My husband bought me an ice cream maker for my birthday a few years ago, and now every year when my birthday rolls around he likes to mention how I’ve only made ice cream in it twice. So, he is probably going to kill me for the fact that the first ice cream recipe I post on the blog does not include an ice cream maker, but c’est la vie!
These peanut butter and banana ice cream sandwiches are so freakin’ good that I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy them! Ice cream maker or no ice cream maker. A while ago I saw this awesome looking banana ice cream recipe on Pinch of Yum and I thought that the idea of making ice cream out of bananas was genius! We have a special place that we go out for ice cream to every few months and I always get the banana ice cream with peanuts on top. It is so creamy and delicious, but I only allow myself to eat it every so often. I figured that if I could make banana ice cream without a bunch of milk, cream, and sugar then there would be no reason for me not to eat it all the time!
I wasn’t quite sure what the texture was going to be like, but it is literally so creamy and so delicious that you almost forget that it is dairy free. This ice cream is also so easy to make that you will be making it all summer long! I added some cashew cream to mine to make sure it stayed really creamy when I froze it for the ice cream sandwiches, but if you are planning on eating them fairly soon after you make them, you could probably skip that step. You start out by cutting the bananas into bite size pieces and then you freeze them. Once they are frozen, you add them, along with a few other things, to a powerful blender and then you get ice cream! (FYI: the little pieces of frozen bananas make awesome summer snacks!)
I’ve been planning an ice cream sandwich recipe for sometime now, and when I finally decided on banana ice cream I just knew that the sandwich part had to be peanut butter flavored! Peanut butter and bananas are like Kim and Kanye, meant to be! Kinda just kidding with that last one, but I do have to admit that I’ve been binge watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians ever since I found out that I could buy the new episodes off of Amazon. Please don’t judge me!
I adapted this peanut butter cookie recipe from Blissful Basil. I just loved that it was both vegan and gluten free, so all my vegan friends out there can enjoy this too! I smashed the cookie dough down to cover the bottom of the pan and slightly under-baked it so it stays pretty soft even after you freeze it. I also added some fork marks on top to look like peanut butter cookies, but that step is completely optional!
Please allow me to complain for one second, photographing ice cream sandwiches outside is no easy task when it is 100 + degrees outside! The first batch of photos that I took literally looked like a hot mess. Surprisingly my perfectionist side won out over my lazy side and I did the shoot again the next day when it wasn’t quite as hot out. These ice cream sandwiches are definitely delicious to eat when it is 100+ degress outside, so it was all worth it! Enjoy!
Peanut Butter & Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches {gluten free + vegan}
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookies:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, no stir
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips, dairy free if necessary
Banana Ice Cream:
- 4 ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight and rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup almond milk, divided
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
Peanut Butter Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream together the peanut butter and brown sugar for about 1 minute. Then add in the vanilla extract and maple syrup and mix again until combined.
- In a medium sized bowl add the oat flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture in two batches and mix until everything is combined. Add the almond milk and mix again. Add the mini chocolate chips and gently mix into the cookie dough with a spoon or you can use your hand.
- Divide the cookie dough in half. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper and press in half of the dough mixture. You want the cookie dough to cover the entire pan in a thin layer.
- Place the pan into the oven and bake for 12 minutes. The cookie dough may seem underdone, but it will firm up a little as it cools and then it will firm up even more when you freeze it. Lift the cookie dough out of the pan by the parchment paper and set on a cooling rack.
- Repeat the same process for the 2nd half of the cookie dough. Let ice cream sandwich cookies cool.
Banana Ice Cream:
- Cut the bananas into small pieces and freeze for at least 2 hours.
- Add the soaked cashews to a blender with 1/4 cup of almond milk. Blend for about 30 seconds – 1 minutes, until it has a creamy texture.
- Next, add the frozen bananas, maple syrup, and 1 /2 cup almond milk and blend until you get a creamy mixture, about 2 – 3 minutes. You may have to adjust the bananas as you go and mix it up to make sure the blades can get to all the bananas.
