PB&J Ice Cream Sandwich Bars
Who doesn't love PB&J sandwiches? It's a childhood staple that I hardly ever eat but once I get started, I can't stop. Now just add some cookies and ice cream to the mix and then you got me hooked!
I partnered with Nestle and created this super simple (only 3 ingredients 😉) recipe that anyone can easily make at home to take PB&J sandwiches to the next level because #theresanicecreamforthat. Whenever I visit a farmer's market or a specialty food store, I love looking through their collection of jams. I like small batch jams because they usually have less added sugar (or no sugar at all) so that you can truly taste the fruit. For this recipe, you can use whatever kind of jam you want but I would recommend one with less sugar since the cookies and ice cream are both sweet. I decided to use Dreyer's Slow Churned Ice Cream since it's what I grew up eating and it also contains half the fat as regular ice cream.
Ingredients:
1.5 quarts Dreyer's Slow Churned Classic Vanilla Ice Cream
2 packs Nestle Toll House Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
1/3 cup strawberry spread or preserves
Directions:
Make the Cookie Sheets
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Let cookie dough stand in room temperature for 10 minutes.
Break off 3 rows of 4 cookies (12 squares total), place them on a sheet of parchment paper and cover them with another sheet of parchment paper.
Roll out the cookie dough into a larger square and then place them with the bottom parchment paper into a 9x9 pan.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown.
Remove the cookie sheet from pan and let it cool. Repeat steps 2-5 to bake another cookie sheet.
Assemble the Ice Cream Sandwich Bars
Once both cookie sheets are cool, place one cookie sheet upside down on the parchment paper back in the pan.
Spread a thick layer of the strawberry preserves onto the cookie sheet.
Scoop the ice cream on top (you can choose how thick you want to make your sandwiches) and then spread evenly.
Place the top cookie sheet on top of the ice cream and gently press down.
Place the pan in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Remove from freezer, let it sit for 2 minutes, and then run a sharp knife under hot water before cutting the sheet into 6-9 bars.
Place the cut bars back in the freezer before serving.
