Chewy chocolaty cookies sandwich fresh homemade peanut butter no-churn ice cream are combined in this sugar-free, gluten-free and keto-friendly ice cream sandwich recipe. These decadent treats are better than any store-bought sugar-laden option and perfect for keeping you cool all summer long!

brownie cookies with peanut butter ice cream

Table of Contents

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

I made homemade ice cream sandwiches a couple of weeks ago...and we ate them all before I could take any pictures. So, I made a second batch...and once again, we ate them all! Needless to say, they were a huge hit with Mr. Grumbles and me!

Perfectly creamy whipped peanut butter ice cream covered in a dense and chocolaty brownie type of cookie, what is there not to love?

Peanut butter ice cream covered in a thin brownie robe... Can you see why I lost some control?!!

I do have to admit that I have never been a huge fan of the store-bought ones, the cookie part is always dry and a little lacking in flavour plus they have those mystery ingredients that I try to avoid. And did I mention how much sugar is in one of those bars?

So I decided to try to make my own, see if they were better tasting, easy, or even worth the effort.

And, 3 batches later (which were made and consumed in under 1 week!:-) I can tell you that these are DEFINITELY worth making.

No-Churn Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Old-fashioned ice cream sandwiches with their uniform pattern of holes. The chocolate cookie always getting stuck to your fingers along with ice cream oozing out between the cookies. Nothing screams summer like ice cream sandwiches!

However, the iconic classic ice cream sandwich wasn’t always the first thing on my wish list when the ice cream truck came singing down the street - I was not really a vanilla ice cream fan and am still not even today! So, I decided to create my own homemade ice cream sandwich by taking two amazingly rich and chocolatey cookies and sandwiching an easy peanut butter no-churn ice cream to create an "even-better-than-the-original".

easy no-churn sugar-free ice cream sandwich

Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

WHY WE LOVE THESE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Better than store-bought without any gluten or added sugar.
Rich chocolaty flavour. With the Dutch-processed cocoa and the espresso powder, you get a deep chocolaty flavour.
Versatile. Swap the peanut butter ice cream filling for any flavour combination you want!
Perfect to stash in the freezer all summer long.
SUPER EASY TO MAKE - only a couple of minutes and very few ingredients

THE INGREDIENTS

These ice cream sandwiches are made of two components: chocolate cookies and the no-churn peanut butter ice cream filling.

CHOCOLATE COOKIE INGREDIENTS

Sour Cream - Makes the chocolate cookie softer and a little more dense and brownie like
Alllulose - Sweetens the cookies to keep these ice cream sandwiches sugar-free and keto-friendly. You can use a different type of sweetener but you may need to adjust the amount used as allulose is only 70% as sweet as other sweeteners.
Black and Regular Cocoa Powder - I highly suggest using Dutch-processed cocoa powder for an intensely chocolate flavour. I used a combination of both types to help these ice cream sandwich cookies get a really deep brown and almost black look. However, if you don't have black cocoa powder, you can use regular cocoa powder.
Egg - The egg helps to bind the ingredients as well as gives the cookies a softer and more pillowy texture
Espresso Powder: This ingredient is optional but it does help to bring out the flavour of the chocolate.
Vanilla and Salt - These ingredients help to round out the flavour of the chocolate brownie cookie

NO-CHURN PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM INGREDIENTS

Peanut Butter - I used Jif Natural but any type will work. Although I used smooth peanut butter, chunky peanut butter will work just as well.
Heavy Whipping Cream - This is the main ingredient for the no-churn ice cream.
Cream Cheese - Cream cheese is added to help to give the whipping cream the necessary structure to make it into "ice cream". You do not taste the cream cheese at all so don't eliminate this ingredient as it is necessary to solidify the ice cream
Allulose, Vanilla and Salt - These ingredients create the perfect creamy and delicious peanut butter ice cream which just the right amount of sweetness. You can always add more sweetener to the ice cream after you taste it. I wanted my peanut butter ice cream to taste like peanut butter and not necessarily like Reese's peanut butter cup!

OTHER ICE CREAM CHOICES

While many people argue the best flavour for an ice cream sandwich is classic vanilla, the truth is you really can’t go wrong with any flavour. I would suggest picking a flavour that pairs well with chocolate since that’s the flavour of the cookies. Some of my favourites to try are:

cherry vanilla
coffee
caramel
strawberry

If you want to make any of these flavours, simply replace the peanut butter with any of the above flavours or ingredients.

HOW TO MAKE THEM

These ice cream sandwiches are not at all difficult to make and can easily be made in stages if you want to plan ahead. It’s important that everything be as cold as possible before you begin assembling them and that you work quickly.

PREPARE THE ICE CREAM

This step needs to be done at least 3 hours before you plan on assembling the ice cream sandwiches.

Whip the heavy cream: In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form
Add in all the remaining ingredients: Beat all the ingredients together until stiff peaks form
Freeze ice cream: Spread the ice cream onto the prepared pan. You can either spread it about 1 inch thick and use a cookie cutter to make the circles or you can place it in a piping bag and put the bag in the freezer until it has hardened slightly.

