The Best Homemade Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches (That Actually Taste Better Than Store-Bought)

Okay, so I messed this up twice before getting it right. And by “messed up,” I mean the first batch turned into chocolate hockey pucks that my kids used as frisbees in the backyard. True story.

But here’s the thing—once you nail these homemade Oreo ice cream sandwiches, you’ll never go back to those sad, freezer-burned store versions. I’m talking about thick, chewy chocolate cookies that actually stay soft when frozen, paired with creamy vanilla ice cream that doesn’t turn into an ice block. Pure magic.

Why I Started Making These (Spoiler: It Wasn’t by Choice)

Last summer, my neighbor Sarah mentioned she was making homemade ice cream sandwiches for her daughter’s birthday party. I laughed. Who has time for that? Just buy a box from the store, right?

Wrong. So wrong.

Two weeks later, I’m standing in the frozen foods aisle staring at a $8 box of ice cream sandwiches that taste like cardboard and regret. My 10-year-old takes one bite and goes, “Mom, these taste weird.” Kids don’t lie about food, people.

That night, I went down a Pinterest rabbit hole that lasted until 2 AM. Spoiler alert: most of those “easy homemade Oreo ice cream sandwich” recipes are lies. They’re either too complicated (who has time to make ice cream from scratch on a Tuesday?) or the cookies come out tasting like sweet cement.

The Cookie Situation (AKA My Biggest Learning Curve)

Here’s where I almost gave up entirely. Traditional Oreo-style cookies are crispy, right? But when you freeze crispy cookies with ice cream, they become impossible to bite through without the ice cream shooting out the sides like a dairy volcano.

I think… no, I know this works better when the cookies are slightly chewy. Like, soft enough to bite through when frozen, but sturdy enough to hold everything together.

The secret? (Trust me on this one) It’s all about the butter temperature and not overbaking. Room temperature butter, not melted. And pull them out when they look slightly underdone. They’ll keep cooking on the pan for a few minutes.

What You’ll Actually Need

Look, I’m gonna be honest—I’ve tried fancy ingredients, and I’ve tried cheap ingredients. The difference is minimal when everything’s frozen together. Save your money on the expensive vanilla extract and splurge on good ice cream instead.

For the Cookies:

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder (Hershey’s works fine, don’t overthink it)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup butter, room temperature (not melted!)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

For Assembly:

• 1½ quarts vanilla ice cream (I use Häagen-Dazs because life’s too short)
• Optional: mini chocolate chips for rolling the edges (makes them look fancy)

Pro tip: Buy the ice cream in a rectangular container, not round. You’ll thank me later when you’re trying to slice it.

The Step-by-Step (With All My Mistakes Included)

Step 1: Cookie Dough Drama

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Not 375°F like I did the first time, which resulted in chocolate discs that could probably stop bullets.

In a big bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until it’s fluffy. This takes longer than you think—like 3-4 minutes with an electric mixer. I used to rush this step. Don’t be like past me.

Add the egg and vanilla. Mix until combined.

In another bowl (yes, you need two bowls, I tried doing it in one bowl once and ended up with flour explosions), whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. The dough will look dry at first, then suddenly come together. It’s like magic, but messier.

Step 2: The Baking Situation

Here’s where I almost burned down my kitchen the second time. My neighbor knocked on the door while the first batch was in the oven, and I got distracted talking about her new fence for 20 minutes. Came back to chocolate hockey pucks.

Set a timer. Set two timers if you’re easily distracted like me.

Roll the dough into balls about the size of a golf ball. You’ll get around 20 cookies, which makes 10 ice cream sandwiches. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between each one because they spread.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. They’ll look slightly underdone when you pull them out—that’s perfect. They’re still cooking on the hot pan.

Let them cool completely on the baking sheet. And I mean completely. Warm cookies + ice cream = soup.

Step 3: Ice Cream Prep (The Smart Person’s Approach)

While the cookies are cooling, take your ice cream out of the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. Not enough to melt it, just enough to make it scoopable without breaking your wrist.

Here’s the game-changer: instead of scooping ice cream onto each cookie individually (messy and uneven), slice the ice cream container. Literally cut the container open and slice the ice cream like bread. Each slice should be about ½ inch thick.

Use a round cookie cutter or even a large glass to cut circles from the ice cream slices that match your cookie size. Boom. Uniform ice cream layers that actually fit your cookies.

Step 4: Assembly Time

This is where things get fun (and slightly chaotic). Work fast because ice cream waits for no one.

Place an ice cream round on the flat side of one cookie. Top with another cookie, flat side down. Gently press together—not too hard or the ice cream will squeeze out everywhere.

If you want to get fancy, roll the edges in mini chocolate chips. My kids love this part, mostly because they eat half the chocolate chips before they make it onto the sandwiches.

Step 5: The Freezing Strategy

Place the assembled sandwiches on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for at least 2 hours. I usually make them in the morning and serve them after dinner.

For storage, wrap each sandwich individually in plastic wrap once they’re completely frozen. They’ll keep for up to a month in the freezer. (Though they never last that long in my house.)

What I’ve Learned From Making These 47 Times

Okay, maybe not 47 times, but close. Here are the tricks that actually matter:

Cookie Texture is Everything: Slightly chewy beats crispy every time when frozen. If your cookies come out too crispy, try reducing the baking time by a minute next time.

Ice Cream Quality Matters: Store-brand ice cream often has too much air whipped in, which makes it icy when frozen in sandwiches. Splurge a little on the good stuff.

Size Consistency: Make all your cookies roughly the same size, or you’ll end up with some giant sandwiches and some tiny ones. Ask me how I know.

The Softening Sweet Spot: Ice cream that’s too hard is impossible to slice. Too soft and it melts everywhere. About 10-15 minutes out of the freezer is perfect.

Troubleshooting (Because Things Go Wrong)

Cookies too hard when frozen? Next batch, pull them out of the oven 1-2 minutes earlier. They should look slightly underdone.

Ice cream melting everywhere? Work faster, or put the cookies back in the freezer for 30 minutes before assembling.

Cookies spreading too much? Your butter was probably too warm. Room temperature should feel cool to the touch, not squishy.

Sandwiches falling apart? Press them together more firmly when assembling, and make sure they’re completely frozen before handling.

The Verdict (And Why My Family Demands These)

These homemade Oreo ice cream sandwiches are legit a better dessert than anything you can buy. The cookies stay perfectly chewy even when frozen, the ice cream doesn’t turn into a brick, and you can control the sweetness level.

My kids’ friends now specifically ask if we have “the good ice cream sandwiches” when they come over. My husband, who usually just eats whatever’s in the freezer, actually requests these. And my mother-in-law, who’s never impressed by anything I cook, asked for the recipe twice.

The best part? Once you get the hang of it, they’re not that much work. I usually double the recipe and keep a stash in the freezer for when I need to feel like mom of the year.

Are they perfect? No. Sometimes one cookie is slightly bigger than the other. Sometimes the ice cream isn’t perfectly centered. But they’re homemade, they taste amazing, and they make people happy. That’s good enough for me.

Now go make some and let me know how yours turn out! And please tell me I’m not the only one who burns cookies when the doorbell rings. 😊