These Pistachio Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches are frozen, sweet, salty, and seriously delicious. Creamy pistachio ice cream is tucked between soft, chewy brown butter chocolate chip pistachio cookies, then rolled in chopped pistachios for an extra layer of nutty crunch.
Every bite gives you a chewy cookie, creamy ice cream, and just the right balance of sweet and salty. Make a batch now and keep them stocked in the freezer all summer long.
Ice Cream Season Is Here
Ice cream season is officially here, and with much of the country dealing with some seriously hot weather, I’m fully embracing it.
I know heat isn’t everyone’s favorite, but I actually love it. I’ve been spending as much time outside as possible, working through the warm afternoons and only heading inside for little breaks when I need a break from the heat.
Naturally, the freezer is well stocked with ice cream.
My list of frozen dessert ideas seems to get longer every summer, and I have my sister-in-law, Lyndsie, to thank for some of that inspiration. By late afternoon, when the heat really starts to settle in, she always wants the coldest thing she can find. Her answer is almost always ice cream.
Honestly, I can’t argue with that.
The Easy Ice Cream Shortcut
Lyndsie has been asking me to make pistachio ice cream sandwiches for the longest time. I knew they would be delicious, but I also knew a completely homemade version would require a little planning.
You’d have to make the ice cream, bake the cookies, assemble everything, and then wait for the sandwiches to freeze.
So instead of making this dessert unnecessarily complicated, I decided to let the store do some of the work. Let’s call these semi-homemade.
Use your favorite store-bought pistachio ice cream or, even better, pistachio gelato. I especially love gelato here because it’s extra creamy and makes an incredibly smooth ice cream layer.
The Best Way to Slice the Ice Cream
Here’s my favorite trick: remove the entire cylinder of ice cream from its container, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze it until completely firm, usually overnight.
Once frozen, simply slice the ice cream into rounds and sandwich each round between two homemade cookies.
It’s much easier than trying to scoop perfectly even portions, and every sandwich gets the same thick, neat layer of ice cream. Plus, it makes assembly surprisingly quick.
The Cookies Make These Special
Store-bought ice cream may be the shortcut, but homemade cookies are non-negotiable.
These cookies are made with brown butter, pistachio butter, mini chocolate chips, and plenty of chopped pistachios. The goal was a cookie that stays soft and chewy even after spending time in the freezer, and these do exactly that.
The brown butter gives the cookies a rich, nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with the pistachio ice cream, while the chocolate chips add little pockets of sweetness.
And when it comes to flavor, it’s hard to beat a homemade brown butter cookie. They’re rich, buttery, perfectly chewy, and absolutely worth the extra effort.
Assemble the Ice Cream Sandwiches
Once the cookies have cooled completely and the ice cream is firm, place one round of pistachio ice cream between two cookies.
Gently press the cookies together until the ice cream reaches the edges. Roll the sides of each sandwich in chopped pistachios for that extra nutty crunch.
Then return the sandwiches to the freezer until firm.
The best part? You can make a whole batch ahead of time and keep them frozen, ready for whenever that late-afternoon ice cream craving hits. And judging by how quickly these disappear around here, I’d recommend making more than you think you need.
Here Are the Details
Ingredients
- Salted butter, cold
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Pistachio butter
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Mini dark chocolate chips
- Roasted salted pistachios
- Pistachio ice cream or pistachio gelato
From the Kitchen
You don’t need much equipment to make these ice cream sandwiches. A skillet for browning the butter, a mixing bowl, two baking sheets, parchment paper, and a cookie scoop will do the job.
If you want perfectly even layers of ice cream, grab some plastic wrap too. Wrapping the softened ice cream into a log and freezing it until firm makes it easy to slice into neat rounds. It’s a simple little trick that makes assembling the sandwiches much easier.
How to Make Pistachio Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Start with Brown Butter
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, cooking until it smells nutty and the milk solids turn golden brown. Immediately pour the browned butter into a heatproof bowl to stop it from cooking further.
Tip: Keep a close eye on the butter. It can go from perfectly golden to burnt surprisingly quickly. Once you smell that warm, toasted aroma and see golden brown bits at the bottom of the skillet, it’s ready.
