How To Make Healthy 4-Ingredient Ice Cream Sandwiches
These ice cream sandwiches are perfect for a healthier way to have a treat on a hot day. With a 1-ingredient ice cream and 3-ingredient cookie, all with no added sugar, you can all enjoy a quickly made ice cream in the sun without having to deal with sugar highs and crashes in intensely hot weather!
With the heatwave that’s been hitting Europe lately, has anyone else felt incapable of doing much more than sleeping and pounding iced coffees?
Although I’m thoroughly enjoying the drop in humidity since the storm in England, many of our days lately have been spent in the paddling pool (which is currently leaking from four different holes poked by inquisitive seagulls), applying suncream like warpaint when the kids decide the one time they want to be outside is the middle of the day, and being sprayed by the hoses and water guns that somehow seem to find their way into cheeky children’s hands.
One way to cope?
Ice cream.
Only when, like us, you live by the sea (or any body of water…or a school…or a road), ice cream seems to become a frequent occurrence in the summertime. So to keep the sugar to a minimum and more of a treat, I’ve been enjoying coming up with more ways to have low sugar ice cream options on hand.
And I’ve hit the jackpot this time. Healthy (ok, healthier) ice cream sandwiches!
They are:
- made with just 4 ingredients
- super quick (think 2 minutes prep and 20 cooking)
- made with no added sugar (although you have the option of adding a tiny bit of sugar or sweetener if you have more of a sweet tooth!)
- gluten free, dairy free, flourless
- d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s.
The 1-ingredient ice cream is so easy to make, kids can do it easily! And if you get them to stir the 3 cookie ingredients together, too? That means no prep for you, just a little supervision of kids and an oven for a few minutes!
And then you get to enjoy the sticky smiles, watching healthy ice cream drip down happy faces and get at least 5 minutes break from being squirted in the face with a hose.
When these are my days, I’m definitely all for keeping the sugar highs and crashes to a minimum in 40ºC weather!
Beat the hot weather with an ice cream sandwich that is actually good for you (well, kind of, I wouldn't eat a ton but they are filling!). These ice cream sandwiches are made from a 1-ingredient banana ice cream and 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies with no added sugar and yet plenty of flavour! Gluten free, dairy free, flourless.
- 2 bananas, peeled and frozen for at least 2-3 hours
- splash of milk (dairy or non-dairy), if needed
- 250 g (1 cup) peanut butter (I like crunchy for the added texture in the cookies but smooth works, too
- 1 medium egg
- 4 drops liquid stevia (or use a very small amount of your chosen sweetener to taste – about 2 tsp brown sugar works well), optional
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If you haven’t already frozen the bananas, do this first (I like to buy big batches of really ripe ones discounted in the supermarket and get home and peel and freeze them to always have on hand in a second – you can even defrost and use in baking for banana bread, cakes or muffins!).
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Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas Mix the cookie ingredients until smooth and fluffy, then dollop tablespoons of the mix onto a lined baking tray and press them down slightly. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Allow to cool completely (I recommend even freezing them for a little before assembling the sandwiches as they can be super crumbly and that can make for a really messy ice cream sandwich!).
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Blitz the frozen bananas in a food processor until smooth, adding a little milk if needed to loosen the mixture and move it along (it takes a few minutes, be patient). Spoon a couple of tablespoons between 2 cold cookies and serve immediately, with a bowl or at least a couple of napkins as it can get messy, in the best possible way!
Looking for more low sugar ice cream recipes? I did a recent round-up of 13 different ones over here.
