Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches (GF)

Rich espresso chocolate brownies surrounding your favorite ice cream makes for a fun, delicious, and easy dessert. These Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches are sure to become a family favorite.

I had the opportunity to develop this recipe for the good folks at Cake Boss, featuring their products for a marketing campaign. Gee, great baking equipment, good people to work with, and the requirement to include ice cream? Yes please!

So, I started thinking about things I could make with ice cream, wanting to create a dessert that could be customized easily, making it perfect for any occasion. Something fun and festive. And, of course it needs to be gluten-free. Hmmm, what would I make? 

I thought brownies would be perfect for ice cream sandwiches. Beautiful triangles of fudgy, chocolate-packed goodness combined with cold luscious ice cream is a heavenly match. You can use any flavor ice cream that you like, and this time the Caramel Swirl was calling my name!

For this recipe I used two 8-inch (20cm) square pans. I was able to easily cut the brownies into quarters and then each quarter in half to create eight perfect triangles. They were so rich that next time I will cut each triangle in half to create 16 smaller sandwiches. These would be adorable and perfect for smaller appetites, ladies luncheons, or baby/wedding showers. They would also be great on a dessert buffet if you can keep them cold.

Metal pans are so efficient in transferring heat that your baked goods may take a touch less time to fully bake. Watch things carefully toward the end and pull the brownies out as soon as they are close to finished. They will continue to cook with the residual heat of the pans. You don’t want to risk overcooking and getting dried out baked goods.

You can make the components ahead and then set out all the decorating options and let each person make their own, choosing the flavor of ice cream and which toppings they want to use. I had coconut, sliced almonds, chocolate chunks, chopped chocolate covered toffee, and colorful sprinkles. Very festive and most definitely fun!

These Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches are a delight, especially in the summer months. Nothing is better than a cold sweet treat on a steamy, hot day!

If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!

 

Ingredients needed for Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches:

• Brownies: Sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, kosher salt, butter, bittersweet chocolate, espresso or heavy cream, vanilla, eggs, flour
• Ice Cream and Decorations: Your choice of ice cream, decorations such as coconut, candy sprinkles, chocolate chunks or shaved chocolate, etc.

PRO Tip:

If you are using dark colored baking pans, they tend to cook faster and brown more quickly. Start checking a bit ahead of the suggested timing to be sure you pull your baked goods at the right time.

 

PRO Tip:

You can use any flavor ice cream that you like or that you have on hand. You could stay with all chocolate, be classic with vanilla, or branch out with more daring flavor combinations. For me, the caramel swirl ice cream was the perfect filling for these fun sandwiches.

 

How to make Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches:

1. Butter two 8-inch (20cm) square pans and line with parchment, leaving two ends hanging over the edges to form a sling. In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
2. Set a heatproof bowl over a pan with simmering water, add the butter, chocolate, espresso, and vanilla, and melt them together, stirring often. When the chocolate is mostly melted, move the bowl off the pan and set on a dishtowel, whisking until smooth and fully melted. Wipe the outside of the bowl dry.
3. Transfer to the bowl of your stand mixer or use a hand mixer with a large bowl, add the sugar mixture and beat on medium until smooth and you can hold the bottom of the bowl comfortably in your hand. Reduce speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one fully before adding the next one.
4. Turn the speed up to medium and beat until lightened in color and fluffy. Stop the mixer and add the flour, beating on low until there are no white streaks, don’t over beat.
5. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, incorporating anything that wasn’t already mixed in. Pour batter into the two pans dividing them evenly, tap on the counter to bring any air bubbles to the surface, and pop them with a toothpick.
6. Bake the brownies 30 to 35 minutes. They are done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs; remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack and cool thoroughly.
7. When cool, use the parchment slings to lift the brownies out of the pans, setting them on a cutting board, place the parchment back into the pans. Working with one layer at a time, cut into quarters and then each quarter on the diagonal into two triangles for 8 pieces, reassemble the brownies and place back in the parchment lined baking pan, repeat with the second layer and freeze 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Using an ice cream scoop, place a small scoop of ice cream on each of the triangles, top with the matching piece from the second layer pressing down gently to spread the ice cream to the edges. Wrap each triangle in plastic wrap and return to the freezer to firm up.

9. Press one or more sides of the triangles into decorations if you like. Rewrap in plastic to help retain their shape, return to the freezer and keep in the freezer until 10 minutes before serving.

 

PRO Tip:

You can bake the brownies ahead, pre-cut them, and assemble on the day of your party. Or make them entirely ahead of time, wrap individually in plastic and freeze, and have dessert ready to go. Just remember to bring them out of the freezer about 10 minutes before serving to soften slightly.

 

PRO Tip:

If you want thicker sandwiches, double the amount of ice cream inside each one.

 

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Kitchen scale
• Chef’s knife
• 8-inch (20cm) square baking pans
• Parchment paper
• Saucepan
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Ice cream scoop

 

Gluten-Free Tips:

* You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of flour or regular flour, whisk it, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial gluten-free blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good gluten-free choices.

** My preferred brand of kosher salt is from Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton’s, another kosher brand, or table salt, you will not need as much because they are saltier.

You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. Use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

 

Create a New Tradition Today!

 

Disclaimer: I was compensated for creating the recipe for Cake Boss and received products for review.

Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. This page may contain affiliate links. This post was first shared in July 2014. The article was updated in 2026.