In lieu of a cake this year, I made these homemade chocolate and peanut butter ice cream sandwiches because ice cream is wholly superior to cake (FIGHT ME.) Don’t get me wrong, I still love cake too!

I’ve been wanting to try one of Stella Parks’s recipes forever, and making these also gave me an excuse to try her chocolate ice cream sandwich wafers (win-win!) A touch of coffee and espresso really pumps up the chocolate flavor, and the finished wafers are a very accurate representation of my favorite bargain ice cream sandwiches I loved growing up (the ones that stick to your fingers!)

Birthday Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe

Happy Birthday to me!

Homemade Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe

Rolling the exposed ice cream edges in tasty things like roasted peanuts and crushed chocolate graham crackers adds extra fun.

Chocolate + Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe

Print Recipe

Chocolate + Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

If you aren’t keen on making your own ice cream or are short on time, use instead 1 ½ pints of store bought ice cream that has been softened in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Chocolate Wafers recipe by Stella Parks of Brave Tart, Peanut Butter Ice Cream recipe by Melissa Clark of NYT Food.

Servings: 15 Sandwiches

Ingredients

For The Peanut Butter Ice Cream: (Yields 1 ½ pints)

1 cup heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
cup ⅔sugar
tsp ⅛salt
6 egg yolks
1 cup smooth peanut butter
tsp ½vanilla extract

For The Chocolate Wafers:

1 stick butter softened at room temperature
cup ½+ 3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp ½brown sugar
1 tsp ½salt
tsp ½baking powder
tsp ⅛baking soda
1 tsp ½espresso or espresso powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1 cup ¼flour
1 cup cocoa powder
cup ¾hot coffee

Optional Toppings:

chopped roasted, unsalted peanuts
crushed chocolate graham crackers
mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Make the chocolate wafers: Heat the oven to 350F and line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, espresso, and vanilla on medium speed until just combined (about 2 minutes.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Return the machine to medium speed and while running, add the yolks one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the flour and cocoa and mix at the lowest speed (so it doesn’t fly in your face!) until just combined. With the machine still running on low, slowly pour in about half of the hot coffee. Pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then continue mixing on low speed and drizzling the coffee until a smooth consistency is reached, increasing mixing speed to medium if needed.
Divide the batter between the two baking sheets, and use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the batter into a thin layer that covers about a 10 x 14” area.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the surface of the wafers has puffed slightly and is firm to the touch. Cool, then transfer to the freezer for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (The wafers will be very delicate until frozen! If you’re using store bought ice cream, now is a good time to transfer it to the refrigerator.)
Make the peanut butter ice cream: In a small pot, simmer the cream, milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside. Whisk together the yolks in a medium bowl, then while whisking, slowly pour about ⅓ of the hot cream mixture into the yolks. Then whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream.
Return the pot to medium-low heat, and cook until the mixture has thickened slightly and reaches about 170F. Pour through a fine mesh sieve back into a bowl and whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla. Cool to room temperature, then cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.
When the wafers and ice cream base have chilled, churn the ice cream in an ice cream machine. Remove the wafers from the freezer, and pour the freshly churned ice cream (or softened store-bought ice cream) onto one of the wafers. Spread to evenly distribute, and don’t worry about getting it all the way to the edges (those will get trimmed anyway!) Top with the second wafer and press down lightly all over to seal against the surface of the ice cream. Return to the freezer for at least 12 hours.
Remove from the freezer and transfer to a large cutting board. Let soften at room temperature for 10 minutes, then use a round biscuit cutter or a large knife to cut out individual sandwiches. I used a biscuit cutter, and pressed it down with a small plastic cocktail cutting board to save my hands. It will be firm and difficult to cut, but you can do it! 😉 If you’re using a knife, trim away the edges before cutting into sandwiches for a uniform look. Press the exposed ice cream edges of the sandwiches into toppings like chopped peanuts if you like!
Wrap the sandwiches individually in foil or parchment, in large zip-top bags, or a freezer safe container, and store for up to a month.