Recipe for Ice Cream Sandwiches: Butter Pecan and Maple

Cool down with this irresistible recipe for ice cream sandwiches that’ll leave you wanting more! A twist on a classic, this recipe replaces chocolate sandwich cookies with salty/sweet butter pecan shortbread along with maple ice cream instead of vanilla. Make it quick with store-bought ice cream, or whip up a batch of maple ice cream yourself—it’s a delicious choose-your-own-adventure either way!

Ice Cream Sandwich Love

The store-bought chocolate wafer-style sandwiches are most familiar, wrapped in shiny wax paper or a textured foil wrapper. But really, if you have a cookie and some ice cream—you have a sandwich in waiting. The possibilities are endless with these sweet treats.

This Recipe is For You 

1. 1. This recipe for ice cream sandwiches is as easy as you want it to be (think store-bought ice cream), and depending on your pan size, you can make them in bulk in no time—perfect for summer gatherings!
   2. These ice cream sandwiches are unlike any other. A large Pecan Sandie-style cookie but with buttered pecans, the tender-crisp shortbread outer layers meld perfectly with caramelly sweet maple ice cream to create a cool treat with a flavor reminiscent of maple fudge.
   3. If you want genuine bragging rights, you can take the more protracted approach by making Homemade Maple Ice Cream. Here you’ll find a recipe for a no-churn variety and an old-fashioned, churned variety. Even if you don’t go this route, you can still brag. I won’t share your secret.

Equipment Notes

• • Stand or hand mixer. A stand or hand mixer is a must to cream cold butter with sugar. I would not recommend doing this by hand with a spoon or whisk unless you’re practicing for arm wrestling.
  • Pan for building ice cream sandwiches. This can vary depending on what you have on hand. You’ll want to use a pan with a depth of 2”, but otherwise, you can roll the dough into a shape and size that works for you. Remember that the dough will be cut in half, so measure accordingly. A pan size of 9″ or 10″x7″ would work well. You can find pans in those sizes on Amazon.

Ingredient Notes

• • Unsalted Butter. You can use salted butter, but skip adding salt to the recipe. Cold butter is critical here, as it will still be on the colder end when it gets creamed with the brown sugar and later kneaded as a dough. This will prevent the dough from being overly sticky, requiring additional cooling time (or tempting you to add more flour) should that happen.
  • Finely Chopped Pecans. Pecan halves are too large to work well in this recipe with the size and thickness of the dough. Pecan pieces can sometimes be too large, depending on the brand. If your pecans are generally more significant than the size of a pebble, chop them up a bit more but not to the point where it turns to a powder. I’m not trying to be pecan Goldilocks here, promise. 
  • Corn Starch. Please don’t skip this ingredient, as it helps to add tenderness to the cookie slabs.
  • Buttered Pecans. You can use plain pecans if you’re short on time. Your final product will miss out on the ideal salt-to-sweet ratio if that is the case.
  • Maple Ice Cream. Store-bought is a shortcut, but finding plain maple ice cream may be a tall order. Typically, you’ll find maple ice cream with walnuts added. This can result in an additional crunch and may be worth the swap if that’s your vice, but if you are adventurous—try one of these maple ice cream recipes. The no-churn option requires about 5-10 minutes of prep work and time to rest in the freezer.

Recipe Notes

• • When creaming the butter, scrape the sides of the bowl, following the recipe as a minimum guide. Suppose you are finding spots of sugar and butter not blended. If you don’t mix it further, this will affect the final product in both taste and general consistency. 
  • If you want to skip kneading by hand and have a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment, set the mixer on Low, and knead for 1 minute as you add the remaining 2 tbsp of flour. Then, add the buttered pecans and set the mixer to Low for 1 additional minute. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rectangle before continuing with the recipe. 
  • Parchment paper is your friend in this recipe. When rolling out the dough, it is much easier to do so with the dough placed between two half sheet size pieces of parchment paper. Since the dough is baked on parchment, you don’t have to worry about breaking it when transferred to the baking pan.

• • Form the dough into a rectangle larger than twice the size of your ice cream sandwich pan. This will allow you to cut off any jagged edges to form a perfect rectangle, which will then be sliced in half to fit the size of your pan (top and bottom). 
  • When the cookie comes out of the oven, cut it immediately while still in the pan. I like to use a bench scraper, but a long knife works well too. You can save edge scraps to use as an ice cream topping or snack! The cookie will need to be frozen just slightly before you can start making the sandwiches. 

• • If using store-bought ice cream: Allow it to soften but not to the point where it is melted. This will be the ideal consistency for spreading the ice cream on the bottom layer of the cookie without making it soggy.
  • If using homemade, no-churn maple ice cream: Freeze the ice cream for 2 hours before making sandwiches.
  • If using homemade, churned maple ice cream: Mix with an ice cream maker until a soft serve forms and immediately use to create the sandwiches.

