Chocolate-Strawberry Muffin Ice Cream Sandwiches
~ Take deliciously healthy breakfast muffins … add a little ice cream … and you’ve got an easy, decadent dessert! Muffin ice cream sandwiches! Bursting with fresh strawberries and double chocolate, they’re sweet, satisfying and summery! Yep – bake just one batch of muffins, and you’ve got two recipes in one … awesome x2! ~
This Recipe Is: • Ready in 30 Minutes or Less • Freezable • Make Ahead • Vegetarian •
I have many hobbies, and prominent among them is finding ways to combine things I like (which I’ve decided counts as a separate hobby).
I like writing … and cooking. So I write about cooking!
I like drumming … and running (see my post about why HERE). So I listen to music while I run, and time my footsteps and breathing to the drumbeats!
I like ice cream … and muffins … and being healthy. So I dreamed up this recipe for Muffin Ice Cream Sandwiches, which perfectly combines all three!
Now, maybe you’ve tried our Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins with Fresh Strawberries … and maybe you haven’t. (In which case, I would strongly advise you to do so. Like, now. Stop reading this. Go make muffins.)
If you’re still reading this, I can safely assume you’ve already delighted in the chocolaty wonderfulness of those yummy muffins. (Or you’re someone who maybe needs to revisit first grade and work on following simple instructions. Ahem … Go.Make.Muffins.)
Ok … so moving forward, let’s assume we’ve all followed the rules, and baked ourselves up some muffin joy. I think we can all agree that they’re pretty amazing on their own.
But there are few good things that can’t be improved upon by adding another good thing … like ice cream. Ice cream is a very good thing.
Seriously people, this is simple logic. Those of you who went through first grade (and therefore were able to follow my instructions and make muffins and are happier, better people now because of it) have got this easy addition covered. So, all together now: What’s one plus one? Two!
Add delicious muffins + ice cream, and what do you get? Two recipes!!! A deliciously nutritious breakfast muffin and a mind-blowingly easy, scrumptious dessert!
And really, what’s better than yummy, healthy muffins? Mind-blowing, healthy Muffin Ice Cream Sandwiches, of course!
At my house, we learned all about this delicious little mathematical equation after our photo shoot for the chocolate-strawberry muffins. We’d baked a lot of muffins! We happily began munching our way through them … and then somebody (let’s just say I was the genius on this one) decided to add some ice cream.
Poof! Mathematical magic happened. Muffin (awesome thing) + ice cream (awesome thing) = awesome x2. Turning those extra muffins into ice cream sandwiches was a crazy-brilliant idea! Seriously … awesome x2!
I really COULD.NOT.WAIT for summer to roll around, so I could share this little invention with you. It’s possible that all muffins everywhere are secretly waiting and wishing … hoping to become part of a magical math problem involving ice cream. Who knows …
But one thing is a certainty: bake just one batch of muffins, and you’ve got this equation …
Muffins for breakfast + Muffin ice cream sandwiches for dessert = Happy kiddos … and a happy you, because you just saved yourself a ton of time (two recipes for the effort of one!).
Because sometimes, 1 + 1 equals more than 2! Sometimes it equals awesome x2 …
… and these Muffin Ice Cream Sandwiches prove it!
Chocolate-Strawberry Muffin Ice Cream Sandwiches
Take delicious breakfast muffins, add ice cream, and you've got a decadent dessert! Muffin ice cream sandwiches! One batch of muffins = two great recipes!
• Ready in 30 Minutes or Less • Freezable • Make Ahead • Vegetarian •
Ingredients
- 1 batch of 12 Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins with Fresh Strawberries, baked (see note) and cooled completely
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of your favorite reduced-fat vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt (preferably organic or all-natural)
Instructions
- Cut each muffin in half horizontally.
- Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of ice cream onto the bottom half of each muffin, and place the top half of each muffin back on top to finish each ice cream sandwich.
- Enjoy immediately, or see the note below to make these ahead.
Notes
Yield: We wrote this recipe for an entire batch of 12 muffins (although the original muffin recipe allows for variance in muffin size and specifies a yield of 12-16 muffins). However, the whole point is that you will likely have enjoyed muffins throughout the day for breakfast – or even snacks – so you can adjust the exact yield depending on how many muffins you have left to make ice cream sandwiches by the time dessert rolls around in the evening. Basically, for each ice cream sandwich, you will need 1 1/2 tablespoons of ice cream for filling.
Baking: When we're planning to make ice cream sandwiches from a batch of muffins, we prefer to bake the muffins without paper muffin cup liners, mostly because they just look nicer. However, they will still turn out perfectly fine if you use paper cup liners – just be sure to peel the liners off before cutting the muffins in half. If you do choose to bake the muffins without liners like we did here, it's important to coat the muffin pan well with nonstick spray, before putting in the batter, since the muffins have a tendency to stick to the sides of the pan.
Make-ahead tips: We love these ice cream sandwiches eaten right away, as we make them, but we've also tested them as make-aheads that you can stock in the freezer (which works great, too). To stock up, simply make the ice cream sandwiches as directed, and then wrap each ice cream sandwich individually in plastic wrap and store them in an air-tight freezer bag. Once frozen, you'll probably want to let the ice cream sandwiches thaw slightly before enjoying – we've found the exact time varies depending on how cold the freezer is (we keep our two freezers at two slightly different temperatures), but a few minutes is all it should take, depending on exactly how soft you'd like the muffin and the ice cream filling to be.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 servings Serving Size: 1 ice cream sandwichAmount Per Serving: Calories: 138Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 193mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 16gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
These were so delicious! They have the perfect amount of strawberry and chocolate.
Awesome, Shanna! I’m delighted to hear you enjoyed these ice cream sandwiches so much! They’re such a hit with my crew, but I just love knowing that other people adore them, too! A reader suggested once that I should consider a version of chocolate muffins with peppermint ice cream, for the holidays … kinda gets me thinking of so many other variations that would be yummy, too! 😀 ~Shelley
These are such delicious and unique ice cream sandwiches! I love the strawberry and chocolate flavor combo!
Thank you so much, Emily – I’m thrilled to hear it! My family has always loved these fun little “muffin” ice cream sandwiches … and (as the cook) I personally love them extra-much, since I can make them for both grab-and-go breakfasts, and also the evening’s dessert! Two birds with one stone, right?!?! 😉 ~Shelley
Love the simple way to bake the sandwiches in a muffin tin:) It was fluffy and when the ice cream soaked in the sandwich, it was a real treat!
It really is an awesome texture thing that happens there, when the ice cream melts just a little and starts to soak into the muffin. Mmmmmm … I haven’t made these for awhile, and now I’m totally craving them! So glad you enjoyed them, Julia – thanks for reaching out! ~Shelley
This is such a great idea! I LOVE muffins, so I can only imagine how much better ice cream makes them 😉 I’m thinking for the holidays a chocolate muffin with peppermint ice cream would be delish!
Oh, Kelli, I like how you think! That’s an awesome idea – such a fun holiday treat, especially in parts of the world that are hot on Christmas – like Australia (and definitely NOT like Ohio where I live). I just might have to give that a try – my kids will thank you for the treat, no doubt! ~Shelley