Build the Pistachio Cookie Dough
Whisk the brown sugar into the warm brown butter. Add the eggs, pistachio butter, and vanilla, mixing until smooth.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, and sea salt until just combined. If the dough is still warm, let it cool for a few minutes before folding in the mini chocolate chips and chopped pistachios.
I always reach for mini chocolate chips here. They melt into the cookies beautifully while allowing the pistachio flavor to stay front and center.
Recipe Note: Can’t find pistachio butter? Simply leave it out and add a few extra chopped pistachios for more nutty flavor.
Bake Until Soft and Chewy
Roll the dough into balls and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten each one before baking.
Bake until the edges are just set. About halfway through baking, firmly tap the baking sheets against the counter, then return them to the oven to finish.
Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.
Slightly underbaked cookies are exactly what you want here. They stay soft and chewy even after freezing, which makes them ideal for ice cream sandwiches.
Tip: Resist the urge to overbake. Soft, chewy cookies make the best ice cream sandwiches.
Turn the Ice Cream into Slices
While the cookies cool, remove the pistachio ice cream or gelato from its container. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, shaping it into one long log about the same diameter as your cookies.
Freeze until completely firm, then slice the ice cream into thick rounds.
Tip: This little trick is so much easier than scooping. Each sandwich gets an even layer of ice cream, and you won’t have melting ice cream running everywhere while you assemble them.
Sandwich Everything Together
Place one slice of pistachio ice cream between two cookies and gently press until the ice cream reaches the edges.
Roll the sides of each sandwich in chopped pistachios, if desired, then return them to the freezer until firm.
The chopped pistachios add the perfect salty crunch against the creamy ice cream and soft, chewy cookies.
A Make-Ahead Dessert
These are perfect for making a day or two ahead. Wrap the individual sandwiches and keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to serve.
For entertaining, arrange them on a chilled platter after dinner and let everyone grab one. They have a funny habit of disappearing before you realize you’ve served dessert.
Take the sandwiches out of the freezer about 5 minutes before serving. The cookies will soften just enough, while the gelato becomes perfectly creamy.
Pistachio Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
9
sandwiches30
minutes15
minutes346
kcal6 hours
45 minutes6 hours
Soft, chewy brown butter pistachio cookies meet creamy pistachio ice cream in these irresistible frozen treats. Each sandwich is finished with chopped roasted pistachios for a salty, nutty crunch that balances the sweetness perfectly.
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Ingredients
2 sticks salted butter, cold
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup pistachio butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped roasted salted pistachios
2 pints pistachio ice cream or pistachio gelato
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Brown the butter in a skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes. Remove it from the heat, then whisk in the brown sugar, eggs, pistachio butter, and vanilla.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips and chopped pistachios.
Scoop the dough into 18 balls and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten each ball.
Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets and firmly tap each pan on the counter once. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for another 2–4 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers remain soft.
Let the cookies cool completely before assembling the sandwiches. - For the neatest ice cream sandwiches, remove the pistachio ice cream or gelato from its carton and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Shape it into a log with a diameter roughly the same size as your cookies.
Freeze until firm, then slice the ice cream into rounds.
This is much quicker than scooping individual portions and gives every sandwich an even layer of ice cream. It also saves you from chasing melting ice cream around the kitchen, which is always a nice bonus. - Place one round of pistachio ice cream between two cooled cookies and gently press the cookies together until the ice cream reaches the edges.
If desired, roll the edges of each sandwich in finely chopped pistachios for an extra salty crunch.
Freeze the assembled sandwiches for 20–30 minutes before serving so the ice cream firms back up.
For the best texture, let the sandwiches sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before eating. The cookies soften slightly while the pistachio ice cream becomes perfectly creamy.
Notes
- For the neatest ice cream sandwiches, remove the ice cream from its carton and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, shaping it into a log about the same diameter as your cookies. Freeze until firm, then slice into rounds and sandwich each one between two cookies.
It’s much quicker than scooping and gives every sandwich a nice, even layer of ice cream.
