Frosty Friday: Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches (aka Why My Kids Think I'm a Dessert Wizard)

Here we are, another Friday, and yes, I’ve got a frozen treat for you. Frosty Fridays are officially my thing now! I'm committed. You're committed. We’re all in this frosty little club together. I really hope they’re your thing too—because at this point I have absolutely no plans to stop. It’s summer! That magical sliver of the year when sunscreen is your perfume and popsicles count as hydration. Unless you live closer to the equator than I do (and if you do, can I come visit?), we’ve only got so many weeks of warm-weather whimsy, so we’ve got to make the most of them.

And what better way to do that than by sandwiching an obscene amount of ice cream between two perfectly chewy chocolate chip cookies?

I mean... come on.

This recipe is one of those dangerously easy ones. You bake cookies. You make a no-churn vanilla ice cream that tastes like you hand-churned it while singing to cows on an alpine hillside. You smash them together in a glorious sandwich that makes your kids look at you like you're a domestic goddess who definitely knows what she's doing and absolutely has never burned frozen pizza before (ahem... not that I have, and if I DID, it was a long time ago...).

Let me walk you through it.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

(makes about 6–8 monstrous, joy-packed sandwiches)

Step 1: The Cookies

These are your classic, chewy-inside, golden-edges, can’t-eat-just-one chocolate chip cookies. Not trying to reinvent the wheel here—we’re going for nostalgic, crumbly perfection.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (but not melted! We’re not making soup)

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or whatever your soul needs)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Or don’t, and live dangerously. (No judgment, just more dishes.)

2. Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. This is where the magic starts. Or the mess, depending on your mixer.

3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Then slowly mix it into the wet stuff.

5. Fold in the chocolate chips like you’re tucking them in for a cozy nap.

6. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls (or go big, you rebel) and space them out on your baking sheets.

7. Bake for 10–12 minutes until golden around the edges. Don’t overbake unless you enjoy crunchy disappointment.

8. Cool completely. Seriously. Ice cream + warm cookie = puddle of regrets.

Step 2: The No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

Look, I love ice cream. But I do not love fiddling with rock salt or ice cream maker parts that haven’t been seen since last July. This no-churn version is a gift from the lazy dessert gods, and we thank them.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• A pinch of salt (yes, salt. It’s the secret handshake of the dessert world.)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. You want it fluffy but not butter.

2. In another bowl (I know, sorry), mix the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt.

3. Fold the whipped cream gently into the condensed milk mixture. Pretend you’re blending clouds.

4. Pour into a freezer-safe dish or loaf pan, smooth the top, and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight. I know, the waiting is the hardest part. Tom Petty was right.

Step 3: The Assembly

This is where you go full goddess mode. Your kitchen may be a disaster. You might be wearing mismatched socks. But when you present a tray of homemade chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches to your family? You are the moment.

Assembly Tips:

1. Match up cookies of similar size because symmetry matters in dessert architecture.

2. Let the ice cream soften just a little (not too much—remember the puddle).

3. Scoop a generous amount—like, don’t even think about moderation—onto the bottom of one cookie. Top with its twin and smoosh gently.

4. Optional but encouraged: roll the sides in mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, or crushed nuts. Live your best sandwich life.

5. Wrap individually in parchment or plastic wrap and pop them back in the freezer for 20–30 minutes so they hold their shape.

6. Then serve. And prepare to be worshipped.

A Few Final Thoughts from the Frosty Trenches

Look, I am no Ina Garten. I am not orchestrating elegant garden parties with fresh lavender centerpieces and coordinating napkins. My version of elegance is remembering to preheat the oven before putting the cookies in. And sometimes I forget that anyway. But I do know how to make a ridiculously good ice cream sandwich. And so do you now.

Frosty Fridays are my favorite new tradition because:

• It gives me an excuse to make (and eat) dessert weekly.

• My kiddos are over the moon happy and that makes ME happy.

• It makes summer feel like summer, even on the weird days when it rains sideways or the hail starts pummeling your sweet baby plants that you just took outside.

So go forth. Make cookies. Whip cream. Build sandwiches that make your kids cheer and your summer days slow down just a tad. You’ve earned this moment. Embrace the sticky fingers and melty joy.

See you next Friday, frosty fam. I’ll have something cold, sweet, and completely unnecessary—but absolutely worth it.

XO,
Your Dessert-Enthusiast-In-Chief 🍦🍪💪

P.S. If you sneak one of these sandwiches for breakfast tomorrow, I will not tell a soul. That’s between you and your inner goddess.