Creamy banana ice cream sandwiched between chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. These vegan ice cream sandwiches are gluten-free and can be adapted as refined sugar-free. The cookies are amazing on their own too!
The night/day before, slice the bananas into coins and place them in a reusable container or ziplock bag. Freeze overnight.
Ice Cream
Remove the frozen banana from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.½
Place the banana slices in your food processor or high-speed blender along with the coconut cream/milk and vanilla bean paste and blend until smooth, starting at a low speed and working up to a more powerful setting as the frozen banana begins to break down.
Transfer the banana soft serve to a 6x6 inch deep baking tray or lunch box (you can use any container as long as it’s the right size to cut out 4 ice cream discs with a round cookie cutter that’s slightly smaller in diameter than the size of the cookies.
Place it back in the freezer for 1 ½ to 2 hours to set.
Cookies
Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F) and line the base of a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper.
Add the banana to a large bowl and mash well using a fork. Add the soft brown sugar/coconut sugar, peanut butter, vanilla extract, baking soda, and sea salt and mix using an electric whisk or stand mixer for about 30 seconds until combined. Add the ground almonds to the bowl and use your hand to knead them into the dough. Lastly, add the chocolate chunks to the bowl and mix until evenly incorporated (hold aside a couple of chunks to add to the top of the cookies if desired).
Separate the cookie dough into 8 sections and roll it into balls using your hands. Place the cookie dough balls on the lined baking sheet (leaving 2 inches between each portion). Use your hands to press and flatten the dough balls into cookie-shaped discs. Add any remaining chocolate chunks to the top of each cookie.
Bake between 10-11 minutes until the cookies have lightly browned. Remove the tray from the oven and while hot, use a large round cookie-cutter and go in circular motions around each cookie to create a clean edge. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking tray to cool for about 5 minutes.
Next, carefully slide the sheet of parchment paper with the cookies off of the tray and onto a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool for at least 30 minutes or until they reach room temperature.
Assembly
Line a tray or large plate (that will fit in your freezer) with some parchment paper. Place 4 of the cookies on the tray, bottom side up. Use a cookie cutter that’s slightly smaller in diameter than the cookies to cut out 4 discs of ice cream. Place a disc of ice cream on top of one cookie and top with another cookie*.
Serve immediately or store in the freezer for up to 2 hours.
*Note: these ice cream sandwiches are best served on the day they’re made for a nice soft cookie consistency. It’s therefore recommended that you only assemble as many as you will serve. If you’re not serving them all at once, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, and the ice cream kept separately in the freezer until ready to serve.