Ice Cream Sandwiches:
- Line the 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper. Carefully flip the peanut butter sandwich cookie upside down (this step isn’t necessary, but it will make the top look better). Slowly slide the cookie onto the parchment paper. Top with the banana ice cream and spread around evenly. Carefully slide the second piece of peanut butter cookie on top of the ice cream.
- Place ice cream sandwiches into the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours. When ready to eat, slice into desired ice cream bar sizes.
Notes
If the bars have been in the freezer overnight, you may want to let them sit out for just a few minutes before enjoying them.
- Category: Dessert, Gluten Free, Vegan
Throwback Thursday picture of baby Cheeto!
Oh my goodness I LOVE making banana ice cream! It’s like magic that simply frozen bananas can turn into something so tasty. You know what else I love? These sandwiches. Seriously, Izzy I can hardly stand how amazing these look! PB and banana is one of my fav combos in the world and it could never hurt to throw ice cream into the mix, right? GORGEOUS, photos too girl especially for something so difficult to photograph! You nailed it. š Pinning and trying these VERY soon.
Sarah! I can’t believe I have only now discovered banana ice cream, I’m so behind the times, haha! It is totally like magic, I kinda still can’t believe that it gets so creamy and delicious! PB and banana is one of my favorite combos too, it doesn’t get much better! Yes, it really never does hurt to throw ice cream in, haha! I hope you love these, Sarah š
I’ve been wanting to make ice cream for awhile now and seeing this awesome recipe makes me glad I didn’t buy an ice cream maker. Ice cream sandwiches, YUM! I’m impressed you took such beautiful pictures in the hot sun. That takes some skill!
I have only made ice cream in my ice cream maker twice and I keep meaning to use it more, but this banana ice cream is so good and so much easier that I now want to make it all the time! There are so many great flavors that go well with bananas that you could make so many variations of this ice cream too! Thanks you, this was definitely the quickest photo shoot I’ve ever done š
These ice cream sandwiches look delicious Izzy! Love PB so much! Loving the fact these are also GF AND Vegan! š
Thank you! I never thought that I’d be able to make a decent vegan ice cream, but this banana ice cream really takes the cake! I love PB so much too š
These look stunning and I love the peanut butter and banana combination in and ice cream sandwich!
Thank you, Medha! Peanut butter and bananas are one of the best flavor combos ever!!
OMG baby cheeto is adorable!! And these ice cream sandwiches look phenomenal! I love love love banana ice cream and can just imagine how awesome it tastes with almond milk, cashews and maple syrup – and then put in between peanut butter sandwiches – deee-lish!
Haha, thank you! Sometimes I wish he was still a baby! This is the first time I have ever tried banana ice cream, but it is my new favorite thing! I can’t get enough ice cream in the summertime and I love this ice cream because I can eat as much as I want guilt free! The peanut butter sandwiches really make this recipe š
WOWā¦ Isa, What a great recipe! I need one of these sandwiches like right now! I’ve gotta try this as soon as possible. I think it must taste wonderful š
Thank you, Olivia! I will send you some right over! I’m so obsessed with this banana ice cream right now, I think you would love it!
Wow Izzy, these look INCREDIBLE! I wish I had one right this second.
And I have no room to pass on judgement on reality TV binges. I watch that horrible Real Housewives trash and I love it! š
Have a great weekend girl!
Thank you so much, Sarah!! There is something about trashy reality shows that just sucks you in! I’m a huge Real Housewives fan too! Interestingly, my husband got me hooked and now we both can stop watching š
I’m convinced that I need a room made out of ice to shoot ice cream in, because I live in 100 degree weather too and it’s ridiculous! However, you did a pretty amazing job – these sandwiches look ridiculously delicious!
Haha!! Can we please share that room made out of ice?! Right now it is so hot that I wish I lived in a room full of ice! It is definately the quickest photo shoot I have ever done!
Oh my gosh, these look amazing. I agree pb & banana are a match made in heaven… and chocolate doesn’t hurt! I love that the “ice cream” is so easy to make! So yum.
