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Patriotic Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches

Patriotic mini ice cream sandwiches with red velvet (or chocolate) cookies and vanilla ice cream, finished by rolling the edges in red and blue sprinkles for a festive border. Make them ahead: bake, freeze the cookies briefly, sandwich, then freeze until solid for a clean, scoopable bite.
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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: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Red velvet or chocolate cookie sandwiches
  • 1 red velvet cake mix (or chocolate)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 0.333 cup vegetable oil
Vanilla ice cream
  • 1.5 qt vanilla ice cream slightly softened
Patriotic sprinkle border and wrap
  • 0.25 red and blue sprinkles for rolling
  • 1 parchment paper for lining baking sheets
  • 1 plastic wrap for wrapping sandwiches

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the patriotic cookie base
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents sticking and helps the cookies bake evenly.
  2. Mix cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil together until a thick dough forms. Stop as soon as the dough is cohesive so it stays scoopable.
  3. Scoop tablespoon-sized balls onto prepared baking sheets and flatten to about 1/4-inch thick circles. Keep spacing so they don’t merge while baking.
  4. Bake for 8–10 minutes at 350°F until the cookies are set—do not overbake. Visual cue: tops look matte and edges hold their shape.
  5. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack, then freeze for 30 minutes. The cookie centers should feel firm and cold before assembling.
Assemble mini ice cream sandwiches
  1. Working quickly, place a scoop of slightly softened vanilla ice cream on the flat side of one cookie. Aim for a small mound so it doesn’t spill out.
  2. Press another cookie on top to sandwich. Visual cue: the filling spreads slightly to the edges but stays contained.
  3. Roll the exposed ice cream edge in red and blue sprinkles. Visual cue: a bright red-white-blue sprinkle border fully coats the exposed edge.
  4. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap, then freeze for at least 2 hours until solid before serving. Visual cue: the ice cream layer is firm with no soft spots when touched.

Notes

For the cleanest borders, slightly soften the vanilla ice cream just until it scoops smoothly, then assemble quickly so it doesn’t melt into the sprinkles. Store wrapped sandwiches in the freezer for up to 2 weeks; for best texture, avoid thawing and refreezing. To make this gluten-friendly, use a gluten-free red velvet or chocolate cake mix and follow the same bake/assembly steps.