Brookie Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

Brookie Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches are over-the-top in the best way possible. Chewy, rich brownies pair up with soft, buttery chocolate chip cookies and sandwich in cookie dough ice cream for a deliciously indulgent summer treat!

three ice cream cookie sandwiches stacked on top of each other with chocolate chips scattered around

Ok, ok, ok!!! Stop what you’re doing, put everything on hold, and head immediately into your kitchen to pre-heat the oven.

Yes, you’ve got to do it, and I don’t care how hot it is outside because you NEED these ice cream sandwiches in your life.

They’re chocolatey in the most extra way possible.

They’re soft and chewy and rich.

They’re refreshing and creamy and loaded with the best of all ice cream, brownie, and cookie worlds.

They deserve their own spot in your freezer for ever and ever.

focus on one cookie dough ice cream sandwich on its side surrounded by other brookie ice cream sandwiches

Which means I’d also suggest making extra batches and buying chocolate in bulk so that you never ever run out because these babies go FAST.

The Backstory

If you’re new here (or over on Instagram), welcome! I’m glad you’re here and now I bet you are too because you get to enjoy things like decadent ice cream sandwiches.

If you’ve been here for a while, first, thanks, second, I’m so dang sorry it took me so dang long to post this recipe.

You see, Fork in the Kitchen had its FIFTH birthday in March. March 22nd, to be exact. And if you haven’t yet successfully blocked out a greater part of 2020, then you’d remember that was about one week into being safer at home.

So, like many of you, some things went on the back burner and the priority became about self-care, staying at home, and adjusting to a new normal.

And quite frankly, a new normal that I appreciated. Since FITK’s last birthday, it had been a priority of mine to focus on slowing down, take care of myself, and find a balance between the hustle of work, work, and more work.

Which is what the past year has been about.

brookie cookie dough ice cream sandwiches laying on their side in a row on parchment paper

As I look forward to the next year of Fork in the Kitchen, I am SO giddy with excitement. We’re going full time, amping it up, and continuing to bring you elevated yet easy recipes. Ones that are approachable yet impressive. Ones that are inviting, and delectable.

So thank you for being here, new or seasoned friends. Thank you for your support, your comments, your engagement, and for enjoying delicious recipes with me.

And not only am I giddy with excitement for the next year, but it’s bursting now because we’re going to dig into these cookie dough ice cream sandwiches made with BROOKIES!

But first: What is a Brookie?

If you haven’t heard of, or enjoyed, a brookie before, prepare for your world to be rocked.

overhead view of ice cream sandwich in the middle with chopped chocolate chips and other ice cream sandwiches around the side of the frame

This somewhat silly name is the marriage of two of the greatest desserts ever known to us: the brownie and the cookie. A chocolate chip cookie, that is.

Which means our ice cream sandwiches are held together with not just a cookie, but a brownie and a cookie, with cookie dough ice cream inside, and that makes it over the top amazing.

How to Make Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

The goal here was to create an elaborate, indulgent, decadent ice cream sandwich that wasn’t too time consuming or difficult.

I used an adapted version of my brownie recipe, and my soft cookie recipe… needless to say, it hit the mark 100%.

glass bowl of cookie dough next to a glass bowl of brownie batter

So that’s where we start: with the brownie batter. Mix it together and spread the brownie layer evenly in a 9×13 pan lined with parchment paper. It will seem like there’s just not enough batter, but there is!

Because the cookie dough goes on top, it becomes thicker so never fear!

P.S. make sure the parchment paper has an over hang so you can easily remove the bars for sandwich assembly!

9x13 pan with brownie batter spread across it

Then on goes the cookie dough. Once the dough is mixed up, dollop it around the top of the brownie batter. Push it down to flatten out into rounds and you’re ready to bake!

side by side photos of brownie batter with balls of cookie dough and dough pushed down

The key is to not over bake the brookies. Because they’re going into the freezer for our ice cream sandwiches, they will harden up. Baking them just slightly under-baked keeps them chewy, fudgy, and extra bite-able!

Once they’re baked to perfection, let them cool completely.

Now that they’re cool, you’ll gently lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper flaps. If you didn’t use parchment paper, be sure you’ve greased the pan, and gently flip the pan over to release the bars.

Cut the entire brookie bars in half down the middle.

