Backyard Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

Bananas flourish in the Florida backyard, and while they're often smaller than storebought, their sweetness and flavor is beyond compare. They're perfect in Charlotte's recipe for vegan, gluten-free ice cream sandwiches (not kidding).
By / Photography By | May 04, 2016

Ingredients

SERVINGS: Makes about 14 sandwiches, plus extra cookies
Ice Cream
  • 8 small backyard bananas, very ripe (or 4 supermarket variety)
  • ½ cup light coconut milk or almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup if strict vegan)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cookies
  • 1½ cups gluten-free flour, such as King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup unsweetened peanut butter
  • ½ cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (make sure brand is vegan and gluten-free)

Preparation

To make the ice cream:

  1. Peel bananas and slice crosswise into coins. Place in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour. 
  2. Combine frozen banana, milk, honey, and vanilla in food processor and process until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Transfer to freezer-safe container and freeze until ready to use.

To bake the cookies:

  1. Heat oven to 350°. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. 
  3. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend peanut butter, coconut oil, and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy. Stir in flour mixture until thoroughly combined. 
  4. Working in batches, use a tablespoon to form dough into approximate 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball into a thick disk. 
  5. Bake until edges are browned and bubbling, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies for 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. 
  6. Once all cookies are cooled, melt chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water. 
  7. Use a teaspoon to spread melted chocolate on the flat side of each cookie and return to parchment-lined baking sheet, chocolate side up. Transfer to freezer to set, about 5 minutes.

To prepare the sandwiches:

  1. Once chocolate is set, sandwich about 1 heaping tablespoon of ice cream between 2 cookies. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. 
  2. For longer storage, wrap ice cream sandwiches in plastic wrap once firm and return to freezer.  

Ingredients

SERVINGS: Makes about 14 sandwiches, plus extra cookies
Ice Cream
  • 8 small backyard bananas, very ripe (or 4 supermarket variety)
  • ½ cup light coconut milk or almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup if strict vegan)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cookies
  • 1½ cups gluten-free flour, such as King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup unsweetened peanut butter
  • ½ cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (make sure brand is vegan and gluten-free)
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