I added some peanuts to half the mixture to add some texture to the ice cream. This is completely optional and is not listed in the recipe

MAKE THE HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Beat all the ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the ingredients until they are all very well combined
Shape the cookies: Take a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or measuring spoon and drop dollops into a well-greased whoopie pan or on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
OPTIONAL - Poke the cookies: Using a skewer or the tip of a thermometer, poke a pattern of holes on each cookie’s surface.
Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are just set. Do not overbake.
Cool completely: Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for 2 to 3 minutes on a baking sheet. Transfer to cooling racks and cool to room temperature.
Freeze the cookies for at least 1 hour before assembling the sandwiches

ASSEMBLE YOUR SANDWICHES

Pair cookies: Match up cookies of the same size and have them laid out and ready for ice cream.
Remove ice cream: Allow the ice cream to soften for about 3-5 minutes
Cut or Pipe ice cream: Working quickly, cut the ice cream using a small round cookie cutter into so that you end up with 6 round discs of ice cream (or whatever shape you cut the cookies into). You can also pipe the ice cream onto each cookie.
Stick cookies together: Place the ice cream between two chilled cookies and press the cookies lightly to adhere.
Freeze to set: Return sandwiches to the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

DIP AND DECORATE

Serve the ice cream sandwiches as is or dress them up for something a little more fun! Here are some ways to dip or decorate these homemade ice cream sandwiches:

Chocolate dip. Dunk half of the ice cream sandwich in melted chocolate and freeze to set.
Peanut butter dip. Dunk half of the ice cream sandwich in melted peanut butter and freeze to set.

EDGE COATINGS

To coat the edges with toppings, pour the topping on a medium plate and hold the ice cream sandwich in the middle. Place the ice cream exposed edge in the toppings and dip to coat. Rotate and dip each edge in the toppings until they are all coated. Some great edge coatings include:

Sugar-free Rainbow sprinkles or make your own with this recipe from All Day I Dream About Food
Keto Chocolate sprinkles
Crushed Keto Catalina Oreo cookies
Mini sugar-free chocolate chips by Lily's or ChocZero
Chopped peanuts or other nuts like pistachios, pecans, or walnuts

STORING AND FREEZING TIPS

Store: Wrap the ice cream sandwiches individually in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe, airtight container or zip-top plastic bag in the freezer.
Shelf-Life: Stores well for up to 3 months.

ICE CREAM SANDWICH FAQS

Why do you poke holes in the cookies?

Poking holes in the top of the cookies allow the cookies to bake evenly as well as gives a space for steam to escape during the baking process. It can also help to make sure that the cookies stick to the ice cream by allowing the ice cream to get stuck in the holes and hold everything together. However, 9 times out of 10, I forget to do this so if you forget, don't worry about it as they still taste the exact same!

Why do you freeze after assembly?

While each individual part is already frozen, it’s important to give the sandwich time to freeze together. The moisture from the ice cream helps to soften the cookies so each bite is chewy and melts in your mouth.

Are my sugar-free ice cream sandwiches worth it?

Mr. Grumbles and I definitely think these are ABSOLUTELY worth making.

The soft brownie-like cookie crust sandwiching the peanut butter ice cream really hit the spot and has been a perfect summer treat for these hot summer days we have been having.

They were ridiculously easy to make since both components only took about 5 minutes each to come together. The only time-consuming part was to have to wait for the ice cream and bars to harden!

The recipe only makes about 6 ice cream cookie sandwiches which doesn’t make it very far in my household. I love that these frozen treats are made with sugar-free, gluten-free and keto ingredients though. I love the peace of mind that comes with making my own food.

keto peanut butter ice cream sandwiched between two brownies

Cost breakdown

My homemade ice cream sandwiches cost me about $3 and made about 6 bars.

To buy a 3 count package of Keto Rebel Ice Cream Bars at the store is about $8.99 for the generic brand. That means that each store-bought keto ice cream bar is about $3 a bar whereas my homemade ice cream sandwich bars only cost about $0.50 a bar!

My Keto Ice Cream Bars vs. Store-bought

Are my ice cream sandwiches less expensive? Heck yes!

Are my ice cream sandwiches better tasting? Without a doubt!

Do my ice cream sandwiches use gluten-free and sugar-free ingredients? Yup!

TIPS FOR KETO ICE CREAM SANDWHICHES:

use a whoopie pan for making the cookies to help make the cookies all the same shape
use a cookie scoop to place the dough into the pan to ensure that all the cookies are the same size
allow your sour cream and egg to come to room temperature to help make it easier to incorporate all the cookie ingredients
Keep a tray in the freezer to place the cookie sandwich directly back into the freezer as soon as you have assembled them so that they do not begin to melt as you finish assembling the rest of the cookie sandwiches
I have both piped and used a cookie cutter for these cookie sandwiches and I think using a cookie cutter is MUCH easier - I spread my ice cream onto a piece of aluminum foil in an 8 x 8 inch pan. After about 3 hours, I use my cookie cutter to make the cut outs. Do not remove the cut outs but instead, place the pan back into the freezer. When you are ready to assemble the ice cream bars, simply pop out the ice cream cookie cut out and place it between the brownie cookies.
You can stir in some additional peanuts into the ice cream for a crunchier texture if you please. Or, stir in some sugar-free chocolate chips for a more chocolaty taste!