Hey there, Melissa from The Sweet Escape here ready to celebrate National Ice Cream Sandwich day with you. Yup, it’s a thing and how can you not celebrate?! Good ol’ ice cream cones are great, there’s no doubt about it, but sometimes you want to change things up and what better way to enjoy everyone’s favorite cold treat than between two delicious waffles?

There’s lots of ways to make ice cream sandwiches but I love using waffles because all the nooks and crannies help to collect and absorb the ice cream as it melts. That is, if you don’t gobble it up right away.

This treat can be as simple as you’re in the mood for. You will need a waffle iron but there’s a few shortcuts you can take if you like or if you’re in the mood, you can make it all from scratch.  If you really want to whip some up quickly, then use your favorite waffle mix and pick up a few pints of your go-to ice cream flavors. Make your waffles according to the directions on the box, then sandwich a big scoop of your favorite flavor in-between and stick in the freezer for at least an hour.

If you have a little more time and patience and like to add a little extra TLC to your ice cream treats then you can use this basic waffle recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups warm milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.
3. Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. 

Then use some of your favorite ice cream or if you really want to customize your sandwiches then try making some of your own no-churn ice cream. You can find a bunch of different recipes over on The Sweet Escape.

In either case, make your ice cream sandwiches even more irresistible with some delicious toppings. This is where you can get creative. Pick some of your favorite toppings like pistachios, toasted almonds, Score pieces, Sprinkles…well you get the idea. You can either just dip the ice-cream sides of your sandwich into the topping or first dip it in melted semi-sweet chocolate then in the toppings.

The trick is to work quickly with these treats. If things start to get a little melty or you’re not in a big rush then do it in two steps – first create the sandwiches, stick them in the freezer for an hour then do the topping part and stick them back in the freezer. Make sure you’ve made some room in your freezer ahead of time because there’s nothing worse then juggling around melting ice cream!

Pour yourself and your guests a glass of Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay and enjoy your dessert!