Take an old school ice cream sandwich, cut it in half, insert a handle, drizzle it with chocolate, pelt it with copious amounts of confetti colored sprinkles….and you will end up with one stupid cute, completely irresistible…
PARTY ON A STICK!
BONUS alert…you get to eat two of these at a sitting because in food math you are consuming what works out to be ONE actual ice cream sandwich per serving. It says so right on box!
(hey, I don’t make the rules…….I’m just here to spread the good word)
Now ice cream sandwiches have been around since for-EV-ah, and although it’s pretty tough to beat that classic slice of vanilla pressed between two chocolate-cookie-cakey wafers, plenty of people with loads of imagination have done their best to step it up.
How does a Banana Marshmallow Ice Cream Sandwich sound to ya? What about a Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich, a Saltine Ice Cream Sammie, or even a Slutty Brownie? Whoa.
As AMAZING as those must unequivocally be, let’s just face the facts here.
I am waaay too lazy for that shizness.
Just the idea of thawing out a block of ice cream and attempting to smear it up between even ready-made cookies gives me anxiety, let alone actually baking said cookies. It’s still HOT outside and I want to EAT ice cream, not fight with it…or even think about turning the oven on. But, you know….I also wanted to present to you a sorta fun end of summer treat and keep it classic (not necessarily classy tho…just sayin). Something happy.
And sprinkles make everyone happy. It’s just a fact of life.
THIS is a magic party trick even I can pull off.
Start with a well frozen package of plain old, garden variety ice cream sandwiches. The store brand works just fine here, and actually keeps these super authentic. Cheap and easy! The peskiest part of this whole process (and I’m not even kidding) is getting those little sammies out of their wrappers! You may do a little cosmetic damage as you go but not to worry!
Use a serrated knife to cut these guys in half. Since they are so sticky and the chocolate will want to tear off on your fingerprints do what I do and handle them with a paper towel. Really! The paper towel is so dry they will not stick at all. That’s better. Lay them out on a plastic mat or a foil lined sheet pan and pop ’em in the freezer for five minutes or so to firm them back up, then pull them out and center a popsicle stick into the flat (cut) part of each one. Back into the freezer they go to get nice and cold and solid again. 
To get your chocolate ready, pop 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips into a glass cup and into the microwave they go for 40 seconds. Give them a moment for the heat to permeate the chips, and then give them a stir. They should meld together into a nice silky soup. Now take a small baggie, place it over a small glass or cup to keep it stable, and scrape the chocolate into the baggie. Perfect! You’ve just created your own little pastry bag. When you are ready to drizzle, simply snip the tip off of the pointy end of the bag. Smart!
Just like that…….get out your cold sandwich halves, and carefully drizzle chocolate over one side (you really don’t want to get it all over the place). Immediately sprinkle each ice cream with jimmies or non pareils, or whatever fun bit of deliciousness you are thinking works for you……lay them out chocolatey, sprinkley side down, and back into the freezer they go. Just five or ten minutes. Then pull them out and get after the other side. You have to work pretty fast here…..and back into the freezer again, this time for at least an hour.
And look at how cute! Kinda messy and haphazard……..these are really so easy to make and incredibly fun to eat. Kids love them, adults love them, grown-ups love them, grown-adults love them…………….wait (?)
Did I mention everyone loves them? How could you not?????????
Happy is good.
RECIPE BELOW: This will take about thirty minutes of your time, mostly with re-freezing the ice cream if it gets too soft to handle. That and cleaning the chocolate out of the cup you melted it in! I used a package of 12 ice cream sandwiches. I stink at numbers, but once again I’m pretty good at food math so this tells me I’ll get a total of 24 individual servings on a stick! Wooo hooo! Use a smaller package if you like, but I promise you there’s no such thing as having too many of these hanging out in your freezer.
- one 12-count package of ice cream sandwiches, unwrapped and well frozen
- 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet if you prefer)
- Confetti cake sprinkles, jimmies, and/or non-pareils*
- 24 craft sticks (get 'em at a craft store or a Wal-Mart)
- one small baggie
- Cut each sandwich in half with a serrated knife and place on a plastic cutting sheet or a foil lined sheet pan. Place back into the freezer to harden for five minutes.
- Remove sandwiches from the freezer, and insert a stick into the cut end of each half, creating a sort of popsicle. Place back into the freezer to harden back up.
- Melt the chocolate by placing the chocolate chips in a glass bowl and zapping them in the microwave for 40 seconds. Let them sit for a moment, and then stir until melted. Place the baggie over a small glass or cup to keep it stable and pour the chocolate down into one corner. This will be used as your pastry bag to drizzle When you are ready, snip the bottom tip of the bag to release the chocolate.
- Take the ice cream sandwiches out of the freezer and drizzle the chocolate over one side, and then sprinkle with the confection of your choice. Work on three at a time as you go, since the chocolate will harden up pretty quickly. Once you are finished with one side, turn them over (sprinkle side down) and place back into the freezer to harden up again. About five minutes.
- Repeat drizzle and sprinkle on the other side of the sammies, and place back into the freezer for at least an hour.
- Once they are fully firmed up, be sure to store them well covered with some saran wrap so they don't get freezer funky.
- When you are looking for a fun treat....ENJOY!
- But be warned, not only are these guys addictive, they are very very messy (sprinkles are sprinkled everywhere, so it seems) so get out the napkins.......or take 'em outside! The ants will love you too.
- How about chopped nuts! Or toasted coconut! Crushed pretzels! Smashed potato chips! Oh man.......so many goodies, so little time.
