Hear Us Out — You Should Be Using Toast When Making An Ice Cream Sandwich

If you grew up eating ice cream sandwiches that featured soft vanilla ice cream inside of a moist, rich chocolate cookie that was almost like a dense little cake, then you may have never attempted a homemade ice cream sandwich recipe. After all, who wants to put that much effort into making the exterior for a snack that's supposed to be simple? But it turns out there is a simple way to make ice cream sandwiches at home, and it doesn't require any fancy recipe or even a stand mixer. All you have to do is buy a loaf of bread at the store.

That's because you can put the "sandwich" back in ice cream sandwiches by putting the ice cream between two pieces of toast. Opt for a soft, egg-enriched bread, like brioche, which will be able to stand up to the ice cream without becoming a soggy mess (that's why it's so great in French toast, too). Or, you can go Sicilian, and use brioche rolls — toasted brioche rolls filled with gelato is a popular Sicilian breakfast. Toast your bread and fill it with ice cream (or gelato) for a less-sweet take on ice cream sandwiches. Or, transform the bread into the cinnamon toast to up the ante on sweetness. Buttery cinnamon brioche toast filled with vanilla ice cream is a spin on ice cream sandwiches like you've never tried before. A smear of Nutella on toasted brioche wouldn't make a bad ice cream sandwich exterior, either!

Once you realize that your homemade ice cream sandwich recipe can be made with toast, a whole new world of tasty experimentation is open to you. You could try using this creative take on cinnamon toast that had TiKTok smiling to make your sandwiches or use leftover toasted panettone for another Italian twist. Or, you could even try to make a sort of inception ice cream sandwich, using this TikTok famous two-ingredient ice cream bread instead of a loaf from the store. Chocolate chip brioche would be delicious, too, especially stuffed with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

Another option is to make French toast from your bread before turning it into ice cream sandwiches. Dipping the sliced bread into a sweetened, cinnamon-flecked egg and milk batter and pan-frying it until golden gives the bread extra flavor (you can try putting a churro spin on it by dipping it in cinnamon-sugar once you pull it from the pan), and once it's cool, you can fill it with ice cream. Those classic chocolate cookie ice cream sandwiches from our childhoods will always hit the spot, but when you're feeling like a sweet treat that offers something new, it might be time to pick up a loaf of bread at the store along with your favorite ice cream.