Homemade Gluten-Free Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Missing your favorite ice cream treats? Learn how to make delicious homemade gluten-free ice cream sandwiches. Who needs store bought when you can easily take vanilla ice cream and sandwich it between two chocolate cookie wafers? They're the best!

These ice cream sandwiches are made up of two soft but sturdy chocolate wafer cookies that sandwich a layer of vanilla ice cream in between.

My oldest, like me, always thought the cookie was the best part of an ice cream sandwich. In fact, when he was little, he'd pick off and eat every last bit of that precious cookie before consuming the ice cream!

I used to love picking up a box of ice cream sandwiches when I'd go to the grocery store, but since I've gone gluten-free, they've been a big no-no. I still occasionally get them for my boys, but man it's a bummer not to be able to eat them.

Enter this recipe. The great thing is, you can even make these goodies into gluten-free dairy-free ice cream sandwiches by subbing a good dairy-free ice cream.

Also, I may be getting ahead of myself here, but here's a handy tip: It's possible to cut your ice cream sandwiches with a knife, but I highly recommend buying an ice cream mold/cutter. I've listed several affordable options over on my Top 10 Ice Cream Accessories and Tools post. Scroll down to #6!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

  • Although this recipe can be fairly time-consuming to make, it's easy enough that anybody can make it.
  • Gf ice cream sandwiches feature deliciously soft gluten-free chocolate wafer cookies with a layer of vanilla ice cream (or any flavor) sandwiched in between.
  • Did I mention that this recipe is gluten-free? You won't find these in the freezer aisle.
gf ice cream sandwiches ingredients on white marble countertop

Ingredient Notes

How to Make Gluten-Free Ice Cream Sandwiches From Scratch

Before getting started, pre-heat the oven to 350º F and line two jelly roll pans (16x10x1) with parchment paper.

  1. Mix together the butter and sugar.
  2. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture, mixing well.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt.
  4. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk into the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
  5. Divide the cookie dough in half and spread each half into the paper covered jelly roll pans. The dough will be thin but should cover the bottom of each pan completely.
  6. Bake the cookie dough at 350º F for about 10-12 minutes, switching racks halfway through. Then allow the sheets to cool for about 20 minutes.
how to make gluten-free chocolate cookie wafers for homemade ice cream sandwiches

Chill the Cookies While You Soften the Ice Cream

  1. Place the baking sheets in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
  2. Now, rock hard, 100% frozen ice cream is next to impossible to spread without tearing the cookie into pieces. That's why I recommend beating the ice cream with a mixer on low speed for a few minutes. This will quickly soften the ice cream to a spreadable form without melting it, provided you're working with cold ingredients.
beaten vanilla ice cream in KitchenAid mixer bowl

Assemble the Ice Cream Sandwiches

  1. Remove your cookies from the freezer, and spread the ice cream over one cookie wafer sheet.
  2. Top with the remaining cookie wafer sheet. Then remove the parchment paper from the top layer.
how to assemble ice cream sandwiches with vanilla ice cream and cookie wafers
  1. Cover the entire cookie sheet with plastic wrap or foil and freeze for at least 2-3 hours.

How to Cut Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

  1. Cut the ice cream sandwiches into rectangles, using a knife or an ice cream sandwich mold/cutter. You can also use an imprint plate, if you'd like the look of tiny holes like a store bought ice cream sandwich.
how to cut homemade ice cream sandwiches with an ice cream mold or cutter

They're ready to serve, or you can store them, individually wrapped with plastic, in the freezer.

homemade ice cream sandwiches lined up on their sides on parchment paper

Can I Make This Recipe Dairy-Free?

It's challenging, but it can be done. I've never made this recipe dairy-free, but here are a few ideas as to how you can make dairy-free ice cream sandwiches.

You'll simply need to replace any dairy ingredient in this recipe with a non-dairy substitute.

Just like that, you've (hopefully) just made a delicious batch of gluten free dairy free ice cream sandwiches! Let me know how it turned out in the comments below.

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ's

Can I use any flavor ice cream?

You can use whatever flavor you'd like. I might recommend trying salted caramel ice cream, peanut butter ice cream, or strawberry ice cream. Heck, you could even use Neapolitan ice cream! The sky's the limit.

How do you keep the ice cream from melting while making this recipe?

The best way to keep your ice cream from melting while making this recipe is to work with cold ingredients. This is why I recommend placing your cookie wafer in the freezer for 20 minutes before spreading the ice cream. Just try to be quick, and get your ice cream sandwiches in the freezer as quickly as possible.

How do you store homemade ice cream sandwiches?

The only way to store them is by freezing them. Wrapped tightly with a layer of plastic wrap and then a second layer of aluminum foil, they will keep up to 3 months in the deep freeze.

stack of gf ice cream sandwiches with bite taken out of top one

More Ice Cream Recipes:

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If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!

stack of homemade gluten-free ice cream sandwiches on parchment paper

Gluten-Free Ice Cream Sandwiches

How to make delicious homemade gluten-free ice cream sandwiches. Vanilla ice cream sandwiched between chocolate cookie wafers. Easy recipe!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 400kcal
Author: Mel Lockcuff

Ingredients

Instructions

Make the Chocolate Cookie Wafers:

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350º F, and line two jelly roll pans (16x10x1) with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar.
  • Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture, mixing well.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt.
  • Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk into the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
  • Divide the cookie dough in half and spread each half into the prepared jelly roll pans. The dough will be thin but should cover the bottom of each pan completely.
  • Bake the cookie dough at 350º F for about 10-12 minutes, switching racks halfway through. Then allow the sheets to cool for about 20 minutes.

Chill the Cookies While You Soften the Ice Cream:

  • Place the baking sheets in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
  • Now, rock hard, 100% frozen ice cream is next to impossible to spread without tearing the cookie into pieces. That's why I recommend beating the ice cream with a mixer on low speed for a few minutes. This will quickly soften the ice cream to a spreadable form without melting it, provided you're working with cold ingredients.

Assemble the Ice Cream Sandwiches:

  • Remove your cookies from the freezer, and spread the ice cream over one cookie wafer sheet.
  • Top with the remaining cookie wafer sheet. Then remove the parchment paper from the top layer.
  • Cover the entire cookie sheet with plastic wrap or foil and freeze for at least 2-3 hours.

How to Cut Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches:

  • Cut the ice cream sandwiches into rectangles, using a knife or an ice cream sandwich mold/cutter. You can also use an imprint plate, if you'd like the look of tiny holes like a store bought ice cream sandwich.
  • They're ready to serve, or you can store them, individually wrapped with plastic, in the freezer.

Notes

*I almost always use Authentic Foods Classical Blend gluten-free flour. Time and time again, this flour blend has given me the best results and gluten-free baked goods that taste no different than the original. Do keep in mind that different gluten-free flours can give different results. 
*You can use whatever flavor ice cream you'd like. 
How do you store homemade ice cream sandwiches?
The only way to store them is by freezing them. Wrapped tightly with a layer of plastic wrap and then a second layer of aluminum foil, they will keep up to 3 months in the deep freeze.

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 298mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 705IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 1mg
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