Store-bought Ice Cream Sandwiches

[lagoldberg8397]

In a recent trip to the frozen dessert aisle I noticed how hard it is to find ice cream sandwiches that are made with ice cream, i.e., not ice milk, not frozen dairy dessert, etc. I purchased a box of Hood, a brand available in the Northeast, and later realized even though what I purchased was ice cream, the novelty was vanilla flavored ice cream with chocolate flavored wafers and really didn't taste like either vanilla or chocolate. Is it still possible to purchase a good traditional ice cream sandwich and, if so, what brand should I look for?

[Genkinaonna]

We get Ruby Jewel ice cream sandwiches, and they are amazing, but I don't think they're available outside the Pacific NW. I'd say you should just bake some cookies, buy your favorite ice cream, and DIY it, there are even ice cream sandwich molds you can use so they look all purty and professional...

[BeatriceB]

I feel your pain. I love ice cream sandwiches, but they have all but vanished except in "diet" form of one kind or another. I'm not sure how widely available they are, and they only come in one flavor as far as I know, but Ciao Bella's lime gelato with graham crackers are very tasty. I wish Ben & Jerry or Haagen Daaz would do sandwiches in addition to bars, but it's been years and hasn't happened yet.

The suggestion to just DIY it is probably the best way to go, but it saddens me, as an ice cream sandwich should be a whimsical thing, not a plan-ahead. If you don't want to bake for this purpose, and aren't devoted to the idea of chocolate, I find that Jules Destrooper Butter Wafer cookies make a good ice cream sandwich with purchased ice cream. Sometimes I add some homemade fruit compote if I have it around. Or a layer of peanut butter.

[LizD518]

The Perfect Scoop has recipes for cookies that are suitable for ice cream sandwiches. The one time I have made them I found that making them and wrapping them in plastic and the putting them back int he freezer for a day or two actually resulted in a softer cookie once some of the moisture from the ice cream sunk into the cookie. But sometimes your freezer can be so cold as to freeze the entire thing solid too.

[baroness]

King Arthur Flour has several cookie recipes on their website designed for ice cream sandwiches; HERE is one.

[KitchenMom]

Trader Joe's has some yummy ones. I like the vanilla ice cream between chocolate chip cookies. My kids love the mini-mint ice cream inside oreo-type cookies.

[Moopheus]

Is it still possible to purchase a good traditional ice cream sandwich

Was it ever? I personally can't remember a time when commercial novelty items like Hood ice cream sandwiches, Klondike bars, chocolate eclairs, etc. etc., were ever made with anything except the cheapest possible stuff they could get away with.

[lagoldberg8397]

Years ago (in the late 80s), Ben & Jerry's made a brownie bar, which was two very thin fudgy brownies around vanilla ice cream. They disappeared and then came back in the early 90s and then disappeared again. According to the folks at B&J, the demand was there but they consistently had production problems with the brownies. I went to UVM where these treats were available in the dining hall and student center. So good.

Thanks for all the suggestions for how to make homemade sandwiches. I know Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers also work well. And, yes, when you go the homemade route, you can have any flavor ice cream you want.

I asked the question specifically because sometimes it's nice to have a reasonably tasty store-bought option.

[Darienne]

Wonderful topic. Yummm. I've made DL's Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies a few times now and they work just fine for ice cream sandwiches. And I am so lazy that I spread the dough across a cookie sheet and then cut them into rectangles. Now I need one of those cookie molds which makes the fake holes in them to look cute.

Hmmm...could freeze the ice cream on a cookie sheet also and then that would take less work.

Sorry, totally strayed away from the 'ready to eat' theme...

Edited June 2, 2011 by Darienne (log)

[Moopheus]

Years ago (in the late 80s), Ben & Jerry's made a brownie bar, which was two very thin fudgy brownies around vanilla ice cream. They disappeared and then came back in the early 90s and then disappeared again.

That happened with the Peace Pops too. Those were pretty good, as I recall. But Ben & Jerry don't run the place any more.

[Katie Meadow]

When I get a craving for an ice cream sandwich and can't find ready-made that are any good (and in fact I don't know of any), my go-to cookie is the Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer. It really does have the not-too-sweet taste of the chocolate cookie of memory. If I can wait, I will make sandwiches out of softened ice cream and then freeze them. Otherwise I just eat the cookies and the ice cream together. And that way I can use coffee ice cream instead of the standard vanilla. I do have a neighbor who has perfected the home-made ice cream sandwich and whenever she gets inspired to make them it's a major thrill.

