Chewy brownies filled with your favorite ice cream. These Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches have me ready for summer!

Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

I used to say that ice cream was my favorite food. But then I had a realization: ice cream sandwiches are actually my favorite food. And I’m talking about the ones you remember buying from the pool concessions stand during adult swim in the middle of summer with all your best friends. You know, the ones with chewy brownie cookies on the outside? Those are the ones.

So I ventured out to develop this ice cream sandwich recipe, made with my very favorite ice cream flavor: chocolate, of course. You can absolutely make your own ice cream at home, but you’ll already be making the brownie ends so feel free to use store-bought. That’s what I used!

What are Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches?

If you’re a lover of brownies and you haven’t checked out this recipe for my all-time favorite chocolate fudge brownies, you need to bake these ASAP. Y’all know I’m a chocolate lover, and these brownie sandwiches are no exception to that rule. Instead of having a really chewy, gooey center (that wouldn’t be ideal for an ice cream sandwich), These are nice and thin while still being fully baked and chewy on the inside.

I’m not a believer in ice cream sandwiches that are impossible to eat, where the ends break apart as soon as you take your first bite. To avoid that, we need extra chewy ends that can bend when you take a bite out of your sandwich – that’s what these brownies are!

This recipe was adapted from Browned Butter Blondie, a fellow baker and blogger that I adore!

Some equipment you may need…

9×13-inch baking pan: these from USA pan are great, they’ve got squared edges which allows you to be more precise. You’ll need 2 pans for this recipe.
Offset spatula: the best little utensil for almost any baking project. I find myself reaching for this one allll the time in the kitchen. It’s so helpful to use when spreading the batter into an even layer.
Measuring cups/spoons: I’ve been linking these in all of my posts because I love them SO much! They are beautiful and look just like some other expensive ones on the market (but wayyy cheaper).
Mixing bowls: I love these glass mixing bowls from Amazon. They’re especially perfect for food photography.

Ingredients for this recipe

Unsalted buter
Bittersweet chocolate
Granulated sugar
Light brown sugar
Large eggs
Egg yolk
Pure vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Dutch-process cocoa powder
Kosher salt
Instant espresso powder
Store-bought chocolate ice cream (or another of your favorite flavors)

My Kitchen Tips

Use Dutch-process cocoa powder. I use dutch-process in almost all of my baking recipes, mainly because I think the flavor profile is completely different than regular cocoa powder. If you can’t find anything that specifically says “Dutch-process,” look on the ingredients list for “alkali” or something with the word “alkali” in it. That means the same thing!
Do NOT over bake the brownies. If you over bake these, they’ll be really crispy when you freeze them, which means you’ll have that ice cream sandwich that shatters right when you take your first bite. Not what we’re going for here! They should be JUST done, with only a few crumbs that come up when you stick a toothpick in the center of them.
Spread your ice cream out into a pan. In the method you’ll see below, I have you cut the cardboard carton off of a quart of ice cream, then slice the entire thing into sections. This is the fastest, easiest way to do this. But if you want an alternative option, you can cover a sheet pan with plastic wrap. Let your ice cream soften quite a bit on the counter, then spread it into the pan. Freeze the entire thing for at least 2 hours, then you can either slice it with a knife or cut rounds out using a circle cookie cutter. I’ve found that this method results in cleaner cuts, while the other one is quicker and easier.

How to Store

I wrap these entire sandwiches individually in plastic wrap, then pop them in the freezer. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. You can make them at the beginning of summer and be enjoying them all summer long!

I hope you all love this cake as much as I (and my family) does. Feel free to always reach out to me via email (sarah@sarahsdayoff.com), through my Instagram DMs (@sarahsday0ff), or by leaving a comment on one of these posts. I’m happy to answer any questions I can!

If you make this recipe be sure to tag me @sarahsdayoff so I can see them!

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses to Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” -Acts 1:8-

Print Recipe

Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brownie, brownies, chocolate brownies, chocolate ice cream, ice cream sandwich, ice cream sandwiches

Author: Sarah Crawford

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
6 oz bittersweet chocolate (1 1/2 4-oz bars)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1 1/2 quarts store-bought chocolate ice cream (or use any flavor)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut and peel the carton off of one quart container of ice cream. Turn it onto a cutting board. Set it on it's side and use a sharp knife to slice squares of ice cream to desired thickness.
Spray the bottom and sides of 2 9x13-inch pans with cooking spray; line with parchment paper that extends up and over the sides. Set aside.
Melt chocolate and butter over medium low heat until just barely melted, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Pour into a large bowl and whisk in sugars until smooth. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Whisk in vanilla.
In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder. Add to the chocolate mixture and gently fold until no streaks of flour remain.
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and use an offset spatula or knife to level the tops. The batter will be thin and may not reach the edges of the pans.
Bake 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs remaining. Do not overbake!! Cool completely in pan.
Remove cooled brownies from the pan and trim the edges with a sharp knife. Cut brownies into individual squares (I did 2-inch squares), and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut and peel the carton off of a one-quart container of ice cream. Transfer to a cutting board and set it on it's side. Use a sharp knife to slice ice cream to desired thickness.
Use a brownie square for reference and cut ice cream into squares (the same size as the brownies). Set each ice cream square on top of a chilled brownie square, and top with a second square.
Press together gently and freeze 2 hours.