
© Kaylee Murphy
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich Squares
When I was younger, ice cream sandwiches were always my favorite treat to get in the summer (obviously before I found out I was allergic to gluten and dairy). They were so creamy, chocolatey, and just had that perfect way of melting in your mouth–things that are absolutely necessary for a frozen dessert, at least in my opinion.
Recreating One of My Childhood Favorites
But, after going gluten- and dairy-free, I wasn’t able to get my ice cream sandwich fix anymore. Despite all the gluten- and dairy-free desserts that they sold, no one had come up with a gluten- and dairy-free ice cream sandwich. So, I took it upon myself to come up with a recipe that would satisfy my craving, and boy, they did not disappoint!
Without All the Crap
Plus, not only are these homemade ice cream sandwiches gluten- and dairy-free, they’re also grain-free and have no refined sugar (besides the chocolate chips). Now I can satisfy my craving and know that I’m feeding my body with nutrient-dense, wholesome ingredients, which is what I aim to do with all of the food I make. I also decided to use a different flour for the cookie part to switch it up a bit. Have you ever heard of green banana flour? If you’re not a fan of bananas, don’t worry, it doesn’t even taste like them! 😉 Try out my recipe below and tell me what you think!
The Recipe
- For the Peanut Butter Cookies:
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I like this kind)
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
- ½ cup green banana flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼-1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
- ½ cup, or desired amount, Enjoy Life dairy-free mini chocolate chips
- Optional drizzle: more dairy-free chocolate chips or any kind of high-quality dark chocolate, such as Eating Evolved paleo chocolate bars
- For the Ice Cream:
- 4 very ripe frozen bananas, sliced into smaller pieces
- ½ cup raw cashews (sometimes I do a mix of raw cashews and raw macadamia nuts), soaked for at least 4 hours
- 1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
- A pinch of sea salt
- First, preheat the oven to 350˚ (F).
- In a large bowl, beat together the peanut butter and coconut sugar until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Then, add the vanilla flavoring and maple syrup, beating the mixture again until the ingredients are incorporated.
- Next, in a separate, medium-sized bowl, mix together the banana flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder, and salt.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture.
- Then, slowly add in the almond/coconut milk until a nice dough forms.
- Finally, stir in the dairy-free chocolate chips with the dough.
- Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Divide the cookie dough in half and evenly press one half of the cookie dough onto the parchment paper-lined baking dish (you want it to cover the entire pan in a thin layer).
- Bake the cookie dough layer in the oven for 12 minutes. Then, place it in the freezer.
- Then, repeat the same procedure for the second half of the cookie dough.
- For the ice cream, place the cashews in a blender with a pinch of salt and ¼ cup of the coconut cream and ¼ cup of the coconut juice from the full-fat, canned coconut milk, blending the mixture until it's creamy.
- Next, add the frozen bananas, maple syrup, and ½ cup more of the cream from the full-fat coconut milk, blending the mixture until it's creamy.
- Then, pour the mixture into a 9 x 7 baking dish and place it in the freezer until the ice cream is firm (you can always pour the mixture into a larger or smaller pan depending on how thick you want the ice cream sandwich to be and cut off the excess cookie or ice cream edges when forming the bars).
- Remove the cookie dough layers from the freezer.
- Next, place one cookie dough layer into a parchment paper-lined 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Then, remove the frozen banana ice cream from the freezer and run a knife along the edges until it pops out of the dish.
- Now flip the banana ice cream onto the cookie dough. By this time, the banana ice cream should have melted a little and can be spread evenly on the cookie dough layer without melting all over. 5. Place the second cookie dough layer on top of the banana ice cream.
- Place the pan in the freezer for at least an hour or two.
- Finally, remove the bars from the freezer and cut them into desired-sizes (if the bars have been in the freezer overnight, leave them out for a few minutes before slicing or serving).
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer.

© Kaylee Murphy
Peanut butter chocolate lovers, have you tried my Melt-In-Your-Mouth Banana Bread Skillet?! Or, for all you frozen dessert lovers, how about my Mini Banana Cheesecakes?
Also, check out why I only use this peanut butter!
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