[Holly Moore]

Frangelli's Bakery in South Philadelphia, which makes Philadelphia's best donuts, also offers a doughnut filled with ice cream.

[Toliver]

When I was a child, my dad would always buy me a waffle ice cream sandwich at the local fair. It was simply two waffle pieces with a small slab of vanilla ice cream between them. I suppose you could also get gild the lily and "paint" the interior/ice cream side of each of the waffles with a chocolate sauce. Or make chocolate waffles. Or gingerbread waffles.

Or even add sliced strawberries to the interior. The possibilities are endless.

Edited June 3, 2011 by Toliver (log)

[butterscotch]

When I was a child, my dad would always buy me a waffle ice cream sandwich at the local fair. It was simply two waffle pieces with a small slab of vanilla ice cream between them.

My mom used to get those at Woolworth all the time, they were very square and came only in Neopolitan.

I lkie toasted mini Eggo waffles with butter pecan myself.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

This is going to sound odd, seeing as how I'm such a large proponent of DIY ice cream, but I actually really like Pinguino Sánduche. They're really vanilla ice cream between really chocolate cookies that are just the right kind of soft. They've recently come out with a dark chocolate sandwich with vanilla cookies which is also a winner, although their mixed-flavour sandwiches leave something to be desired (strawberry-dulce de leche on vanilla cookies, however, is not so bad).

I'm usually far too busy to make my own ice cream sandwich style cookies, but I am fond of using black molasses gingersnaps with bourbon vanilla when I have both at hand.

ETA - Darienne, you don't need a mold to make the "holes" - you can use a thin-gauge bamboo skewer and just poke the dough before you bake it. That way you can even write messages on the cookies...

Edited June 18, 2011 by Panaderia Canadiense (log)

[LB Howes]

When I lived in the SF Bay Area years ago there were ItsIts, a regional treat consisting of real vanilla ice cream sandwiched between 2 oatmeal cookies and dipped in chocolate. They were great! I don't know if these are still available.

[TheTInCook]

When I lived in the SF Bay Area years ago there were ItsIts, a regional treat consisting of real vanilla ice cream sandwiched between 2 oatmeal cookies and dipped in chocolate. They were great! I don't know if these are still available.

We got the same thing around here. They're called UFOs. Hardly the same quality, but satisfying none the less.

[Twyst]

Something is really wrong with me when it comes to traditional ice cream sandwiches. I dont eat them very often, but when I do Ive tried all the premium brands etc that have them around here, but for some reason when it comes to ice cream sandwiches the el cheapo generic brand is always the best to me. I think it may be because they are the most similar to what I used to get off the ice cream truck when I was a kid, but the more expensive and premium a traditional ice cream sandwich is, the less I enjoy it

[Darienne]

Something is really wrong with me when it comes to traditional ice cream sandwiches. I dont eat them very often, but when I do Ive tried all the premium brands etc that have them around here, but for some reason when it comes to ice cream sandwiches the el cheapo generic brand is always the best to me. I think it may be because they are the most similar to what I used to get off the ice cream truck when I was a kid, but the more expensive and premium a traditional ice cream sandwich is, the less I enjoy it

There is nothing 'wrong' with you. We all have foods which we prefer which go back to childhood.

I like hot dogs only when they are burnt, in the cheapest buns with the French's yellow mustard and sweet relish. That certainly doesn't fit into the rest of my life at all.

I also find that many Americans, who are otherwise fairly sophisticated in their foods, don't like dark chocolate. They were raised on milk chocolate and that's that!

[Shel_B]

When I lived in the SF Bay Area years ago there were ItsIts, a regional treat consisting of real vanilla ice cream sandwiched between 2 oatmeal cookies and dipped in chocolate. They were great! I don't know if these are still available.

They sure are, and the flavor range has been extended to include coffee, mint, and chocolate ice cream.

http://www.itsiticecream.com/faq/

[Jason Perlow]

The IT'S IT is probably the greatest contribution San Francisco has made to mankind. If I had to choose between Apple and IT'S IT, well, I would choose...

[annabelle]

Braum's, a dairy franchise in the Oklahoma and Texas, sells excellent ice cream sandwiches.

I seem to recall that the ice cream at Friendly's stores in Pennsylvania was good, as well. They were one of the few places that still made fountain desserts and drinks. I don't recall if they sold ice cream sandwiches, however.

[HungryC]

I'm partial to the Pinkberry ice cream sandwiches....froyo sandwiched between waffle cone wafers. Tasty, but only available at Pinkberry.