Chewy Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

Name: Chewy Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 1 h 7 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; ½ cup (45 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy; ¾ teaspoon (3½ g) baking soda; ¾ teaspoon (4 g) fine sea salt; ¾ cup (1½ sticks) (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes until warm, not hot; 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed; ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar; 1 whole (50 g) large egg, at room temperature; 1 yolk (18 g) large egg yolk, at room temperature; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract; ¾ cup (120 g) mini semisweet chocolate chips; 1 quart (946 ml) good-quality vanilla ice cream, frozen solid, then softened 10 minutes at room temperature until scoopable but not runny; ½ cup (85 g) mini semisweet chocolate chips, poured onto a shallow plate

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Soft, fudgy chocolate cookies studded with mini chocolate chips hold generous scoops of vanilla ice cream, then get rolled in more mini chips. The cookies are built to stay chewy, not rock-hard, straight from the freezer.

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 22 min
Wait: 3 hr 10 min
Total: 4 hr 17 min
Makes: 12 sandwiches (24 cookies, about 3 inches / 7.5 cm each)

Jump to recipe ♡ Save

Ingredients

12 servings

For the cookies
1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled
½ cup (45 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
¾ teaspoon (3.5 g) baking soda
¾ teaspoon (4 g) fine sea salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes until warm, not hot
1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 whole (50 g) large egg, at room temperature
1 yolk (18 g) large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
¾ cup (120 g) mini semisweet chocolate chips
For assembly
1 quart (946 ml) good-quality vanilla ice cream, frozen solid, then softened 10 minutes at room temperature until scoopable but not runny
½ cup (85 g) mini semisweet chocolate chips, poured onto a shallow plate

Equipment (11)

2 rimmed baking sheets, about 13×18 inches (33×46 cm), plus a third sheet or large tray that fits your freezer
Parchment paper
Large mixing bowl and medium bowl
Whisk and silicone spatula
Fine-mesh sieve
Cookie scoop, 2 tablespoon (about 30 ml) size, or a tablespoon measure
Ice cream scoop, ¼ cup (60 ml) size
Wire rack
Shallow plate or bowl for rolling edges
Plastic wrap or small zip-top freezer bags
Oven thermometer (recommended)

Steps

Before you start

Plan for about 4 hours 15 minutes in total. Most of that is chilling, cooling and freezing, so you can do the work in short bursts.
Clear a level spot in your freezer that fits a 13×18-inch (33×46 cm) baking sheet.
Take the ice cream out of the freezer only when the recipe says to. Ice cream that melts and refreezes turns icy.
Cookies must be completely cool before assembly. Warm cookies melt the ice cream.

