Oatmeal Ice Cream Sandwiches

Quick cooking rolled oats: This is my favorite form of rolled oats for oatmeal cookies. Instant oats are too fine and don’t have that signature look and texture. I also found that old fashioned rolled oats are too thick and turn out too hard. Quick cooking rolled oats are the perfect in between if you can find them. Alternatively, use old fashioned rolled oats. Don’t use instant oats or steel cut oats because this recipe won’t turn out.

Raisins: I LOVE raisins in oatmeal cookies. If you don’t, you can omit them or replace them with chocolate chips.

Butter: If you use salted butter, reduce or omit the salt in the cookie recipe.

Oil: I used canola oil, but any neutral oil will work great! This makes the cookie soft which is important for when it gets frozen.

Water: It may seem like an unusual addition to a cookie recipe, but a splash of water hydrates the oats and keeps the cookies soft even when frozen.

Cinnamon: A touch of cinnamon in an oatmeal cookie adds the perfect amount of warmth, without being overly cinnamoney.

All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.

Heavy whipping cream: You need a cream that you could whip up to stiff peaks. I used a 35% milkfat whipping cream. Don’t use anything with less than 32% milkfat content or else it won’t whip up to stiff peaks.

Sweetened condensed milk: Not to be confused with evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness and makes sure that the ice cream freezes into the perfect, creamy, ice crystal free texture. Don’t use evaporated milk instead!

Vanilla bean paste: I used vanilla bean paste so that the ice cream would have beautiful specks of vanilla bean and a strong vanilla flavor.

Step 1: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine softened butter, oil, and sugar. Beat together until thick and creamy. Scrape down the bowl so that it mixes evenly.

Step 2: Add the egg, water, vanilla extract, and salt, mix together well.

Step 3: Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, oats, and cinnamon. Mix together just until combined. Add the raisins and stir together.

Step 4: Transfer half of the cookie dough into the prepared baking pan and spread it out evenly. Bake it in the center of a preheated oven for 10 minutes. It will be golden on the edges and puffed.

Step 5: Remove from the oven, and press down the corners and edges with a spatula if they’re raised. Let it cool for a few minutes, and carefully transfer the cookie with the parchment paper onto a wire rack to cool completely. It might still be a little soft and fragile and it will firm up as it cools.

Repeat with baking the second half of the cookie dough exactly the same way.

Step 1: Add the chilled cream into a large bowl or stand mixer. Use a whisk attachment to whip to stiff peaks.

Step 2: Add salt, vanilla bean, and one full can of sweetened condensed milk into the whipped cream. Fold together just until combined.

Step 3: Peel off the parchment from one of the cookie dough squares. Place the parchment paper back into the baking pan. Carefully place the first cooled square cookie upside down onto the parchment paper.

Transfer the ice cream mixture onto the cookie and smooth the top. Place the remaining cookie on top, right side up.

Step 4: Freeze the ice cream cookie sandwich in the freezer for about 8 hours, until frozen all the way through.

Once frozen, remove the ice cream from the freezer and cut into 12 rectangles. You can wrap them individually in wax or parchment paper and store them in the freezer, or just place them into a freezer safe bag, unwrapped, and freeze to store.

✔️ Expert ice cream sandwich tips

1. Don’t overbake the oatmeal cookies: If you overbake them, they’ll be hard and tough when frozen. The cookies are ready when they’re golden brown all around and puffed in the middle!
2. Whip the cream to stiff peaks: This ensures that your ice cream has an airy, fluffy texture when it’s frozen.
3. Store the ice cream in a freezer safe bag or container: This prevents freezer burn and helps the ice cream last longer.

Yes, if you’re looking for even more of a shortcut, you can soften some vanilla ice cream (or use your preferred flavor) so that it’s easier to spread. Assemble the ice cream the same way and make sure that there’s enough time for it to freeze solid for a few hours before cutting it into individual pieces.

Yes you can, just substitute the all purpose flour with 1:1 gluten free flour. And make sure that you use gluten free certified oats!

No, unfortunately this recipe was formulated to be made into a slab that you then cut into individual sandwiches. The oatmeal cookie needs to be baked in a large piece, as opposed to individual cookies. If you bake them into individual cookies, they will melt completely on the baking sheet and you’ll be left with a mess.

Oatmeal Ice Cream Sandwiches