Chocolate ice cream sandwiches {vegan + gluten free}

(cliccate qui per la versione italiana)

Happy Monday friends!

I’d wanted to make ice cream sandwiches for years but somehow never got to it until recently. And boy was it worth it! There are of course a thousand ways to make them, but here’s my take on them: I made my own almond butter first, then mixed it with oat flour (which I made by pulsing rolled oats) and a couple other goodies. And what’s not to love about chocolate nicecream with cinnamon and cloves? Nothing, I’ll tell you that! These ice-y sandwiches were so so good and fool-proof to make, the perfect dessert for these afternoons when you just want to melt away (or wait, that’s exactly what you’ve been doing all along!).

Feel free to use any nut/seed butter and also any nicecream flavor of your choice. Anything would taste good in these almond butter cookies!

CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES {vegan + gluten free}
by Marta Giaccone

Recipe
yields about 8 ice cream sandwiches depending on size
prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 24 mins, total: 34 mins + freezer time

Cookie base
½ cup / 65 gr oat flour (look for certified GF if sensitive)
½ tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/3 cup / 75 gr sugar (I used brown sugar)
½ cup almond butter (or other nut/seed butter) >>click here for my homemade almond butter with step-by-step photos<<
2 tbsp plant-based milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Add the first 4 ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
3. Add almond butter and milk, and mix very well until you have a very sticky dough.
4. With the help of a scale, divide the dough in 2.
5. Line a square/rectangular oven pan with parchment paper (I used a 20x10cm / 8x4in plumcake tin but it was definitely too small. You want to yield larger and thinner icecream sandwiches!)
6. With wet fingers press one half of the dough inside the pan, trying to make it as level as you can.
7. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and repeat with 2^nd dough, using the same pan. Keep this 2^nd dough inside the pan, which will make things easier afterwards.
8. Let them cool while you prepare the “icecream”.

Chocolate nicecream
3-4 bananas, peeled, chopped, frozen and slightly thawed
1 tbsp milk
cinnamon
clove
5 tbsp cacao powder (I used half cacao and half carob)
(optional: a handful of chopped dark chocolate and/or cacao nibs)

Method

1. Add milk and banana pieces to a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides a couple of times. Note: don’t break your blades! If it looks like it’ll never work, just add 1 or 2 more tbsp of milk at a time to help with the process.
2. Add all the powders and mix to incorporate. Add chopped chocolate and mix just to incorporate.
3. Pour the nicecream into the pan onto the bottom base, smooth it out, then very carefully slide the top base onto the nicecream. It’s ok if it breaks a little, it will stick together anyway.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and pop into the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up. Let thaw for a few minutes, then cut into individual sandwiches of the desired size and shape. Store in the freezer! I wrapped them individually.