Vegan PB and J Ice Cream Sandwiches
It has been quite steamy outside here in Minnesota lately, so it is the perfect time to enjoy cool treats like ice cream! I have been wanting to make some, and Eric and I had been watching a video on YouTube about this place that makes all sorts of different ice cream sandwiches, and it made me hungry. So I decided that I needed to make my own at home. I thought long and hard about what kind I wanted to make, that would fit with the ingredients I had on hand, and I ended up landing on PB and J. Because I am kind of obsessed with that combo.
I was thinking PB cookies with raspberry ice cream for the "jelly" flavor. I make peanut butter cookies at work all the time, but not much at home, so those sounded good as well, if I had extras to snack on. The thing I like about Peanut butter cookies is they are nice and simple. These ones always turn out good, and the dough is super delicious too if you are one of those people like me that likes to eat the cookie dough and thinks that is one of the best parts of the process.
For the raspberry ice cream I used a coconut milk base with a bit of cashew butter to make it nice and creamy. The base tasted amazing even before freezing, like delicious raspberry cheesecake batter. It turned out nicely in the ice cream maker, but if you didn't have one I have included instructions for how to make it without one as well. It was heavenly on its own but I knew it would be even better with the cookies!
I haven't had an ice cream sandwich in quite a few years, so I was excited about these! They turned out super delicious! The creamy smooth raspberry ice cream was the perfect partner for the rich, slightly salty, chewy peanut butter cookies! I did think about swirling PB and J into this too, and you could if you wanted to, I just didn't want it to be super messy and oozing out. They were perfect as is in my opinion! If you are a PB and J fan, definitely give these a try!
Vegan PB and J Ice Cream Sandwiches
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 12 cookies
Ingredients:
Cookies:
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
- 3 Tbsp filtered water
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 3/4 cup organic peanut butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and water. Place the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes, this is your flax egg.
- In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon, mix together the sugar, peanut butter, coconut oil, vanilla and flax egg, until smooth. Then mix in the flour, soda, baking powder, and sea salt in until the mixture is smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment.
- Shape the cookie dough into 2 inch balls, place on your baking sheet a few inches apart and flatten with a fork, like you would with peanut butter cookies.
- Place in the oven and bake at 350F for 12 minutes or so, until lightly browned and set. Allow to cool on a rack, then place in the freezer until ready to add the ice cream.
Vegan Raspberry Ice Cream
Makes 3 cups
- 1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk
- 1/2 cup raw cashew butter
- 1 1/2 cups fresh organic raspberries
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to directions. Alternatively, if you do not have an ice cream maker, pour it into a bowl, and whisk every half hour until it is to the consistency of a thick malt.
- Pour into a freezer safe container with a lid, and continue to freeze until firm enough to spread onto the cookies for sandwiches.
Assembly:
- Spread some of the ice cream about 3/4 inch thick on half of the cookies, then add the other half to sandwich together.
- Place them all on a tray in the freezer until they are firmed up, then enjoy!
- Place any leftovers in a container with a lid, and store in the freezer for up to a month (they keep longer but might get freezer burn).
