High on the list of cooking things that I’ve got far more opinions on than anyone has ever asked of me (and may have even, at times, prayed I’d stop yapping about), are homemade ice cream sandwiches. Why? Because it’s devastating when you realize something that should bring us nothing but incandescent summer joy — ice cream! cookies! — rarely work as well as promised. Most cookies become so hard once frozen, you feel like you’re breaking a tooth with each bite. Unyielding cookies also squeeze the ice cream out the sides, leading to drips down your arms and an immediate bad mood (for adults; kids, naturally, love it). While writing Smitten Kitchen Keepers, I became obsessed with creating a deeply nostalgic homemade chipwich-style ice cream sandwich that did everything right and I had three big a-ha moments along the way:
- Chocolate chip cookies might be rock-like from the freezer but do you know what is not? Cake! I found that making my cookies a little more cakey — blondie-like, even — by adding some milk yielded a cookie that was the perfect texture from the freezer.
- Freezing mutes flavors so slightly bumping up the sweetness and saltiness of the cookie you’re freezing really helps it have a perfect flavor when you eat them frozen.
- Finally, filling ice cream sandwiches individually is for people with more time and/or patience on their hands than me. Instead, I poured a single layer of cookie batter into a pan and divided it in half once it was baked. These halves formed the top and bottom of a slab of ice cream sandwiches I cut into individual ones once they were frozen. [I also use this technique for these classic Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches.]
And while I am truly as obsessed with the SKK Blondie Chipwich recipe now as I was in 2022, when a chipwich-loving friend had a birthday this month, I realized the next best thing to individual blondie chipwiches was a one cake-sized one we serve in wedges. Do I need to tell you what a commotion a giant chocolate chip cookie ice cream cake causes? Especially when you’re not even lying when you said it was “easy peasy” because it has a one-bowl, hand-whisked cookie batter that bakes quickly and storebought ice cream? It’s happy, retro, and speckled with so many chocolate chips, well, I found some melted into the kitchen floor the next sunny morning. But, uh, you’ll make sure they all get in mouths first, okay? I’m counting on you.
Chipwich Ice Cream Cake
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, any temperature, plus extra for coating the pans
- Scant 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (215 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) milk, any kind, cold is fine
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (9 ounces or 255 grams) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- 3 cups (1 28-ounce container) vanilla ice cream
In a large bowl, melt butter half in the microwave or in a medium-sized pot on the stove, then stir until the butter finishes melting. (This keeps the temperature down.) Add salt, brown sugar, and milk, whisking until smooth. If it’s not cool yet, let it cool a bit more (you do not want the egg to scramble or the chips to melt) before adding the egg and vanilla, whisking until combined. Sprinkle batter with baking powder and mix very well into the batter. Stir in flour and 1/2 cup (3 ounces or 85 grams) of the chocolate chips, stirring until flour disappears.
Pour half the batter into each pan and smooth the top flat. Sprinkle the tops of each round with 2 tablespoons of the chocolate chips.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until cookies are golden at the edges and set but soft in the center. Transfer to a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove from the pans, peeling off the parchment underneath. I like to then transfer my cookies to the freezer for 10 minutes so that they are fully, fully cold before we begin assembling the cake. If your ice cream is rock-hard in the freezer, transfer it to the fridge for these 10 minutes so it will be easier to scoop.
Assemble the cake: Line one of the 8-inch round cake pans with plastic wrap that extends up the sides of the pan in two directions. This will make it easier to remove the cake. [An 8-inch springform can work too but risks leaking before the ice cream is fully frozen again; I’d still use some plastic inside for security.]
Place first chocolate chip cookie round top side down in the bottom of the pan. Scoop vanilla ice cream all over and use a spatula to spread it evenly. Place second chocolate chip cookie top side up on top and press it firmly against the ice cream. Use any plastic that has extended over the sides to cover the cookie, but it’s okay if it’s not fully covered.
