These dairy-free and gluten-free ice cream sandwiches are out-of-this-world! Chewy flourless chocolate cookies sandwich a luscious, creamy vegan mint ice cream made with a coconut and almond milk base.

Photo of mint chocolate ice cream sandwiches in a loaf pan with white parchment paperInspiration 

These homemade ice cream sandwich cookies are so good, chewy, nutty, and incredibly easy to make—I swear, you can make them blindfolded. I developed this recipe with my Dad’s birthday in mind—a hybrid of his favorite things—and they were a hit. Through my testing I found that these ice cream sandwiches benefit from being assembled and frozen within a day or so of the cookies being baked . This ensures they retain a crispy-chewy texture rather than just a crispy one.

Vegan mint ice cream in a white glass coneGluten free chocolate cookies: 

These flourless chocolate cookies are SO good. Also, they only require 5—yes 5—ingredients. HELLO. These are the easiest ice cream sandwiches ever. 

Anyway, to make gluten-free chocolate cookies you need to employ a few key ingredients. 

  1. confectioners’ sugar (not only does it add sugar, but it adds starch, which is essential).
  2. cocoa powder (obviously used for flavor but also acts somewhat like flour). 
  3. egg whites (essential for creating structure in this cookie). 
  4. chopped walnuts (bulks up these cookies and adds some texture). 

Vegan mint ice cream and flourless chocolate cookies on a sheet pan

How to make dairy-free ice cream

This dairy-free mint ice cream is so creamy and luscious, you’d never know there wasn’t cream in it. With a faint green tint, thanks to fresh mint and matcha, it’s also pretty beautiful too.

After quite a few tests, I finally found the ideal ratio of coconut milk to almond milk for GREAT dairy-free ice cream. To make a good dairy-free ice cream, this combination of milks is essential. If only coconut milk is used, the ice cream will have an intense fatty mouth-feel while an ice cream made with all almond milk will have an icy texture. 

The other ingredient that proves to be very important when making dairy-free ice cream is arrowroot starch. The starch is added to the milk base and when cooked on the stove top the milk mixture thickens and turns into what will be your custard. I’m here to tell you, dairy-free ice cream is easier to make than regular! 

gluten free ice cream sandwich cookies stacked 3-high on a white table

For homemade ice cream or frozen yogurt I prefer, and love, my Cuisinart ice cream maker. If I have the room, I like to keep the freezer bowl in my freezer for the duration of the summer. That way, when I get a hankering for something cool and sweet I’ve got everything ready!

Photo of mint chocolate ice cream sandwiches in a loaf pan with white parchment paperVariations: a few ways to change up the flavors of these gluten-free ice cream sandwiches 

  1. leave the mint and Matcha out of the ice cream and add some pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. 
  2. stir a few scoops of peanut butter into the ice cream and swap the walnuts for chopped peanuts to create delectable chocolate-peanut butter ice cream sandwiches.  
  3. leave the mint and Matcha out of the ice cream and instead stir in a few tablespoons of raspberry jam for chocolate-raspberry ice cream sandwiches.

Photo of mint chocolate ice cream sandwiches in a loaf pan with white parchment paperMake sure to tag me @ZESTFULKITCHEN ON INSTAGRAM or comment below if you make these gluten-free ice cream sandwiches! 

To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can click the button on any of the photos, or the red button on the side bar or below the recipe. Happy cooking!

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Photo of mint chocolate ice cream sandwiches in a loaf pan with white parchment paper

Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

  • Author: Lauren Grant of Zestful Kitchen
  • Yield: 10–11 ice cream sandwich cookies 1x

Description

These dairy-free and gluten-free Mint & Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies are out-of-this-world-good. Crisp, chewy cookies sandwich the most luscious, creamy, naturally sweetened mint ice cream made with both coconut milk and almond milk.


Ingredients

Scale

Chewy Chocolate-Walnut Cookies:

  • 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • â…” cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 cups walnut halves, toasted and roughly chopped
  • 4 egg whites, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract


Mint Ice Cream:

  • 2 cans coconut milk (13.66 ounces), refrigerated
  • 2 cups vanilla almond milk (Califia Almond Milk works best here due to its creamy texture)
  • 6 medjool dates, pitted (¾ cup)
  • 1 cup packed fresh mint leaves, divided
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
  • 1 tablespoon matcha powder (optional, you can also use a few drops of green food coloring)

Instructions

Chewy Chocolate-Walnut Cookies:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two to three rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl, add salt and walnuts and stir to combine. Whisk together egg whites and vanilla until foamy, then add to sugar mixture and stir until completely combined.

Scoop batter onto prepared baking sheets in mounds of 2 level tablespoons each, arranged at least two inches apart (6-7 cookies per sheet).

Bake cookies until puffed, tops look glossy (but not wet), and have cracks, 13–15 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and cool 5 minutes, then gently transfer cookies from sheets to wire racks and cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter.


Mint Ice Cream:

Scrape the thick, white layer of coconut milk fat off the top of the cans of coconut milk and transfer to a large saucepan, discard the opaque liquid. Add almond milk, dates, ½ cup mint leaves, honey, and salt to saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook 5 minutes then remove from heat. Let steep 15 minutes then remove and discard mint. Transfer mixture to a blender with remaining ½ cup mint and blend until smooth (if using a standard blender, blend mixture in two batches).

Transfer all but 2 tablespoons of the blended mixture back to the saucepan. Bring mixture to a low simmer over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Whisk the 2 tablespoons of reserved mixture with arrowroot starch, then whisk into simmering mixture and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in matcha, if using. Transfer mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

When ready, transfer mixture to the bowl of you ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions, it should look like soft serve ice cream. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

When ready, scoop a scant â…“ cup of ice cream onto bottom side of half of the cookies, then place remaining cookies, bottom side down, on top of ice cream and gently press to even out ice cream layer. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Let ice cream sandwiches sit at room temperature 5 minutes before serving.


Notes

Cookies can be baked up to 3 days in advance, just keep them in an airtight container until ready to assemble ice cream sandwiches.

Assembled ice cream sandwich cookies keep frozen, in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.

Make these vegan: Although the ice cream is vegan, the cookies aren’t, so if you’re looking to make it vegan, try a different cookie recipe or pick something up at the store.

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Photo of mint chocolate ice cream sandwiches in a loaf pan with white parchment paper

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About The Author

Lauren Grant is a professional culinary food scientist, food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Lauren is a previous magazine editor and test kitchen developer and has had work published in major national publications including Diabetic Living Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, Cuisine at Home Magazine, EatingWell.com, AmericasTestKitchen.com, and more.

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Comments

  1. Your thoughts are beautifully written, Lauren. I loved reading what you had to say! And on the food note, this looks absolutely delicious!