Dairy-free Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

I am an ice cream lover, through and through. And being on a gluten-free, dairy-free diet has not squelched that love either! These dairy-free cookie ice cream sandwiches remind me of summer and are perfect for satisfying my ice cream craving. Ice cream sandwiches are always somewhat tricky to make, but these came together perfectly and with as little mess as possible. They are an easy dessert to put together for family gatherings, celebrations, and just to have on hand in the freezer!

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Modern Pioneer Recipe

These ice cream sandwiches are a modern pioneer dessert recipe! When looking to create a healthy, easy dessert that was perfect for summer days, I couldn’t come up with any better idea than an ice cream sandwich. I used to love buying pre-made ice cream sandwiches before I want on a stricter anti-inflammatory diet.

As a modern pioneer, I try to be more conscientious about my food choices. I figured it would be better for me to make my own ice cream sandwiches rather than buying them. Thus this dairy-free cookie ice cream sandwich recipe was created.

The one great thing (and sometimes challenging aspect) about creating your own recipe is that you can make it so that it fits into your dietary restrictions. These cookie ice cream sandwiches weren’t too hard to make into a ‘healthy’ dessert thanks to a delicious grain-free cookie recipe and some dairy-free ice cream!

These cookie ice cream sandwiches are….

• dairy-free
• grain-free
• gluten-free
• peanut free
• tree nut free
• egg free
• corn free

The cookies are naturally sweetened with unrefined sugars and there are countless dairy-free ice cream options that work perfectly in these ice cream sandwiches. That way you can keep them classically delicious while still being healthier than a store-bought version!

Summer Food Prep for Modern Pioneers

I find that summer is the hardest time for me to stick to my low-inflammation diet. While I always stick to my gluten-free diet restrictions, sometimes I have a harder time staying away from rice, refined sugar, and dairy during the summer months.

I mean, how can you resist hot dog buns for a grill out? Or ice cream on a hot day? Or sandwiches for a quick lunch? Not to mention summer snack options! While I know the early pioneers probably did without a lot of the foods we now seem to crave, I think that as modern pioneers we can at least make healthier choices when choosing what foods we eat.

Depending on where you are at in your modern pioneer journey, you may not be able to make all the foods you need or want. I know I can’t! That’s why I look for healthier, sustainable brands that make products that fit into my dietary restrictions.

I have compiled a bunch of my favorite products in my post on A Healthy Menu for Busy Students, but I would like to give you a few tips for how I stick to a healthier diet during the summer months:

• Homemade Bread– Try making whatever bread products you need! I like this grain-free bread for summer sandwiches and these grain-free cheese rolls make great hamburger buns!
• Against the Grain Products– Too busy to bake? Check out Against the Grain bread products, Sami’s Bakery products, or Canyon Bakehouse products! I mention a lot of these delicious breads in my modern pioneer sandwich guide.
• Healthy Ice Cream– Try making your own ice cream or buy a sustainable dairy-free ice cream brand. We will talk more about what healthy options I have found later on in this post.
• Homemade Snacks– I enjoy making my own healthy summer snacks, and a few of my favorites include these no-bake protein bars and these no-bake pb&j energy balls!
• Sustainable Meats– Summer grill outs are a great time to enjoy home-raised meats or ethically harvested wild game.

Choosing an Ice Cream

With dairy allergies being so common, it seems like dairy-free alternatives have just multiplied! Which is great when it comes to looking for a dairy-free ice cream! Of all the dairy-free alternatives, the ones that I use the most are the coconut based ones. Being the ice cream addict that I am, I have tried many different brands of coconut milk ice cream.

Each brand seems to have it’s perks, but one brand really stands out to me: NadaMoo!. NadaMoo! coconut milk ice cream is my favorite brand of dairy-free ice cream. Its texture and taste seems just like traditional ice cream, not to mention they make numerous different flavors! Make sure you read the ingredient list for the different flavors since some of them contain tree nuts.