Chill the ice cream sandwich cake for 3 to 6 hours and ideally overnight, until firm.
To finish and serve: Remove the cake from the freezer. Run a knife along the edges of the cake pan and then use the plastic wrap to help lift the cake out of the pan. Pat remaining 3/4 cup chocolate chips onto the sides of the cake. Cut the cake into 8 to 12 wedges and serve right away.
Do ahead: Ice cream cake keeps in the freezer for weeks, not that I’ve ever had one last that long.
Note
The (Abridged) Blondie Chipwich (individual ice cream sandwiches) from Smitten Kitchen Keepers: To make these as individual ice cream sandwiches: pour the batter into a single 9×13-inch pan. Once baked, cut the cookie in half, flip so that the top side of each cookie faces the outside, and fill with the ice cream, using the sides of the pan to help it keep its shape. Once frozen solid again, cut into 12 small squares, and press reserved chocolate chips onto sides. For the full recipe, and 99 others that (I’m biased but) are too fantastic to miss, grab a copy of Smitten Kitchen Keepers wherever you like to buy cookbooks.
Previously
6 months ago: Potato Leek Soup
1 year ago: Braised Chickpeas with Zucchini and Pesto
2 years ago: Flaky Chocolate Cake
3 years ago: Plum and Cream Scone Cobbler
4 years ago: Deviled Eggs
5 years ago: Pasta with Pesto Genovese
6 years ago: Frozen Watermelon Mojitos
7 years ago: Corn Fritters and Bourbon Peach Smash
8 years ago: Hummus Heaped with Tomatoes and Cucumbers
9 years ago: Corn, Bacon and Parmesan Pasta
10 years ago: Tomato and Fried Provolone Sandwich
11 years ago: Easiest Fridge Dill Pickles and Grilled Peach Splits
12 years ago: One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes and Hot Fudge Sundae Cake
13 years ago: Bacon Corn Hash
14 years ago: Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones
15 years ago: Mango Slaw with Cashews and Mint, Thai-Style Chicken Legs, Peach Blueberry Cobbler, and Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons
16 years ago: Light Brioche Burger Buns, Blueberry Boy Bait, and Lemony Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza
17 years ago: Chocolate Sorbet
18 years ago: Double Chocolate Layer Cake
This makes me almost wish I weren’t in the middle of making the strawberry stack cake for tomorrow’s dinner party. Almost. I think this is next on the list!
Okay but excellent choice. :)
WOWWWWWWWW
I made my sister bring me mini chocolate chips when she came to visit just so I could make the blondie chipwich. I learned the hard way many years ago that while I love a frozen brownie, they do not make a good ice cream cake as is.of course, I learned this after bringing it to a party, so I¡¯m very grateful for your obsession.
I¡¯m obsessed with chipwiches – was a staple of my childhood summers. I¡¯m not a great baker and have a minuscule freezer but am definitely going to try this!
about ten years ago i cracked a tooth on a frozen chocolate chip in an ice cream pie (not your recipe!) that resulted in a root canal and a crown. so your whole thing about not breaking a tooth is very much legit!
I don’t think the chocolate chip amounts add up right now! But it looks amazing.
You are correct — my bad. So it’s 1/2 cup in the batter, 2 tablespoons sprinkled on each disc, and 3/4 cup chips for pressing into the sides of the cake. Recipe updated accordingly!
Can you use regular size chocolate chips?
They get rock hard and tough to bite through, and they are thick and these cookies work best when they can be thin. I made the mistake of using regular-size chips once, and never again! You could blast them in the food processor or chop them finely, though.
I wouldn’t recommend it. They’re a bit too crunchy when frozen.
These look amazing! I’m going to try this recipe for our bbq this weekend – I’m sure these will be a hit! xxx
I¡¯ve made both the Chipwich ice cream sandwiches from your cookbook and the chocolate ice cream sandwiches multiple times already this summer. Both are excellent and very easy.
My only change is I generally go with strawberry ice cream in the chipwiches and mint chocolate chip for the chocolate ones.
