Boasting homemade vanilla bean ice cream and oversized from-scratch cookies, these M&M Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches are the perfect summer treat when you don’t want to choose between ice cream and cookies.
It’s August in Southern Oregon, which means HOT HOT HOT temps. It reached 107 degrees today, and we have a couple more days in the triple digits until relief is in sight. Enter my favorite summertime treat: the chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich! These incredible cookie sandwiches boast homemade vanilla bean ice cream that is made the night before (or in the morning if you plan to enjoy these after dinner!). The ice cream is sandwiched between oversized, from-scratch M&M chocolate chip cookies, and I can say with certainty that this is one of my new favorite recipe combinations. These M&M Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches are sure to please any ice cream + cookie lovers in your life and truly help us all beat the heat. Let’s make them.
What you’ll need to make these M&M cookie ice cream sandwiches:
- Heavy Cream, whipped to stiff peaks
- 1 14-Ounce Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Half and Half
- Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
- Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
- Granulated Sugar
- Large Eggs
- Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- All-Purpose Flour
- Milk Chocolate Chips
- 1 10-Ounce bag of M&M’s
- Rainbow Sprinkles, optional for rolling
The No-Churn Ice Cream
This homemade four-ingredient vanilla bean ice cream is essentially the first recipe in my cookbook, "Easy No-Churn Ice Cream.” It’s creamy, packed with vanilla bean goodness, and tastes so much better than its store-bought counterpart.
To begin, you'll want to make this ice cream the night before you make the cookies if you plan to have the cookies the same day (or you can make both first thing in the morning and enjoy the ice cream sandwiches after dinner). Begin by whipping the heavy cream with a hand mixer or standing mixer until stiff peaks form, about 1-3 minutes. In a small bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk, the half and half, and the vanilla bean paste. Whisk to combine, about 20 seconds. Add the sweetened condensed milk mixture to the whipped heavy cream and gently mix until combined, about 30-60 seconds. You can gently whisk the ice cream batter if you feel like there are too many lumps left.
Pour the ice cream onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet with at least a ½-inch edge all around. Freeze for 4-5 hours or overnight. The ice cream should be completely solid before cutting it and adding it to the cookies.
The M&M Cookies
These cookies are a brand new recipe that I perfected this week, and I love their soft and flavor-packed texture! Extra egg yolks add dimension to the dough, and granulated sugar plus plenty of milk chocolate chips and candies bring the sweetness.
Cream the butter and sugar in a standing mixer or by hand until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds or so. Add the eggs and the vanilla paste. Mix until well incorporated, about 20 seconds. Add the dry ingredients: the flour, the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well incorporated, and no powder remains. Add your chocolate chips and M&M’s. Stir gently until they are mixed in.
Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined standard-sized baking sheet. Bake 8-10 at a time at 375°F for 14-16 minutes, or until golden on the outside. The middle will set up as they cool. Cool on a cookie sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. Makes 20-22 cookies, about 11 ice cream sandwiches. If you prefer smaller cookies, use a 2-tablespoon scoop and bake for 12-14 minutes.
Putting the Ice Cream Sandwiches Together:
Cut ice cream circles with a cookie cutter roughly the size of the cookies. Place between two cookies that have been frozen for at least an hour. Roll in rainbow sprinkles if desired. Work in batches if you feel like the ice cream is melting. Place the ice cream cookie sandwiches back into the freezer until they are solid, about 1-2 hours. When sufficiently frozen, serve immediately. Store any leftovers in the freezer for up to a week.
Now you can of course enjoy the cookies and ice cream separately, or even just bake up a batch of these incredible cookies to enjoy on their own. Lastly, enjoy them open-faced with a scoop of ice cream on top if you don’t fancy two cookies. Sprinkles are optional but are they really? 😉
Products Used
Here is one link to all of the products I used in making these ice cream sandwich cookies, including my cookbook.
Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich Products
Peruse my entire storefront for the items that I bake and style with daily! My promise to you is to never share a product that I don’t personally use and love.
Dietary substitutions
I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either used and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.
As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of gluten or dairy.
Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is a wonderful all-purpose sub, and it’s cup for cup, so use the same measurements as you would all-purpose flour.
Miyokos butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change.
Enjoy Life makes a dairy free + allergen friendly semi sweet chocolate chip that would work great in this recipe.
Earth gems makes a dairy free and gluten free M&M replacement.
Silk Plant Based Half and Half Alternative is a great alternative to dairy based cream.
Silk Dairy Free Heavy Cream is a great option for both the cheesecake and the whipped topping.
If you loved these M&M Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches, I’d be so grateful for you to leave a 5 star rating + review.
Tag @heathershomebakery on Instagram if you upload a pic too, because I want to see your creations.
Lastly, post this recipe to any of your boards by tapping the Pinterest icon and clicking on your favorite photo. Save and enjoy!
XO,
Heather
PS- try my loaded candy bar cookies for a fabulous cookie that takes candy loving to a new level!
M&M Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
No-Churn Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
- 1 ½ Cups Heavy Cream, whipped to stiff peaks
- 1 14 Ounce Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
- ½ Cup Half and Half
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
For the M&M Cookies:
- 1 Cup Salted Butter
- 1 ¼ Cups Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg + 2 Large Egg Yolks
- 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 ¾ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 Cups Milk Chocolate Chips
- 1 10 Ounce Bag of M&M’s
Instructions
- For the Ice Cream: You'll want to make this ice cream the night before you make the cookies if you plan to have the cookies the same day (or you can make both first thing in the morning and enjoy the ice cream sandwiches in the late afternoon or after dinner). Begin by whipping the heavy cream with an hand mixer or standing mixer until still peaks form, about 1-3 minutes. In a small bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk, the half and half, and the vanilla bean paste. Whisk to combine, about 20 seconds. Add the sweetened condensed milk mixture to the whipped heavy cream, and gently mix until combined, about 30-60 seconds. You can gently whisk the ice cream batter if you feel like there are too many lumps left.Pour the ice cream onto a parchment lined cookie sheet with at least a ½ inch edge all around. Freeze for 4-5 hours or overnight. The ice cream should be completely solid before cutting it and adding it to the cookies.
- For the Cookies: Cream the butter and sugar in a standing mixer, or by hand, until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds or so. Add the eggs and the vanilla paste. Mix until well incorporated, about 20 seconds. Add the dry ingredients: the flour, the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well incorporated, and no powder remains. Add your chocolate chips and m&m’s. Stir gently until they are mixed in.Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough balls onto a parchment lined standard sized baking sheet. Bake 8-10 at a time at 375°F for 14-16 minutes, or until golden on the outside. The middle will set up as they cool.Cool on cookie sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. Makes 20-22 cookies. If you prefer smaller cookies, use a 2 tablespoon scoop and baked for 12-14 minutes.
- To make the ice cream sandwiches: Cut ice cream circles with a cookie cutter roughly the size of the cookies. Place between two cookies that have been frozen for at least an hour. Roll in rainbow sprinkles if desired. Work in batches if you feel like the ice cream is melting. Place the ice cream cookie sandwiches back into the freezer until they are solid, about 1-2 hours. When sufficiently frozen, serve immediately. Store ant leftovers in the freezer for up to a week. Enjoy!
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