Does anything scream summer more than ice cream? Today we’re over the moon to be sharing not one, not three, but SEVEN amazing ice cream sandwich recipes. We’re partnering with Blue Bell® Ice Cream which is a longtime family favorite at our house – have you tried their Homemade™ Vanilla? It’s insanely delicious and is their top selling flavor for good reason! We also mixed and matched six other tasty flavors, some classics that are available year-round, and others that are available for a limited time only so make sure to try them before they’re sold out!

These mix-and-match ice cream sandwiches are the absolute best way to get creative and try new ice cream flavors this summer. There are 20+ irresistible flavors (including all the flavors in these recipes!) available in pints and over 40+ in half gallons too! One of our favorites is Strawberries & Homemade™ Vanilla – it’s incredible on its own but when paired with graham cracker cookies you get a whole new spin – the combination is almost cheesecake-like and we can’t get enough. And good news: If Blue Bell® isn’t available where you live, they’ll ship ice cream straight to your door! How sweet is that? For more details, click here. And scroll down to see all seven flavor combinations, print the cookie recipes, and read helpful tips on how to make your own ultimate ice cream sandwiches!

Prepare yourself: Blue Bell® Homemade™ Vanilla is like NO other – once you taste it yourself you’ll know there’s no substitute.

Ingredients:

•  2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 cup for rolling
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium until creamy. Add 1 cup of the granulated sugar and the brown sugar and beat again until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the peanut butter and mix on low until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix on medium until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined.
4. Put the remaining 1 cup of sugar into a small bowl. Scoop the cookies to whatever size you prefer (we made these about 2 heaping tablespoons each) and then roll them in the sugar. Place the cookie balls on the prepared baking sheets, and gently press the cookies with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
5. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the edges are set and golden and the center is still a little under baked. Move the pans to a wire rack and let the cookies completely cool before turning into ice cream sandwiches.

Cotton Candy is one of our kids’ favourite flavors – sweet and colorful, it’s like a carnival in your mouth! And this flavor is available for a limited time only, so make sure to pick some up before it’s gone.

Cookie recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:

•  2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature and cut into 8 pieces
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Rainbow sprinkles, for rolling

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F, and adjust an oven rack to the middle position.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Place the sugar and cream cheese in a large bowl. Pour the warm butter over the sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine, getting the cream cheese as smooth as possible. Whisk in the oil until incorporated, then add the egg and vanilla; continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
5. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, and gently roll each piece into balls. Roll the balls in the rainbow sprinkles, place them on the prepared baking sheets (8 cookies will fit on a sheet). Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten dough balls slightly.
6. Bake the cookies, one tray at a time, until the edges of the cookies are set and just beginning to brown, about 11-13 minutes, rotating tray halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

 

Talk about the perfect combination of flavors! Homemade™ Vanilla, juicy ripe strawberries, and graham cracker cookies … so good you’ll want to lick your computer screen!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, soft
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar, minus 1 tablespoon
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon bourbon, optional
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup graham cracker crumbs, plus more for rolling

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and place an oven rack in the middle-low position. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, graham-cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt together, and set aside. In a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugars together. Add the egg, vanilla, and bourbon (if using) and mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix the batter until just combined.
3. Use a scoop or spoon to form balls. Fill a small bowl with more graham cracker crumbs, and roll each dough ball into the crumbs.
4. Place on a baking sheet (if using a tablespoon of dough, 12 should fit on one sheet) and bake the sheets one at a time. About 5 minutes into baking, rotate the pan. Bake a few more minutes (usually about 3 – 5 more minutes), and when the sides of the cookies begin to set and lightly brown, remove the sheets from the oven. The centers will still be a bit underdone and let them cool on a wire rack.

 


Blue Bell® is the maker of the original Cookies ’n Cream Ice Cream – try it for yourself and you’ll taste the real difference. We’ve paired it with these sweet chocolate sugar cookies – yum! We love them so much that we also matched them with Mint Chocolate Chip for the perfect refreshing taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar, plus more for rolling (1/2 cup)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 3 half-sheet pans with parchment paper. Put ½ cup sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
3. Using a standing mixer, cream the butter and 2 cups sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until completely combined.
4. Shape the cookie dough into 24 balls, and roll each ball in the set-aside sugar. Place cookies on the prepared sheet pans (8 will fit on each) and bake for 11-13 minutes, until the edges have set and the centers are puffed and starting to crackle. Remove from the oven and move the pan to a wire rack until cool.

Chocolate lovers will no doubt fall in love with this ice cream sandwich – rich chocolate ice cream sprinkled with chopped almonds and mini marshmallows paired with brownie cookies? Say no more!

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao is ideal, and no more than 70%), chopped, plus 5 ounces, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350 F. Line 3 sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Place the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan set over the lowest possible heat. Add 8 ounces of the chocolate and melt together, stirring frequently to prevent the chocolate from scorching. Continue cooking until the mixture is warm, but not hot, to the touch. Add the warm cocoa powder to the chocolate and whisk until completely combined. Remove from the heat and keep warm. (Or instead, you can heat the butter and chocolate together in the microwave  – use a microwave safe liquid measuring cup, and stop and stir frequently until melted.) In a small bowl,
   whisk together the flour and baking powder and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, whip the eggs, sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until the mixture is very light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and stir in the vanilla and canola oil until just combined, and then add the warm chocolate-butter mixture. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to fold in the remaining 5 ounces of chopped chocolate.
4. If the batter is runny, let it cool for a few minutes until it firms to the consistency of a thick brownie batter. Use a small scoop or 2 spoons to drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart (we fit 12 on a sheet).
5. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until puffed and cracked and the edges are set, about 8–12 minutes. Let cool completely before making ice cream sandwiches.

Another colorful ice cream that’s bursting with flavor – the Cake Batter Ice Cream is made even better with sugar cookie dough pieces. Krazy Kookie Dough is available for a limited time only, so run and don’t walk to get your pints!

Cookie recipe from the Vanilla Bean Baking Book by Sarah Kieffer

Ingredients:

• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium until smooth. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Form the dough into 1-ounce balls, placing them on the prepared pans. Place 12 cookies on each sheet.
5. Bake one sheet at a time, 8-11 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the sides are set and golden brown, but the centers are still slightly under baked.
6. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely on the pan before using.

 


Putting your ice cream sandwiches together is easy. We like to start by laying out the cookies in pairs, with the bottom of the cookie facing up. Use an ice cream scoop to pile the ice cream onto the cookie and close the sandwich with the other cookie. Enjoy immediately or seal in plastic wrap or freezer paper to store in the freezer for later.

Hungry yet? These mix and match ice cream sandwiches are perfect for your next summer cookout, pool party, or any hot day this summer. We can’t wait to try even more tasty combinations this summer with even more pint-sized temptations from Blue Bell®!



To find out where Blue Bell® Ice Cream is available near you, check out their store locator here. And if you don’t see your favorite flavor in stock at the store, just ask your grocer for it!

Enjoy!!

This post is sponsored by Blue Bell® Ice Cream.

Photography and recipes by Sarah Kieffer