cocoa powder to give them the signature Oreo taste.

If you are an Oreo cookie lover, these homemade ice cream sandwiches are for you! Once you make these ice cream sandwiches, you’ll never go back to store bought.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Ice cream: This recipe calls for cookies and cream ice cream, but the flavor combinations are endless! Opt for some vanilla ice cream for a more classic taste, or mint chocolate chip for a fresh minty taste. Most ice cream flavors will pair well with the chocolate cookie base, so let your mind run wild.

Unsalted butter: This recipe calls for 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted, softened butter. Butter is the right consistency when you can make a small indent in the stick with your finger. If the butter easily squishes when pressed, it is too soft.

Brown sugar: There is a much higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar in this recipe. Brown sugar will help keep the cookie base soft whereas granulated sugar would make the cookie crispy.

Corn syrup: This recipe calls for corn syrup to create a softer, chewy cookie base.

Oreos: The cookie base calls for 1 cup of finely crushed Oreos with the frosting removed. I used exactly 15 Oreos to get 1 cup. To crush, use a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin or a food processor.

All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is the most common type of flour used in baking. It is important to learn how to measure flour correctly. Too much or too little flour will change the finished product of your baked goods.

Black cocoa powder: This recipe uses a small amount of black cocoa powder. It is optional and can be replaced with Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder (for the dark color) or regular cocoa powder. More on black cocoa powder below!

What is Black Cocoa Powder?

Black cocoa powder is heavily alkalized cocoa powder. Meaning it is less acidic than normal light brown cocoa powder and much darker in color.

Black cocoa gives Oreos their signature chocolate flavor and black color. So, I like to add a few tablespoons of this into the cookie base to replicate an Oreo’s taste and color. A little bit of black cocoa powder goes a long way and I have found that combining a small amount of black cocoa powder with regular natural cocoa powder yields the best flavor.

I have yet to find black cocoa powder in my local supermarket, so I like to buy this black cocoa powder online. If you can’t find black cocoa powder, or don’t want to spend the extra money, regular natural cocoa powder will work as a great substitute. The chocolate cookie base will just be less dark.

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches?

Making the Cookie Base:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two 9×9 baking pans with parchment paper and lightly grease.
2. Cream the butter, sugars, and corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract.
4. Combine and add dry ingredients. Combine the flour, finely crushed Oreos, cocoa powder, black cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Next, add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until dry ingredients are completely incorporated.
5. Divide the dough equally into the two prepared pans. Press dough down so all sides of the pan are filled.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes. The tops should be shiny and no longer wet to the touch.
7. Cool cookies completely before removing from the pan.

Layering the Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

Once the cookie base is completely cool, we can start layering the ice cream sandwich.

Step 1: Line a 9×9 pan with plastic wrap making sure to leave a few extra inches of cling wrap around the edges. I usually use two pieces to make sure all sides are completely covered.

Step 2: Place one cookie square into the plastic wrap lined pan bottom side up (the bottom is less smooth and has many little holes).

Step 3: Spread 1 quart of cookies and cream ice cream evenly over the cookie square. Try to do this as quickly as possible to prevent the ice cream from melting.

Step 4: Place the other cookie square on top of the ice cream, bottom side down. Then, press down firmly. Pull the ends of the plastic wrap up and cover as much of the top of the cookie as possible.

Step 5: Let set in freezer for 2-3 hours before slicing.

*My recipe calls for 1 quart of ice cream. I find that this is a good ratio of ice cream to cookie. That being said, you could load these up with more ice cream if you want extra thick ice cream sandwiches.

Serving the Ice Cream Sandwiches

Once the ice cream sandwiches have set in the freezer for a few hours, they are ready to slice and serve. I like to cut these into 8 nice-sized ice cream sandwiches. For a small snack, cut into 16-small squares.

I recommend cutting up parchment paper in rectangles and forming little wrappers for the ice cream sandwiches. The parchment paper makes it easier to serve and hold onto.

If you are like me and have sensitive teeth, be careful when biting into these. They are super cold right out of the freezer!

How to Store Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches?

If not eating immediately, individually wrap ice cream sandwiches in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the freezer. For maximum freshness, eat within 2 months. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @the.little.baker.who.could on Instagram.