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Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Sandwiches

Holy smokes, how is it August already? Summer has really flown by. Now that it’s August I’ve already started to see so many fall and Halloween decorations at the store. I know some people can’t wait for the Starbucks psl or pumpkin decor, but I’m just not ready for it yet! I’m holding on to every little bit of summer, especially with these strawberry shortcake ice cream sandwiches. The cookies are softly baked with a little chew and spice. The ice cream center is creamy and swirled with the sweetest homemade strawberry jam. When both are squished together it makes the perfect combo of crunch and melty goodness.

Three ice cream sandwiches stacked in middle of the frame, top one missing a bite

As I like to call it, it’s Friday jr. Almost the end of the week and I wish I was cooling off with these strawberry shortcake ice cream sammies right about now. They really make the perfect weekend treat and come together easier than it looks.

Oh how I love ice cream. But I also love cookies. So really, ice cream sandwiches cover all the bases in the best ways. My favorite part is that they can be frozen for months and snacked on throughout the season. Nothing reminds me of summer more than fresh fruit and ice cream. These bright strawberries are juicy and sweet, and happen to make the most delicious jam.

Now I could stop right here and tell you to just jar the jam for months to come and call it a day, but when you can swirl it in ice cream, what are you waiting for?

Ice cream sandwiches assorted laying out

Ok ya’ll so what’s your go-to favorite ice cream flavor? I’m really a coffee, heath, or strawberry person, but I won’t pass up a scoop anytime if it comes my way. We are blessed to live one block away from Denver’s best ice cream store Bonnie Brae. Now, you think I would walk there more often, but I guess I have to limit myself.

ingredients you need

  • Fresh strawberries
  • Sugar
  • Lemon juice
  • Honey
  • Butter
  • Flour
  • Baking soda
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Vanilla extract
  • Vanilla ice cream (Homemade or store-bought will work)
2 ice cream sandwiches stacked focusing on bite

all things jam

The star of the show here is really the fresh strawberry jam. It’s sweet and a little sticky, but makes the perfect swirl for each little ice cream square. What I love about adding the jam is that it’s not just strawberry ice cream, it’s still vanilla with big chunks of fresh strawberry throughout.

I love strawberry ice cream, but adding the fresh stuff just makes it ✨ better.

To make the jam, all you need to do is add the fresh berries to a medium pot with the sugar, lemon juice, and honey. It’s very similar to other jams, but a little touch of honey adds a sweet flavor.

Bring the jam to a boil and begin to mash the berries as they become softer. Once mashed, continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes until the jam has thickened and reduced. Just enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and it’s more of a sticky texture.

Set aside and let the jam cool.

Once the jam is cooled, swirl it into your vanilla ice cream in a 9×13″ pan. Freeze until firm.

Assorted sandwiches focusing on center sandwich with exposed berry

roll, bake, and assemble

While the ice cream freezes, bake up your cookies.

The dough comes together in two shakes very similar to rolled sugar cookies. Roll the dough fairly thin, otherwise you’ll have to bite into a rock later. I like to stick around 1/4″ or a little less.

Cut into squares with a cookie cutter or just by eye. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake for only 10 minutes! No more. I like to under bake them a little bit so they’re more chewy once frozen.

Once baked, I drizzled them with a simple glaze and some raw sugar.

Alright, so now our cookies are done and the ice cream is frozen — time to assemble!

Cut the ice cream block into 12 even squares. Take 2 cookies and sandwich them around the ice cream chunk. It’s ok to give it a little squish to make sure it stays together. Ta-da!

Pop ’em back in the freezer until firm and you’re done…easy peasy.

Other than waiting for the sammies for freeze each time, I find this recipe to be really easy. Definitely a must try for summer! Or with the kiddos.

freezing tip for the strawberry shortcake ice cream sandwiches

Now you might be worried about biting into a rock later when you go for a bite, but here’s an easy hack.

One, just undertake the cookies a little bit to ensure they won’t be too crispy.

Two, when you’re ready to dig in, let the sandwich sit at room temp for about 10 minutes. This is just enough time for the cookie to slight soften without your ice cream melting too much. (Don’t be worried about the ice cream, it’ll hold up more than you think ;))

Close up sandwich shot, with 3 stacked

My other ice cream favorites:

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it below in the comments or on Instagram, @tuesday.treats or use #tuesdaytreats2016. I love seeing your creations!

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Sandwiches

Recipe by Gillian VolzCourse: Ice CreamCuisine: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

45

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

5

hours 

These strawberry shortcake ice cream sandwiches have the perfect balance of crunch, gooey strawberry jam, and a little spice. Perfect weekend summer treat.

Ingredients

  • Strawberry Jam
  • 5 cups fresh strawberries

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

  • Cookies
  • 2 1/4 cups flour

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1 quart vanilla bean ice cream (Homemade or store bought)

  • Citrus Glaze (optional)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

  • 2 tsp orange juice (lemon juice will work too)

  • Raw sugar

Directions

  • Strawberry Jam
  • Start by making the strawberry jam. Add your fresh berries, sugar, honey, and lemon juice to a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring the jam to a boil and begin to mash the berries as they become softer with a fork or potato masher. Once mashed, continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes until the jam has thickened and reduced. Just enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and it’s more of a sticky texture. Set aside to cool.
  • Line a 9×13″ pan with parchment paper. Spread your ice cream in the pan evenly. Swirl your jam into the ice cream. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
  • Cookies
  • While the ice cream freezes, let’s make the cookies. Preheat your oven to 350 F and line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
  • Cream your butter, sugar, honey, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Next, add in your dry ingredients including your flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until your dough comes together and everything is evenly incorporated. If your dough seems dry and flaky, add 1-2 tsp of milk until it balls together.
  • Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface 1/4″ thick. (Don’t make the cookies too thick, otherwise it’ll be like biting into a rock later.) Add the cookies to the sheet and bake for 10 minutes until just baked, no more! It’s ok if they’re a little soft and under baked, they’ll be frozen later. Let the cookies fully cool once baked.
  • I like to drizzle my cookies with a little glaze and crunch. To do this, mix your orange juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl until it’s a thick syrup like texture. Drizzle it over your cookies and garnish with some raw sugar. Set aside.
  • Cut the frozen ice cream block into 12 even squares. Squish one square between 2 cookies. Repeat for the rest. Re-freeze until firm and enjoy!

Notes

  • To store for an extended period of time, individually wrap them in plastic wrap and place them into a clear bag/tupperware. Freeze up to 6 months.
  • When you’re ready to enjoy again, let them sit at room temp for 10 minutes so the cookie slightly soften without the ice cream melting too much.

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