Cool 'n Creamy Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches

Tweaked from your average gas station ice cream sandwich

This recipe gives us good reason to mention a heretofore-unmentioned ingredient in the Tweak & Eat series: cacao nibs.

“Oh great” – you might be thinking. Another expensive “superfood” I have to hunt down from a health food store.

Well…yes. BUT! Cacao nibs, which taste like a less sweet, less processed chocolate, are a true treasure at the end of your hunt.

They originate from the cacao bean and have been roasted, de-husked, and broken into itty-bitty nibs. They’re sky-high in magnesium, antioxidants and a laundry list of other long and fancy words. Not only that, you can add them into all kinds of stuff for a healthy hit of tasty crunch.

Ingredients

For the ice cream:

If you want the quick version – buy some yummy vegan ice cream. If you want the (still reasonably quick) DIY version – read below.

For the cookies:

Really, you can simply use your own favourite cookie recipe here. Whether that’s peanut butter, chocolate chip or something else. If in doubt, we’ve included a simple spelt chocolate chip cookie for ya!

Ice Cream

1. Toss all the ice cream ingredients into the blender. Blend until smooth. Give it a taste, adjust if necessary, and proceed.

2. Transfer to a stainless steel (or other large, freezer-safe container) and put into the freezer for about half an hour.

3. After 30 minutes, remove from the freezer and whip up the mixture (either with a whisk or an electric mixer). Then put the whole thing back in the freezer for another 30.

4. After the second thirty minutes, again remove the bowl and whir up the mixture. Back in the freezer it goes. Do this a few times over until you get a nice, creamy texture.

Cookies

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and prep your cookie sheet with a little coconut oil.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together coconut oil, honey, maple syrup, vanilla and almond milk.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Next, combine both of your mixtures – folding the wet carefully into the dry. Add the chocolate chips last – without over mixing.

4. Place little tablespoons of the dough onto the cookie sheet (consider how big you’d like your ice cream sandwiches to be and work to create an appropriately sized cookie!) and then pop into the oven for 8-10 minutes.  

Finished product...

1. Let your cookies cool before building your sandwich. Simply take two same-sized cookies and add a scoop of ice cream into the middle. Top with the second cookie and press them gently together. If you like, roll your sandwich into the cacao nibs to finish.

2. For a rustic little wrapping, use some parchment paper and twine. This doubles in aesthetic appeal and keeps your hands clean!

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Niki Boileau is a Vancouver-based RHN who loves spending time outdoors and dreaming up as many healthy porridge recipes as possible. Get in touch to talk all things food and health and check out her website for more recipe inspiration!