Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches
Mint chocolate ice cream sandwiches. Mint matcha ice cream is served between two double chocolate oatmeal cookies. These amazing ice cream sandwiches are vegan and gluten-free.
Servings 4
Ingredients
For the Mint Chocolate Ice Cream
- 1 cup cashews, raw
- 1 can (14oz/400ml) coconut milk, full-fat or light
- 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, more or less to taste
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon matcha
- 1/4 cup mini vegan chocolate chips, dark or semi-sweet
For the Chocolate Cookies
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/3 cup sunflower seed butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips, dark or semi-sweet
Instructions
Prepare the Ice Cream
- Start by freezing the bowl of your ice cream maker overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- When the bowl is frozen, prepare the ice cream. Start by soaking the cashews in boiling water for 5 minutes or up to 3 hours. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Add the soaked cashews, coconut milk, sugar, peppermint extract and matcha to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, about 30-60 seconds. Taste the mixture and add more peppermint extract or matcha if desired. If the mixture got warm while blending, let it cool in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.
- Place the frozen bowl in the ice cream maker. Turn it on and pour the blended mixture into the ice cream maker. Churn for 25 minutes or until the ice cream is of soft serve consistency. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer to a sealable container and freeze until firm, about 3-4 hours. Meanwhile, you can prepare the cookies.
Prepare the Chocolate Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the ground flax seeds and water. Let it sit to thicken while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, sunflower seed butter and vanilla. Stir in the flax egg and sugar, then add the rolled oats, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Scoop the dough to the prepared baking sheet, making 8 cookies. Form them into little mounds to limit the spreading. Don't flatten them too much or they will spread significantly.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before making the ice cream sandwiches.
Make the Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Turn half of the cookies around. Top them with a scoop of mint chocolate ice cream, then top with another cookie. lightly press to make them hold together and to make them easier to eat.
- Eat immediately or store in an airtight container in the freezer. You can also make the ice cream sandwiches one at a time, just before eating them.
Notes
You can switch up the flavors by using different ice cream recipes or by using store-bought ice cream.
You can skip the matcha. I add it for color and for a very light hint of flavor. It shouldn’t add a strong, overpowering flavor. If you’re using the matcha for color, make sure to use ceremonial matcha. Culinary matcha will not add a beautiful green color the same way as ceremonial matcha.
Start with a small amount of peppermint extract, as is recommended in the recipe. If you want a stronger flavor, you can then add more after tasting the mixture.
I use regular sunflower seed butter (this one). Make sure your sunflower seed butter is creamy and not overly runny.
You can make the cookies with almond butter instead of sunflower seed butter. I tried it using creamy almond butter straight from the fridge. Overly runny, room temperature almond butter might make these cookies spread too much.
The cookies call for softened coconut oil. This is coconut oil that’s at room temperature. The texture should be similar to room temperature butter.
To make this recipe gluten-free, make sure to use certified gluten-free oats.