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!
Wow! These are so fun! Love that they’re gluten free and vegan! Looks incredible!!
Wondering the cost per bar to create this masterpiece cookie with Icecream?
Hmmm, I’m really not sure that the answer to that is, sorry š
Thanks for this awesome recipe, Izzy! So yummy! I substituted some things to work with what I had in the house though. I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar for an unrefined option and used Bob’s Red Mill one for one gluten free flour. It worked out really well- just added a little more almond milk because the dough was dry. Will definitely be making this recipe again!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed these! I love Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour, it works so well with so many recipes! Thanks so much for the comment, Sarah š
Could I decrease the amount of sugar for the cookies at all? I’m used to less sugar, so I’m guessing if it would still function as a cookie, they’d still taste great. also, how many does this make?
Hi Rebecca, the only thing I would be concerned about with reducing the amount of sugar would be the consistency of the batter. Just because there aren’t too many ingredients in the batter to begin with, so you might want to use less almond milk if you are using less sugar. You could try it out and see how it works and adjust things if needed. How many they make depends on how you cut them. I usually cut them very similar to store-bought ice cream sandwiches and get about 9-12 of them š
Do these freeze well? I’m hoping to make them for my daughter’s birthday!
Hi Jamie, Yes, they are meant to be stored in the freezer so they freeze very well! I have frozen them up for a month and have had good results. I hope your daughter loves them š
I am excited to make these they look so good! I was wo,deri,g what you mean by creamy peanut butter, no stir? Does that mean you can’t use the natural peanut butter that needs to be stirred? (which I usually just pour off the oil completely before using). Thanks
You could probably use the natural peanut butter that you pour the oil off of and it would work just fine. The recipe I adapted these from used the no stir peanut butter so that is always what I used. I’m guessing it has a little less liquid than the peanut butter that you have to stir, but I think it would probably still work. You might just have to add a touch more oat flour š
Do you think these could be made with whole wheat flour instead of oat flour?
Hi kassandra, I’ve never tried it with whole wheat flour, but I think it would probably work fine. I might just add it in slowly in case you don’t need to use as much. Good luck!
Thanks! BTW I made the baked taquitos tonight and they turned out great. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome! Those taquitos are some of my favorites! So glad you liked them š
Oh my gosh, these look soooo yummy! I don’t think anyone could resist them, especially when presented so beautifully! š
Thank you so much, Lisa! They are one of my favorite desserts! š
Isadora!
As a gluten free experimenter and a banana ice cream lover myself, I was thrilled to find this recipe! My husband (the gluten free one) will love these š I’ll be frequenting your website more often in the future!
Hi Michaela! yah! I’m so glad you found this recipe and my site! I hope you guys enjoy the ice cream sandwiches š
Yum! I have gathered the ingredients, and am so making these this weekend. Ice Cream Sandwiches scream Summer Sweet Tooth Satisfaction. Love that the recipe is vegan and approachable. I can’t wait to make, taste and share these with my vegan AND omnivore peeps!
Thanks for the great recipes. š
Yah! I hope they turned our really well for you! They are still my favorite ice cream sandwiches ever!