Looks fantastic. It’s a little confusing that in the description you say you poured a layer of cookie batter into the pan and “divided it in half once it was baked.” Sounds like the cookie was to be split in half horizontally after baking. But the recipe clearly calls for dividing the batter before baking, and baking each half separately (which makes more sense). Can’t wait to try it.
Where she says she divided the layer once it was baked, she is describing the process for making individual ice cream sandwiches.
OMG! OMG! OMG! I have Keepers and how did I miss this recipe. Can¡¯t wait to try it!
Thanks for making it front and center!
Thanks for this! My daughter has already requested this for her upcoming birthday but with cookie dough ice cream. Ice cream cake is a must for August birthdays and homemade is always better.
This was unbelievably delicious – but I would suggest that it MUST be chilled overnight. 6 hours in the freezer and cutting it led to a giant mess of ice cream squirting out of the sides. It tasted great though!
When my kids were younger (now 22 and 24) this was what we made for birthday parties. Always, always a hit, and the staff at the Y where we held our parties would line up for their pieces! I appreciate the idea of softening the cookie, because a hot chef’s knife was always required!
I was planning on making the blondie chipwich from Keepers for my kiddos birthday this week, so of course you posted this! Now maybe this cake version? Perfectly timed as always!
I am guessing (which is why I am asking) that if you only wanted half of an ice cream cake, you could half the ingredients and just bake one layer, cut it in half and proceed? Thanks for the recipe!
Oh yeah, for a semi circle, that would work. But if you happen to have 6¡± rounds, you could still have a small round ¡°sandwich¡±. OR, you could bake it in an 8¡± square, it will be a little thinner and bake faster, but then you could cut on the diagonal, and have a fun triangle shape!
Yes
I saw this recipe posted yesterday, and made it almost immediately. I left it in the freezer overnight and we had it today. Not only was it very easy to make, it was delicious! My husband even commented on how good the cookie layer was. Thank you!
Looks amazing! I only have 9-inch cake pans. Will the recipe still work, or should I adjust the volumes? Thank you!
It will just be thinner cookies and a thinner cake, but it will work.
I adjusted the ingredients for my 9¡± cake pans – it¡¯s about 1.25 x everything.
If you¡¯re wondering if this could possibly be as good as it looks, the answer is yes. It has everything you love about a chipwich (the crunchy little chips on the outside!) but it¡¯s even better. It was the perfect summer dessert for a party, a huge hit with kids and adults alike.
Deb, your status as Queen was never in dispute, but this cements it. Talk about making your kid self’s dreams come true…
I wonder if anyone has tried baking this or the blondies in a muffin tin for easy rounds (6 sandwiches total), and done the math on the proportions, or tested the bake time adjustment?
I am a huge Chipwich girlie, and I love this recipe from the cookbook! For Superbowl parties, I have added broken up pieces of pretzel for extra crunch and salt — a huge hit. Go birds!
I GASPED.
ok, this is so neat! you 100% earned the standing o from your daughter.
If I want to prep this ahead of time for a party a week or so later, how is it best to store it to avoid freezer burn? I’m going to be the neighborhood mom of the year to celebrate the end of summer :)
Deb, for later in the year, when we’ve moved back indoors, is there — or could there be — a version of the filling that makes it a chocolate-chip cheesecake-wich?
Meanwhile, the potential of chocolate and/or coffee ice cream in this recipe makes Monday me want it to be Saturday now! Thank you!
Perfect timing! My baby is turning one next month and while he’ll be getting a smash cake, I wanted something tasty for the rest of us which includes some people who aren’t traditional cake fans (they claim “ice cream cake” is an actual cake, but I digress). Anyway, I think this will be a winner for all!
Ingenious, but I need to try this with an oatmeal cookie top/bottom to attempt to replicate my favorite childhood treat, the local San Francisco ice cream sandwich called an It’s-It.
https://itsiticecream.com/about-us