Ice cream sandwich ideas

The temperature outside is much higher than I’d like it to be and, as it’s only July, we have a lot more warm weather to look forward to this year (especially in Southern California, if last summer’s heat was any indication!). Cold desserts are a great way to cool down when it’s hot out. One of my favorites is the ice cream sandwich, because it is easy, portable and can be subject to any number of variations. On a cool day – or at least a cooler day – I’ll often bake up a batch of cookies destined to become part of ice cream sandwiches, which allows me to assemble the treats in advance and store them individually in the freezer.

Chocolate chip cookies paired with vanilla ice cream are my favorite combination to make, not to mention the fact that they’re the most obvious choice. Other food bloggers have come up with some more creative, more delicious combinations to give this treat some variety:

• Green Tea and Raspberry Ice Cream Sandwiches 
• Chocolate Decadence Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Apple Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Peanut Butter and Honey Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Naughty Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

And if you’re thinking of buying ice cream sandwiches, there are probably several dozen choices to be found in your grocer’s freezer. Cook’s Illustrated recently did a taste test, putting Nestlé/Carnation, Klondike and Blue Bunny sandwiches at the top of their list, followed by Turkey Hill and Julie’s Organics. If you can find them in your area, you might want to check out It’s It sandwiches (not included in CI’s test), if you haven’t tried them already.

Feel free to leave your favorite brands and flavor suggestions for others to try in the comments!