Flip one-half upside down, so the cookie side is face down. Place it back into the corner of your 9×13 pan. This will be the “bottom” side of your sandwiches. Like this:

9x13 pan with half of a sheet of brookies flipped over

Spread the slightly softened cookie dough ice cream on top of the half in the pan.

Ice Cream Tips:

Make sure your ice cream is slightly softened (but not too runny, it’s a fine balance!).
Dollop little scoops across the bars instead of large scoops, this makes it easier to spread.
Once you spread (or “pushed down”) the scoops, there will likely be spaces between them – fill this in with extra bits of ice cream.

cookie dough ice cream scoops on top of half of the brookie bars in the 9x13 pan

Finally, place the other half of the brookie on top of the ice cream, with the cookies facing out, so the bottom of the bars goes on top of the ice cream.

brookies in pan with cookie dough ice cream inside

Place immediately back in the freezer! And keep them there.

It’s so hard to wait, I KNOW, but wait you must. Otherwise you’ll end up with a mushy, melty ice cream mess when you go to cut the bars.

I highly recommend letting the bars freeze overnight. If you can’t wait that long, wait as long as possible, like, at least 4-6 hours.

How to Cut Ice Cream Sandwich Bars

You have two ways to go about this.

One is a little easier, and one, well, requires a little more effort. You get to decide which route you want to go. Spoiler alert: it’s gonna be ultimately delicious either way!

As you can see in the photos, I used a 2 3/4″ biscuit cutter to cut out round ice cream sandwiches.

biscuit cutter with brookie cookie dough ice cream sandwich inside

They’re cute, a little bigger than what one might refer to as “bite sized” – ok, they’re pretty large when you consider the brownie and cookie and cookie dough ice cream- but that’s beside the point.

They have the ice cream sandwich shape we know and love (without the cookie work), they’re even, they’re adorable.

And they take a little muscle to work the biscuit cutter through the laters, but it’s totally doable if it’s worth it to you.

brookie ice cream sandwiches in pan after being cut out of the entire sheet

Note: you will have scraps left over this way, which is perfect for treating yourself. 😉

Not worth the extra muscle work and dealing with some scraps? No problem! Grab a chef’s knife and cut the bars into squares!

When you cut them into squares, do so just as you would any other baked bar. I’d recommend about 2″ squares, but the beauty is, again, it’s up to you.

ice cream sandwiches surrounding each other next to a cutter and ice cream scoop

Whichever way you slice it (pun definitely intended), Brookie Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches make all the chocolate, brownie, cookie, cookie dough, ice cream dreams come true.

More Ice Cream Recipes to Love:

Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream Pie (like a DQ cake!)
Sweet Corn Caramel Ice Cream
Mini Ice Cream Cake with Banana Creme Anglaise

Brookie Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

Author: Becca | Fork in the Kitchen
Prep Time: 25 minutes (plus 4 hours inactive)
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6-12 bars
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Brownie Batter:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 + 2 TBSP cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cookie Dough:

4 TBSP unsalted butter, slightly melted
2 TBSP granulated sugar
4 TBSP brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup + 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 – 2 1/2 cups cookie dough ice cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper, leaving enough hang over the edges to pull up on after the bars are done baking.
Brownies: Melt the butter with 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Whisk in the sugar until combined. Add vanilla and the eggs, whisking until incorporated. Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Spread evenly in the pan.
Cookies: Whisk together butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk together until combined. Stir in salt, baking soda, and flour – it may seem like there’s too much flour at first, but keep stirring! Add in chocolate chips.
Dollop the cookie dough onto the brownie batter, pressing down on it to form more of a cookie-like shape. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until edges are set and cookies are slightly golden brown. Be careful to not overbake! Let cool completely.
Remove ice cream from the freezer 10-15 minutes prior to spreading to soften slightly. Remove brookies from the pan using the parchment paper. Cut down the middle of the bars, creating two equal-sized halves. Flip one half over, so the top is facing down, back into the pan.
Dollop ice cream across the brookies in the pan and spread evenly. Fill any gaps in with additional ice cream. Place the second half of the brookies on top of the ice cream, right side up. Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours, preferably longer, until frozen solid. Use a biscuit cutter if making round sandwiches, or a chef’s knife to cut out square sandwiches. Enjoy immediately or place back in the freezer until ready to eat.