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Patriotic Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches

Patriotic mini ice cream sandwiches made with mini red velvet or chocolate cookie rounds baked at 350°F, then stacked with vanilla ice cream and rolled in red and blue sprinkles for a festive border. Freeze-till-solid assembly makes easy 4th of July ice cream and summer ice cream treats that slice clean and look great in close-up.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
freezing 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Red velvet or chocolate cake mix
  • 1 box red velvet cake mix (or chocolate)
Eggs
  • 2 large eggs
Vegetable oil
  • 0.333 cup vegetable oil
Vanilla ice cream
  • 1.5 quarts vanilla ice cream, slightly softened Slightly softened for easy spreading.
Sprinkles
  • 1 red and blue sprinkles for rolling
Lining materials
  • 1 parchment paper and plastic wrap Use parchment for baking sheets and plastic wrap for freezing.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the cookie rounds
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Keep the pans ready so dough can be portioned immediately.
  2. Mix cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil together until a thick dough forms. Stir just until no dry pockets remain.
  3. Scoop tablespoon-sized balls onto prepared baking sheets, flatten to about 1/4-inch thick circles, and bake for 8–10 minutes until set—do not overbake. Look for edges that look dry and the centers that no longer look glossy.
  4. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack, then freeze for 30 minutes. The tops should feel firm to the touch before assembly.
Assemble and freeze
  1. Working quickly, place a scoop of slightly softened vanilla ice cream on the flat side of one cookie and press another cookie on top to sandwich. Use gentle pressure so the ice cream layer stays thick and even.
  2. Roll the exposed ice cream edge in red and blue sprinkles, wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 2 hours until solid before serving. Chilling time should be long enough that the ice cream doesn’t squish when unwrapped.

Notes

Pro tip: soften the vanilla ice cream just enough to spread, but keep the cookies cold—this helps the sprinkles stick and prevents the ice cream from melting out. Store assembled sandwiches in the freezer, wrapped well, for up to 2 weeks; they are not recommended for fridge storage because they soften quickly. Freezing is yes. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat vanilla ice cream and bake with a reduced-sugar cake mix (texture will be slightly softer).