Espresso cookie dough ice cream sandwiches with two layers of delicious espresso chocolate chip cookie dough that’s stuffed with vanilla ice cream and an espresso fudge sauce.

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Cookie dough ice cream is one of the best ice cream flavors, but it hardly ever has enough cookie dough (in my opinion), and it can be a little bland sometimes. These espresso cookie dough ice cream sandwiches are the solution to that problem, they’re made with two layers of edible espresso chocolate chip cookie dough and they’re filled with both a vanilla ice cream and a homemade espresso chocolate fudge sauce. Perfect for getting a little caffeine kick with your dessert.

They contain a perfect amount of cookie dough. Cookie dough ice cream is notorious for never having enough cookie dough. Here we have cookie dough sandwiching vanilla ice cream, making for a delicious amount of cookie dough in every single bite.
They’re super customizable. Switch up the ice cream flavor, leave out the espresso, add your favorite mix-ins, etc. This recipe is super forgiving!
No oven required. Because who wants to turn on the oven when it’s this hot outside?

expert baking tips

Weigh your ingredients:

My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.

Heat-treat the flour!

This step is *super super super* important. You might think that the only problem in standard cookie dough is eating raw eggs, but the truth is that the flour is just as dangerous to be eating raw! There are two ways that you can heat treat your flour to make it safe to eat.

In the microwave. This is the method I use in this recipe because it is fast and easy. Add the flour to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until the flour reads 165°F / 74°C. This usually takes me about 1 minute total.

In the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C. Spread the flour out over a clean baking tray and bake until the flour reaches a temperature of 165°F / 74°C. This should take 5-10 min.

Use room temperature ingredients:

Take out your butter about an hour before starting the recipe to allow it to come to room temperature. If your butter is too cold, you won’t be able to beat it properly.

the ice cream cake needs time to set

The bars will need to be set in the freezer for at least 4 hours but will be best if it’s made in the beginning of the day and served at night, or if it’s made at night then served the next day.

All-purpose flour: gives the cookie dough structure. We will heat-treat the flour so that it is safe to eat! I’ve also tested this with gluten-free flour and almond flour which work perfectly. You don’t need to heat-treat almond flour but you do need to heat-treat the 1:1 gluten free flour.
Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the cookie dough
Unsalted butter: gives the cookie dough that classic butter-y flavor and helps it hold up at room temperature. If using salted butter, just omit the extra salt from the dough. You can also sub in dairy-free butter sticks!
Light brown sugar: for sweetness and for more depth of flavor
Milk: adds a bit of moisture to the dough. You can use any kind of milk or milk alternative for this.
Vanilla: for flavor.
Instant espresso: or instant coffee, for flavor.
Mini chocolate chips: for flavor and crunch.

espresso fudge sauce & filling:

Semi-sweet chocolate chips: for the fudge layer. You can substitute in a semi sweet chocolate baking bar as well.
Unsalted butter: for some richness. You can also use salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the fudge.
Sweetened condensed milk: makes the fudge rich and creamy.
Salt: for flavor.
Instant espresso: or instant coffee, for flavor.
Vanilla ice cream: use your favorite vanilla ice cream here, or switch it up and use any ice cream here.

Here’s a few images on what the process of making these ice cream sandwiches looks like. You can find the full recipe at the end of this blog post!

The edible cookie dough in a mixing bowl.

The cookie dough pressed down into a square pan.

Beat together the cookie dough ingredients.
Press the dough down into a square pan and freeze for 10 minutes.

Layering the ice cream into the loaf pan.

The assembled cookie dough ice cream sandwiches in the loaf pan.

Cut the cookie dough in half and place it down into a loaf pan, then layer on the ice cream.
Place the second cookie dough slab on top and freeze the sandwiches. Then slice, serve, and enjoy!

Yes! I’ve tried them with 1:1 gluten free flour (king arthur’s) and almond flour and they work perfectly. Please be sure to still heat-treat the flour if you are using a 1:1 gluten-free flour. If you are using a nut flour, you do not need to heat-treat it.

what size loaf pan do I need?

You will need an 8×4″ loaf pan and an 8″ square pan. If you don’t have an 8″ square pan, you will just have to pat the cookie dough into an 8″ square, freeze, and then cut. If you only have a 9×5″ loaf, you will want to pat the dough into a 9″ square, then freeze and cut.

can I double this recipe?

Of course! You can double the ingredients and make two 8″ squares to layer on top of each other to make 9-16 squares of cookie dough ice cream, or you can double the ingredients and make them in two different loaf pans.

tools and ingredients:

You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!

other recipes you might enjoy:

did you make this recipe?

I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery

Ingredients

Espresso Fudge Sauce

85 g semi-sweet chocolate
200 g sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp. instant espresso
14 g unsalted butter (1 tbsp.)

Espresso Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

150 g all purpose flour* (1 ¼ c.)
½ tsp. salt
113 g unsalted butter (8 tbsp.) room temperature
140 g light brown sugar (⅔ c.)
2 tbsp. milk
2 tbsp. instant espresso
½ tsp. vanilla
90 g mini chocolate chips (½ c.)
1 pint vanilla ice cream (2 c.)

Instructions

Espresso Fudge Sauce

Add the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.
Add in the instant espresso and butter and mix until well combined. Set aside in the freezer.

Espresso Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

HEAT TREAT THE FLOUR. Place the flour in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F / 74°C.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (~3 min.)
Add in the milk, instant espresso, and vanilla, and beat until combined.
Add in the flour and salt. Beat until almost all the flour is incorporated, then beat in the chocolate chips.
Line an 8×8 pan with plastic wrap. Pat the cookie dough down into the pan, then set it in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden a little. Pull out the ice cream while you're waiting.
After 10 minutes, lift the cookie dough out of the pan and cut it in half.
Line a 8×4" loaf pan with plastic wrap. Place one half of the cookie dough down into the pan (you may have to press it in a little.)
Top the cookie dough with half of the ice cream, and smooth it into an even layer. Drizzle ¾ of the espresso fudge sauce on top, then scoop the remaining ice cream on top and smooth it out into an even layer. Top the ice cream with the other half of the cookie dough.
Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and leave it in the freezer to set for at least 4 hours. Store extra fudge sauce in the fridge.
Slice the cookie dough loaf into 8 slices or squares. Drizzle the remaining fudge sauce over the bars, then serve and enjoy!

Notes

*or 1:1 gluten-free flour, or almond flour. If using a 1:1 gf flour you will still need to heat-treat it, but almond flour does not need to be heat treated.

Nutrition

Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.