And of course… I am dying over baby Cheeto. Love.
Thanks Jess!! You are right, chocolate never hurts anything! This ice cream is so easy to make you will want it always! I miss baby Cheeto so much! He is still a cutie, but I can’t pick him up in one hand like I used to be able to!
I have a serious bloggy crush on you right now. A: I love banana ice cream (and I rarely use an ice cream maker, too! blender lovers, unite!), and B. I have an unhealthy obsession with peanut butter. Essentially these sandos are the perfect treat for me and I want to eat every last one of them!
Julia! I’m so flattered!! I am so obsessed with banana ice cream right now, I don’t see how I could ever like any other ice cream more! And I also have an unhealthy obsession with peanut butter! I made 3 batches of these sandwiches while testing the recipe out and I still want more! I’ll send some your way š
I’ve made this peanut butter banana “ice cream” before and it is SO good! And so easy to make. I love it because I never feel guilty eating it. Great idea using it to make an ice cream sandwich! Your pictures turned out great!
Isn’t it the best ice cream ever!? And such a plus that it is healthy and you can eat ten bowls and not feel guilty! Thank you so much about the photos! The first batch of photos definitely didn’t look like this, haha!
Yum, Izzy! I love the pictures of these, they look so appetizing! Lol, on the Kardashian show. I get sucked into it every once in a while too. My fave sister is Kourtney because I think her and I have the most in common, except our choice in men. š
Thank you Lauren! It wasn’t easy to get the photos, but it was definitely worth it! Is it winter yet?! I’m already over this hot weather and as much as I like the monsoons, I hate the humidity they bring! I was watching the Kardashians last night and Eric told me he couldn’t be married to someone who watched that awful show, lol. I don’t know your husband well, but from I do know, he is nothing like Scott!! Haha!
OMG!! What a fabulous combination.. and so so easy… Perfect to snack on a hot summer day.. Love it!!
Thanks you Arpita! Yes, they are so easy! It is about 100 degrees here today and I think I need to make another batch š
Ice cream sandwiches are the perfect sized snack! And who doesn’t love the banana/peanut butter combo! Glad I don’t have to photograph them though!
Cute kitty pic =)
Banana peanut butter combo is the best! I also really love ice cream sandwiches, except I always tend to eat so many of them! I think I’m addicted! Photographing them was not easy at all, I think I need to figure out how to photograph with the indoor lights, at least until winter comes!
These look amazing. I would probably be thrilled with a bowl of that banana ice cream but the sandwiches take it to a whole new level of delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Monet! I definitely made a few batches of the banana ice cream that I ate with a spoon, just to make sure it was delicious! But, not much beats peanut butter and bananas š
Those look awesome! Love that they are vegan too, that’s always a plus. š
Thanks June! I love that you can make delicious and creamy vegan ice cream out of bananas, it is pretty amazing!
I love this recipe! Banana ice cream is really good. I love that you made peanut butter cookie sandwiches with it. Wonderful idea!
Pinning this one!
Thanks Danielle! I was so amazing at how easy and delicious banana ice cream is, I want it all the time now! Peanut butter and bananas are pretty much the best flavors ever! Thanks so much for pinning š
This is one of the best ice cream recipes I’ve seen in a long time! I love these sandwiches, Izzy! Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous! Pinning!
Thank you so much for all the sweet complements, Gayle!! Ice cream sandwiches are the best! Thanks for pinning š
Oh my! I need one of these sandwiches! Gah I love ice cream sandwiches! haha
And I sooo here you on photographing frozen treats right now – so tricky! And Cheeto as a kitty? Adorbs!
I love ice cream sandwiches too! They are kinda like cake and ice cream all rolled into one! Photographing in the heat is awful! The first set of photos I took of these were so horrible, it was a melty mess that ended with the ice cream sandwich tower toppling over! Is it winter yet?! š
You come up with such wonderful recipes Izzy. My baby girl is going to love these.
Thank you so much, Kathy! I hope she does love them š