Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches, with vanilla ice cream and chocolate chips, or butter pecan and English toffee bits, are the best dessert I’ve had in a long time.

Pumpkin ice cream sandwiches with vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips and butter pecan ice cream with English toffee bits.
Pumpkin ice cream sandwiches with vanilla ice cream and chocolate chips, and butter pecan ice cream and English toffee bits.

And that’s saying something, since I am not a huge dessert person. I only make something sweet a couple times a month, and usually only for the website, or a special occasion. My 14 year old daughter, Sophie, on the other hand, loves to bake. She got the baking gene from my mom, who in turn got it from her grandmother. Sophie is the birthday cake baker for all of her friends as well.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting.
Sophie’s Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting.

She went onto the Internet and found Martha Stewart’s recipe for these soft, puffy cookies, and they are pretty darn good. There is no need to tweak the recipe at all. The cookies were various sizes, some rather big, and some regular cookie size. When I saw the big cookies, I couldn’t help but think that they looked just like the top of an ice cream sandwich.

Pumpkin ice cream sandwiches with butter pecan ice cream and English toffee bits.
Pumpkin ice cream sandwiches with butter pecan ice cream and English toffee bits.

Remember those chocolate ice cream sandwiches you had as a kid? These pumpkin cookies have the same soft texture. I always keep a 1/2 gallon of French vanilla ice cream on hand for “emergencies“, just like this! We thought butter pecan ice cream would be a tasty filling, as well.

Pumpkin ice cream sandwiches with vanilla ice cream and chocolate chips.

Ingredients for pumpkin ice cream sandwiches

Soft pumpkin cookies

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin 14 ounces
  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Icing ingredients

  • 4 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted
  • 10 tablespoons 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

How to make soft pumpkin cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.

Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

How to make the icing

Put confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

 Immediately add butter to confectioners’ sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. 

Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time.

Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

How to make pumpkin ice cream sandwiches

One batch of soft pumpkin cookies yields about 3 dozen cookies. Use two cookies for each ice cream sandwich. Make the cookies as large or small as you wish!

To assemble the pumpkin ice cream sandwiches, slightly soften ice cream, then scoop it onto the bottom of one cookie.

Top with second cookie, smoothing the sides of the ice cream, so that the cookies are even. For the butter pecan ice cream version, I purchased a pint container of ice cream. Then, I just sliced through the carton horizontally, leaving discs of ice cream, which perfectly fit the cookies.

Roll the cookies in chocolate chips, nuts or crushed English Toffee.

Love pumpkin desserts? Here are some of my favorites!

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Moist and tender Pumpkin Cranberry Bread with Walnuts and a hint of autumn spices.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Doughnuts

pumpkin spice donuts.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares

vertical cheesecake bars.

English Toffee with Pumpkin Spice

English Toffee in a silver dish.

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

cake with pumpkin shaped marzipan.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Pumpkin pancake pour.
Pumpkin ice cream sandwiches with vanilla ice cream and chocolate chips.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cynthia
Soft pumpkin cookies from Martha Stewart are the perfect sandwich for your favorite ice cream. Or if you prefer, just eat the cookies with the brown butter icing.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 36 cookie
Calories 219 kcal

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin Cookies

Icing

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.
  • Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.
  • Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.
  • Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.
  • Scoop slightly softened ice cream in between two cookies. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and freeze about 45 minutes. Roll sides in nuts, mini chocolate chips or English toffee bits. Keep frozen until ready to eat.
  • (For cookies with icing) Make icing:
  • Put confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners’ sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time.
  • Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 219kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 128mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 1gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 1.834IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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15 Comments

  1. It’s great having a daughter who loves to bake. My 14-year old is the same way and I LOVE it. These cookies look so good and ideal for using as ice cream sandwiches. Great recipe, can’t wait to try them!

  2. Dear Cynthia, These autumn ice cream sandwiches looks splendid…what a wonderful treat. I love ice cream sandwiches..especially when they are homemade. xo, Catherine

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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