Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

After I made that amazing Gluten-Free Coffee and Oreo Ice Cream Cake a few weeks ago, I decided to experiment more with dessert recipes. Usually I'll just eat sliced fruit, a handful of gummy bears, or a few spoonfuls of ice cream, but since I've been on such a kick lately I figured I'd be a little more inventive and make cookie ice cream sandwiches. 

I've made these peanut butter cookies plenty of times before. The recipe is so easy and only requires three ingredients. And there's no way you would ever know they're gluten-free because they taste so good! My non-gluten-free friends love them.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 1 1/2 dozen small cookies

1 cup organic peanut butter
1 cup organic sugar
1 large organic egg

Pre-heat the oven to 350°. Spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray. 

Mix the ingredients together in a medium bowl until they form a dough-like mixture. Use a teaspoon to drop mixture onto the cookie sheets (I rounded each one first and then slightly flattened it on the pan). Cook for 12 minutes or until golden brown. 

Onto the good stuff! About a year ago I discovered Talenti gelato and sorbet. I was immediately hooked (and so were my roommates). Talenti uses all natural and raw ingredients, and they have a ton of gluten-free options. Some of my favorite flavors are Tahitian Vanilla Bean, Belgian Milk Chocolate, Mediterranean Mint, and Sea Salt Caramel.

Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

5 servings

10 peanut butter cookies
1 pint Talenti Tahitian Vanilla Bean Gelato (you won't even use half of the pint)

Scoop a teaspoon of gelato onto the bottom, flat side of a cookie, and then flatten it out with another cookie on top. Store in the freezer for at least 30-minutes before eating. These should last for at least a week in a tupperware container.

I also love using Pamela's Simplebites Ginger Mini Snapz. They're delicious, and you don't have to go through the hassle of making cookies from scratch.

I can't think of an easier, tastier summer dessert. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Coffee and Vanilla Oreo Ice Cream Cake

For as long as I can remember (pre-Celiac diagnosis), my parents would get me a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake from Baskin-Robbins for my birthday. I loved ice cream cake. Forget the presents (sort of), forget the special meal—all I really cared about was the cake. And if there was any left over you can bet I would sneak down to the kitchen and have it for breakfast the following morning. (I should probably take this opportunity to confess that I have a major sweet tooth. Haribo Gold-Bears are my downfall.)

Sadly, since my diagnosis I haven't been able to have my beloved mint chocolate chip ice cream cake. And trust me, I miss it. Fortunately New York City is one of the best places to live if you are gluten-free. There are numerous gluten-free bakeries. For my most recent birthday my very thoughtful boyfriend got a delicious assortment of cupcakes from Tu-Lu's Gluten Free Bakery in the East Village. I also love gluten-free treats from Babycakes on the Lower East Side (their doughnuts are amazing, as my good friends over at The Whisk and The Wardrobe will tell you) and Pip's Place on the Upper East Side. 

But still, I missed my ice cream cake! So you can imagine how thrilled I was when my aunt suggested we make a gluten-free ice cream cake this past weekend. It was incredible. And unbelievably easy to make. 

Gluten-Free Coffee and Vanilla Oreo Ice Cream Cake

Serves 8

1 bag of crumbled Glutino Chocolate Vanilla Creme Cookies (I contend that these taste better than Oreos, and I used the back of an ice cream scooper to crumble them.)

1 pint of coffee ice cream

1 pint of vanilla ice cream

Transfer the coffee ice cream into a new pan or dish and flatten it (the layer should take up the bottom third of the pan or dish.) Pour half of the cookie crumbles on top of the coffee ice cream and spread evenly. Then add the vanilla ice cream, and top it off with the remaining cookie crumbles. All you have to do is put it in the freezer and let it sit for a few hours, and voila.

Next time I'll try it with mint chocolate chip ice cream. And yes, I had it for breakfast the next day.