star shaped ice cream sandwiches for 4th of july with red white and blue decoration

Summer is in full swing–that means all kinds of outdoor fun, vacations, cute summer outfits, and of course, ice cream. There’s nothing more well-loved during these hot months than a classic ice cream sandwich. Biting into a cold, soft cookie, and hitting that ice cream center? Sheer perfection! So whether you’re searching for 4th of July dessert ideas, or you just want a delicious, cold summer treat, this ice cream sandwich recipe is the perfect place to start.

star shaped ice cream sandwiches made with chocolate sugar cookie and red white and blue sprinkles

These ice cream sandwiches are made with chocolate sugar cookies that almost have a brownie fudgy-ness to them once frozen, and a deep chocolate flavor. The ice cream flavor in the center and the decorations on top? Well, that’s up to you!  I went with vanilla bean ice cream, white chocolate, and red, white, and blue star sprinkles, but you could use strawberry or blueberry ice cream, and even red or blue chocolate melts to really punch up the 4th of July vibes here. Either way, these are sure to be a hit at your summer celebrations!

red white and blue decorated ice cream sandwich recipe for 4th of july dessert ideas

If you’ve never tried a homemade ice cream sandwich recipe before, the biggest tip I can give you is to make sure everything is cold while assembling them (this is all laid out in the directions below). As long as you read through the directions before you begin, I’m sure that you’ll have success making these! Happy summer and Happy 4th of July!

Did you try this ice cream sandwich recipe? Show us your 4th of July dessert ideas on Instagram @lulus using #lovelulus. For festive finds to wear with all your summer outfits, head to our 4th of July Fashion shop!

This recipe comes from our food contributor, Stephanie Simmons, of Blue Bowl. Her goal with her kitchen-tested recipes is to get you excited about cooking, show you how good food can taste, and prove that you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to make a good meal. 

  • PREP TIME: 129 MINS
  • SERVES: 14
  • Red
  • white
  • and blue desserts
  • 4th of july dessert ideas
  • ice cream sandwich recipe
  • star ice cream sandwich

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

  • 1 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 Tbsp milk

For the Ice Cream and for Decorating:

  • 9 cups ice cream (I used vanilla bean, but you could use blueberry or strawberry to add even more of a festive flair!)
  • 12 ounces white chocolate, for decorating
  • Colorful sprinkles, for decorating

Directions

Make the cookie dough:

  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter on high speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
  • Add the sugars and mix until well creamed together with the butter for at least one minute.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
  • Add the milk and mix until just combined.

Roll and chill:

  • Divide the dough into two balls and place one between two sheets of parchment paper.
  • Roll out to ¼” thick, with the rolling pin on top of the top sheet of parchment paper. Repeat with the second half of the dough.
  • Place each dough sheet, still between the two sheets of parchment, on a cookie sheet and chill in the fridge for two hours or in the freezer for one hour. I also like to tuck a clean kitchen towel over the tops to make sure the dough is well covered.

Bake:

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Once the dough is chilled, use a star (or any other shape) cookie cutter to cut out your cookies. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If the dough isn’t firm and cold anymore, cover with a kitchen towel and chill for 10-20 minutes (until cold again) before baking.
  • Bake the cookies for 9 minutes.
  • Gather the dough scraps back together, repeat the same process from earlier to roll out the dough, and chill the dough until cold again before cutting out your next round of cookies. The dough can be a bit sticky as it warms, so it’s easiest to work with it when it’s cold.
  • Repeat until you have 28 cookies. Let the cookies cool completely, then place in a Tupperware with parchment between each layer of cookies. Set aside.

Prepare the ice cream:

  • Line two half cookie sheets with parchment paper, making sure you have overhang around all sides.
  • Let your ice cream sit out for a few minutes to soften a bit, then add 4 ½ cups of ice cream to each of the prepared pans and smooth out as evenly as you can. Cover with foil and pop in the freezer until frozen solid.
  • Once frozen solid, work with one pan at a time. Remove one pan from the freezer, lift the parchment up to remove the slab of ice cream, and set it on your counter. Quickly line the pan again with wax paper.
  • Cut six ice cream shapes out using the same cookie cutter from earlier, and place them back on the lined pan. Cover and freeze until solid again. Repeat with the second pan.

Assemble the sandwiches:

  • Place the container with your cookies in the freezer at least one hour before assembling, so that the ice cream has a cold surface to go onto.
  • Working with one pan at a time, use a cookie flipper to lift an ice cream star off the pan and place it onto a star cookie.
  • Top with a second star cookie and place back on the cold pan or in the cold Tupperware container. Repeat with all the cookies and return to the freezer for at least one hour.

Decorate:

  • Decorate the frozen ice cream sandwiches with melted white chocolate and sprinkles.

Serve and store:

  • Enjoy! Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.