This is now one of my favorite desserts. These ice cream sandwiches are so much better than the ones that you buy in the store! They’re easy to make too. I hesitated to make them at first, envisioning a very thin brownie layer sticking to my pan, or breaking as I tried to pick it up, but with the directions below from Smitten Kitchen, they’re a dream to make. Check out her site for photos of the brownies being made if you have any questions.

You need two 8×8″ baking pans for this recipe. The proportions are perfect for that size pan. You’ll ultimately make 16 ice cream sandwiches. You might be thinking to yourself, isn’t a 2×2″ ice cream sandwich kind of small? No! When it includes two homemade brownie layers that are rich and chewy, and a generous portion of ice cream, it’s the perfect size.

I love a good vanilla ice cream and these days I’ve been eating Trader Joe’s vanilla. As ice cream goes, it’s on the inexpensive side, and I love how rich and creamy it is. It worked perfectly in these ice cream sandwiches.

This dessert rated a double thumbs-up from each of the boys.

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
Recipe from SmittenKitchen.com

For the brownies:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

For the filling:
2 to 3 cups ice cream

Heat oven to 350°F. Line two 8×8-inch square baking pans with parchment paper, extending it up two sides. Butter the parchment and exposed sides of the pan or spray them with a nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, heat chocolate and butter together until about 3/4 of the way melted. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Stir in sugar until fully combined, then eggs, one at a time and vanilla. Stir in salt until combined, then flour, until it just disappears.

Divide batter between two prepared pans and spread it evenly. Bake on different racks for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating once top to bottom and front to back, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each pan comes out batter-free. Transfer the hot pans directly to your freezer (you can put down dish towels or a cooling rack to protect shelves). Chill until cold and firm, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove first pan from freezer, and, working quickly, cover with ice cream. Use a spatula to press it down and smooth the top. Remove second brownie pan from freezer. Run a knife between edges of brownie and pan to make sure it’s not sticking anywhere and use the parchment sling to lift the brownie out of the pan, remove the parchment and place the brownie on top of the ice cream. Place the empty brownie pan on top of the brownie lid, to weight it, and press down a little. Keeping the weighting pan on top, return brownie-ice cream stack to freezer until fully firm, another 30 minutes. Run a knife around brownie stack again to make sure it’s not stuck, and use the parchment sling to transfer the ice cream sandwich block to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares.

Yield: 16 ice cream sandwiches

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