1
Prep oven and pansOven 350°F / 175°C
- Position two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds and heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until no streaks of cocoa or white flour remain.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The dry mixture is one even dark brown color.
Tip: An oven thermometer helps. Ovens that run hot give crisp cookies, and crisp cookies make hard sandwiches.
2
Mix the dough
- In a large bowl, whisk the warm melted butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar for about 1 minute, until smooth and glossy.
- Whisk in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla for 1 minute, until thick and well blended.
- Add the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula just until a few streaks of flour remain.
- Add the ¾ cup (120 g) mini chips and fold until the dough is evenly mixed.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The dough is soft, thick and fudgy with no dry flour pockets.
Tip: Let the butter cool before mixing. Hot butter scrambles the egg and melts the chips.
3
Chill the dough
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- The dough will firm up and become scoopable, and the cookies will spread less in the oven.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The dough feels like soft clay and holds a scooped shape.
4
Bake first batchOven 350°F / 175°C
- Scoop 12 level 2-tablespoon (about 36 g) mounds of dough and roll them into balls.
- Place 6 on each lined sheet, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart.
- Bake both sheets for 10 to 11 minutes, swapping the sheets between racks and rotating them front to back at the 6-minute mark.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The edges look set and the centers look puffed and slightly soft with a few shiny spots. They will flatten and firm up as they cool.
Tip: Do not wait for the centers to look dry. Overbaked cookies turn hard in the freezer.
5
Bake second batchOven 350°F / 175°C
- Let the sheets cool for 5 minutes, then slide the parchment with the cookies onto wire racks.
- Re-line the sheets with fresh parchment, or let the sheets cool completely before reusing.
- Scoop the remaining dough into 12 more balls and bake the same way for 10 to 11 minutes.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Edges are set and centers look puffed and slightly soft.
Tip: Never place dough on a hot baking sheet. It spreads too fast and the cookies come out thin.
6
Cool cookies completely
- Leave all 24 cookies on the wire racks, still on their parchment, for at least 30 minutes.
- If any look uneven, trim them into rounds while still warm by nudging the edges with a round cutter or glass.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The cookie bottoms feel completely cool to the touch, with no warmth at all.
7
Soften the ice cream
- Move the ice cream from the freezer to the counter and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- Clear a spot in the freezer and set a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment on a flat surface.
- Pour the ½ cup (85 g) mini chips onto a shallow plate.
- Turn 12 cookies flat-side up and set them on the lined tray.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: A scoop presses in easily but the ice cream still holds its shape.
Tip: Flat-side up means the bottom of the cookie faces up, so the flatter surface touches the ice cream.
8
Fill the sandwiches
- Scoop a level ¼ cup (60 ml) of ice cream onto each of the 12 cookies on the tray.
- Top each with a second cookie, bottom-side down against the ice cream.
- Press gently and evenly until the ice cream spreads almost to the edge.
- Wipe any squeezed-out ice cream from the edges with a finger or small spatula.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The ice cream reaches the cookie edges evenly and doesn't ooze out.
Tip: If the ice cream turns soupy, put the whole tray in the freezer for 10 minutes before continuing.
9
Roll in chips
- Hold each sandwich flat and roll its exposed ice cream edge through the mini chips on the plate, pressing lightly so the chips stick.
- Return each sandwich to the lined tray as you finish.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The ice cream edge is fully coated in chips.
Tip: Work quickly and in small batches of 3 to 4 sandwiches, returning the rest to the freezer if the ice cream gets soft.
10
Freeze until firm
- Put the tray, uncovered and level, in the freezer for 1 hour.
- This sets the ice cream so the sandwiches don't smear when wrapped.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The ice cream feels hard when you press the edge, and the chips are frozen in place.
11
Wrap and finish freezing
- Wrap each sandwich snugly in plastic wrap, or slip them into freezer bags with the air pressed out.
- Return them to the freezer for at least 1 more hour.
- For the best texture, let a sandwich sit on the counter for 3 to 5 minutes before eating.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The sandwiches feel solid all the way through and are ready to eat or store.
Tip: Wrapping tightly prevents freezer burn and keeps the sandwiches from picking up freezer smells.

Good to know

Tips

Measure the flour by weight if you can. Too much flour makes the cookies dry and hard when frozen.
Use the same size scoop for every cookie so the sandwiches match and the ice cream amount is even.
If you prefer a sharper edge, press a 3-inch (7.5 cm) round cutter around each warm cookie right after baking to trim it to a neat circle.
Work with one tray at a time and return anything not being assembled to the freezer, because the ice cream melts quickly in a warm kitchen.

Make ahead

"Bake the cookies up to 3 days ahead and store them airtight at room temperature, or freeze them for up to 2 months. You can also scoop the dough balls, freeze them, and bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes. Assembled sandwiches can be frozen for up to 2 weeks before serving."

Storage & reheating

"Freezer: keep individually wrapped sandwiches in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 weeks for best quality, up to 1 month with some loss of flavor. Room temperature: not recommended, since the ice cream melts within minutes. Serve straight from the freezer after 3 to 5 minutes on the counter. Unfilled cookies keep 3 days airtight at room temperature."

Substitutions

good-quality vanilla ice cream → Coffee, mint chip, strawberry or cookie dough ice cream. Use the same quantity and soften the same way. Choose a firm, dense ice cream so it doesn't squeeze out the sides.
unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder → Natural unsweetened cocoa powder. Use the same amount. The cookies will taste a little tangier and look slightly lighter in color.
mini semisweet chocolate chips → Finely chopped semisweet chocolate or white chocolate chips. Use the same weight. Regular-size chips make the sandwiches harder to bite through, so chop them smaller if you use them.
mini semisweet chocolate chips → Rainbow sprinkles or finely crushed chocolate cookies. Use the same amount for a different look. Press them on while the ice cream edge is still slightly soft.