My favorite flavors are NadaMoo! cookies’n’creme, NadaMoo! salted caramel, and NadaMoo! mint chip.

Some other brands of coconut milk ice cream that I would recommend include SoDelicious and Cosmic Bliss. If you have a coconut allergy or sensitivity, please note that you can use other dairy-free ice creams in this recipe! Some popular ones include almond milk ice cream, oat milk ice cream, and soy milk ice cream.

If you’re really feeling like a modern pioneer, try making your own dairy-free ice cream! Making my own dairy-free ice cream is on my bucket list of modern pioneer recipes. Maybe I’ll share the recipe if it turns out good!

Get Creative

When making fun desserts, I like to get creative. Being a photographer, I am always looking for ways to make the recipes I make look very photogenic for photo ops. That often means making the foods look ‘perfect’, adding some color, and maybe going a little overboard on the sugary additions.

For these dairy-free cookie ice cream sandwiches, I opted for coating half of each sandwich with chocolate. There are many other creative options that I want to try though!

Here are a few of my ideas:

• add sprinkles on the chocolate or the ice cream
• try different ice cream flavors
• use a variety of cookie flavor combinations
• use white chocolate
• add a layer of homemade caramel

For some cookie alternatives, I want to try my Gluten-free Oatmeal Monster Cookies or my Grain-free Double Chocolate Cookies! Other cookie ideas that I had included peanut butter cookies, pumpkin oatmeal cookies, or snickerdoodle cookies.

Do you have any creative ideas? I would love to hear them!

Recipe Tips

Working with ice cream can get tricky. Especially during the summer and when you are trying to make it look perfect for a picture. However, these cookie ice cream sandwiches don’t have to be complicated. With a few tips and tricks under your belt, you can tackle these sandwiches like a pro!

These are a few tips I thought of while putting together my ice cream sandwiches:

• Cool Cookies– Make sure your cookie bars and the 8×8″ pan are completely cool! Don’t freeze the bars though, that will make them too hard to cut.
• Soft Ice Cream– Let your ice cream unthaw just a little bit to make it easier to spread over the cookie bars.
• Be patient!– Let each layer freeze completely before moving onto the next step. Plan other things to do while you wait for the layers to freeze.
• Be Efficient– Along with being patient, timing is everything! The amounts of time I have listed in the recipe are perfect if you are using NadaMoo! ice cream.
• Pre-separate– Separating the ice cream sandwiches after cutting them will help each sandwich freeze faster. Make sure the cookie ice cream sandwiches are completely frozen before you dip them in chocolate.
• Parchment Paper- Placing the chocolate dipped ice cream sandwiches on parchment paper when you freeze them keeps the chocolate from sticking to the tray.
• Chocolate Tip– I found it was helpful to transfer the melted chocolate over to a warm bowl that was set in some hot water. This kept the chocolate from hardening while I spread it on the sandwiches.

These dairy-free cookie ice cream sandwiches hit the spot whenever I want something sweet, cold, and delicious. The flavor of these sandwiches are amazing and the chocolate coating just tops things off!

Where to Find the Ingredients

• Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• Nutiva coconut oil
• Nutiva coconut flour
• Simply Organic vanilla extract
• Vital Proteins grass-fed gelatin
• Nutiva coconut sugar
• Hain Pure Foods baking powder
• Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips
• Lily’s semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Supplies: 8×8″ glass baking dish, parchment paper

Dairy-free cookie ice cream sandwiches are the perfect modern pioneer summer dessert that are both healthy and delicious! I love sharing these sandwiches at family gatherings with other family members who have dairy allergies. The soft grain-free cookies are the perfect pairing with the creamy, smooth ice cream and sweet chocolate shell.

Becoming a modern pioneer doesn’t happen all at once, it’s a journey that happens over a life time. Whether it be making more recipes from scratch, raising a homestead animal, or learning new life skills, we would love for you to join our modern pioneer community as we learn and grow together!

by Alexa