Change It Up

This recipe for ice cream sandwiches is incredibly flexible, given you can change up the ice cream and so many toppings are available to choose from. Here are some suggestions:

1. 1. Partially dip each sandwich in tempered, melted white or dark chocolate. Optional: Sprinkle chocolate with finely chopped pecans or walnuts. 
   2. Roll ice cream sides in rainbow or chocolate sprinkles.
   3. Drizzle salted caramel on top.
   4. Change out the maple ice cream for caramel or vanilla.

Butter Pecan and Maple Ice Cream Sandwiches

David

This recipe is a twist on a classic, replacing chocolate sandwich cookies with salty/sweet butter pecan shortbread and layering in dreamy maple ice cream. Make it quick with store bought ice cream, or whip up a batch of no-churn Maple Ice Cream linked below.

5

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Refrigeration and Freeze Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 38 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 12 Sandwiches

Calories 452 kcal

Equipment

• Mixing Bowls
• Rubber Spatula
• Stand Mixer w/ Paddle Attachment or Hand Mixer
• Baking Pans preferably half sheet
• Parchment Paper
• Large Knife
• Pastry Cutter optional
• Frying Pan for the buttered pecans

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the Ice Cream Sandwiches

• 1 cup Unsalted Butter 227g – cold, cut into cubes
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp Light Brown Sugar 115g
• 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract 4g
• 2 cups + 2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour 260g – divided, more if needed
• 1 tsp Corn Starch 3g
• 1 ½ tsp Sea Salt 9g – or Kosher Salt
• ½ cup Buttered Pecans 55g – see recipe below
• 1 ½ quarts Maple Ice Cream or ice cream of choice, preferably homemade.

For the Buttered Pecans

• 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans or Pecan Pieces 55g
• 1 tbsp Butter 14g – unsalted or salted
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 3g – or Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp Granulated Sugar 1g

Instructions

 

For the Ice Cream Sandwiches

• Add the butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on low for 1 minute until starting to combine.
  1 cup Unsalted Butter, ½ cup + 1 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
• Add vanilla, and beat on medium-high for 8 minutes until creamed thoroughly and no butter spots remain. If the brown sugar is not mixed thoroughly, blend an additional 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through and at the end. d
  1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• Add 2 cups of flour, corn starch, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk for a few seconds to combine, but do not overmix.
  2 cups + 2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour, 1 ½ tsp Sea Salt
• Pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture, and beat on low for 1 minute.
• Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a thoroughly floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes, gradually adding the remaining 2 tbsp of flour. The dough should be pliable and just slightly tacky.
  2 cups + 2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
• Knead the pecans into the dough until mixed throughout, about 1 minute. Shape dough into a small rectangle, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  ½ cup Buttered Pecans
• Preheat the oven to 350°F / 176°C for 10 minutes. Roll dough between two pieces of parchment paper into a 13"x18" rectangle. It should be roughly ¼" thick.
• Remove the top parchment paper and slide the bottom with the dough onto a half-sheet pan. Bake on the center rack for 15-18 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.

  Please note: you can use different pan sizes depending on your preference, but roll the dough slightly larger than the size of the pan.

• Cut the rough edges of the cookie to form a 10"x14" rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half on the long side. Let cool for 15 minutes.
• Place the pan and cookie in the freezer for 20 minutes. Once it is frozen, place one-half of the cookie bottom side facing up into a small, appropriately sized pan (10"x7"). Spread softened ice cream over the cookie and add the other cookie half on top.

  I recommend homemade ice cream, and here are two options: churned and no-churn maple ice cream.

  1 ½ quarts Maple Ice Cream
• Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours or longer until the ice cream is firm. Once frozen, let the sandwiches sit on the counter for 2 minutes before cutting into 12 pieces. Serve immediately, wrapping any leftovers individually.

For Buttered Pecans

• Melt butter in a frying pan on the stove over medium heat. Once melted, add pecans.
  1 tbsp Butter, 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans or Pecan Pieces
• Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes or until pecans become fragrant and brown lightly.
• Remove from heat and stir in salt and sugar. Place in a small bowl to cool down for 10 minutes before using.
  1/2 tsp Sea Salt, 1/4 tsp Granulated Sugar

Video

Notes

You can make these to your size preference, depending on the size of your baking pans. Factoring that the cookie needs to be cut in half, the resulting size should fit snugly in the pan where you will assemble the sandwiches.

I highly recommend homemade maple ice cream. Here are two ways you can make it depending on your equipment: churn or no-churn. 

Please Note: Nutrition Facts are estimates only. These figures are calculated via a third-party application using a generic likeness of each ingredient. Nutritional content will vary based on actual brands and weights used for each ingredient and portion size.

Nutrition

Serving: 12SandwichesCalories: 452kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 7gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 452mgPotassium: 229mgFiber: 1gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 829IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 148mgIron: 1mg

Keyword butter pecan, Ice Cream, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Maple, shortbread

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