Ina Garten's 3-Ingredient Dessert Is My Favorite (It's So Delicious)

"You can be miserable before you eat a cookie, and you can be miserable afterwards. But never while you're eating a cookie." That's one of my favorite Ina Garten quotes because she's not wrong. This exact wisdom is baked right into her Coffee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich recipe.

I used to be the mom who blended frozen bananas for summer desserts (and yes, I still sometimes do). However, when the weather is hot and my kids need a proper treat, I ditch the countertop appliance and grab three things: cookies, gelato, and toffee bits. What happens next is pure joy: smooshed, rolled, frozen, and devoured. Ina would be proud.

How To Make Ina's Ice Cream Sandwiches

Start by pulling a pint of ice cream or gelato out of the freezer and letting it soften at room temperature for a few minutes. You want it soft enough to scoop easily but not too melty.

While that's happening, lay out eight chocolate chip cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, flat side up. Ina calls for Tate's Bake Shop cookies, but I've found that thicker, bakery-style chewy cookies work great and hold up better for little hands.

Using a small ice cream scoop, mound the softened ice cream onto four of the cookies, then top each with another cookie, flat side down, and gently press the top cookies until the ice cream spreads right to the edges. In our house, we swap out the coffee ice cream with various flavors to make them more kid-friendly.

Then comes my kids' favorite part: rolling the edges in toffee bits. They stick beautifully to the exposed ice cream, and I always pat extra bits into any gaps. After about an hour in the freezer, they're firm and ready to devour.

Tips for Making Ice Cream Sandwiches

What I love most about this recipe is how wonderfully flexible it is. While Ina's original calls for coffee and chocolate chip gelato, I've made these with vanilla ice cream, as well as hazelnut, chocolate, caramel, and peanut butter ice cream, depending on what we're craving.

We also like to switch up the cookies from time to time, using peanut butter, oatmeal cookies, double chocolate, and more. 

The coating choices are also limitless. Depending on the other combination of ingredients I'm using, I've rolled them in chopped toasted nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, and peanuts, as well as rainbow sprinkles, mini M&M's, and chocolate chips. They're practically fail-proof, as long as you don't let the ice cream get too melty. 

Timing is everything with these sandwiches because the ice cream can melt quickly. I keep on top of this by always having my toffee bits ready on a shallow plate before I start assembling, and I place my assembled cookies in the freezer on a parchment-lined baking tray after every two that I make.

On hotter days, if the ice cream gets too soft while I'm working, I just pop the assembled cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes before rolling them in the toffee.

They can be easily multiplied. It's a no-brainer to make a double or triple batch when I'm hosting parties or I'm asked to bring dessert to a potluck. As Ina suggests, once they're frozen, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them back in the freezer in a container or freezer bag.

Ina has always stood by her "store-bought is fine" philosophy, and these sandwiches are no exception. Sure, you can make your own cookies and ice cream, to take it over the top, but if you use good ingredients that your family loves, they'll always taste great no matter what. And best of all, nobody needs a culinary degree to master them.