Creamy, no-churn vegan coffee ice cream sandwiched with cakey chocolate cookies; these vegan coffee ice cream sandwiches are so easy to make and addictively good to eat!
The UK has been having heatwave after heatwave recently so of course like probably much of the country I have been eating a lot of ice cream! These vegan coffee ice cream sandwiches are my new favourite snack; they are so satisfying to eat and a great pick-me-up when it is hot out.
They consist of an easy cashew and coconut cream based no-churn ice cream flavoured with coffee and coffee liqueur, sandwiched with soft, cakey chocolate slab cookies.
The cookies are very similar to those that you would find in a traditional ice cream sandwich bar. You need the cookies to be fairly soft rather than crisp, because if they are too firm, once they are frozen they will become tooth-breakingly hard! Therefore they are more cake than cookie, made with a thick, spreadable batter rather than a dough.
All you need to make the ice cream part is a blender - no ice cream maker required! A power blender isn't necessarily needed either, my NutriBullet did the job just fine.
Ingredient Details:
Ice Cream:
Cashews: Unroasted cashews provide body and creaminess to this vegan coffee ice cream. They need to be soaked so they are soft enough to blend up to a smooth cream. You can either soak them in boiling water for about an hour, or in cold water overnight. There is no good substitute for this ingredient.
Coconut cream: Coconut cream gives the ice cream a rich consistency. I use a 250ml carton of coconut cream (usually found in the Asian section in supermarkets by the soy sauce), but you can also use just the solid white part from a tin of refrigerated full fat coconut milk. Note that coconut cream is NOT the same thing as creamed coconut which is a solid block; do not use creamed coconut by mistake!
I haven't tested any substitutes for the coconut cream, but you may be able to use a carton of vegan double/whipping cream instead.
Espresso powder: I use instant espresso powder to add the coffee flavour to this ice cream as it dissolves easily. You can use regular instant coffee instead but you may need to add a bit more of it - just add it to taste.
Coffee liqueur: This is totally optional but a bit of alcohol helps stop the ice cream from freezing too solid (it will still be quite firm straight out the freezer however). It also adds extra coffee flavour and gives these vegan coffee ice cream sandwiches a delicious tiramisu vibe! I used coffee Kraken rum but Tia Maria is also good. Note that Kahlua is not vegan as it uses sugar processed with bone char.
Maple syrup: Adds sweetness but also helps to give the ice cream a smoother texture.
Vanilla: This adds a bit more depth of flavour.
Cookie:
Cocoa powder: Use a Dutch processed cocoa rather than a natural one. I used black cocoa which gives the cookie an Oreo flavour, but regular Dutch processed is delicious too.
Sugar: Either caster or granulated sugar is fine.
Vegan butter: A block butter such as Naturli vegan block or Flora plant butter is best rather than a spreadable one.
Milk: I prefer to use unsweetened soya milk as it has the highest protein content therefore most closely resembles dairy milk. Oat or almond will also work however.
Plain flour: Plain (all-purpose) flour is best here. I have not tried making these gluten-free.
How To Make Vegan Coffee Ice Cream Bars:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: To make the cookies, whisk together the melted butter, sugar and cocoa powder then whisk in the milk, vanilla, salt and baking powder, followed by the plain flour.
- Step 2: Divide the batter between two greased and lined 20 cm/8 in square tins and use a palette knife to spread it into a thin, even layer.
- Step 3: Bake for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Step 4: To make the ice cream, soak the cashews in boiling water for 1 hour then drain well.
- Step 5: Place the soaked cashews in a blender along with the coconut cream, maple syrup, sugar, espresso powder, coffee liqueur and vanilla and blend until really smooth.
- Step 6: Clean and re-line the 20 cm square tin with baking paper. Place one of the cookie layers upside-down in the tin.
- Step 7: Pour the blended ice cream on top of the cookie in the tin. Freeze for 1-2 hours until the ice cream is starting to firm up but is not yet set.
- Step 8: Place the other cookie layer top side up on top of the ice cream layer then return to the freezer for about 6 hours until fully set before removing it from the tin and slicing into bars.
Top Tips:
As with all of my recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
These vegan coffee ice cream bars are best if you let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving to allow the ice cream to soften up slightly.
If you only own one 20 cm/8 in square cake tin then you will need to bake the cookie layers in two separate batches. I recommend only making a half batch of the batter at a time - bake the first batch, clean and re-line the tin and then prepare the second batch of batter. If you leave the batter sitting around for too long it will become very thick and difficult to spread.
It will take around 6 hours for the ice cream to fully freeze so I recommend making these coffee ice cream sandwiches the day before you want to eat them.
FAQ's:
Wrap the ice cream sandwiches in baking paper and store them in a sealed freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Yes, to make a classic style ice cream sandwich (chocolate cookies with vanilla ice cream), simply omit the espresso powder and coffee liqueur from the ice cream.
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Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches (vegan)
Equipment
- 2 20 cm/8 in square cake tins (can be done with 1 if needed)
- blender
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 70 g (5 Tablespoons) vegan block butter melted
- 120 g (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- 20 g (¼ cup) black cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 80 g (⅓ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 130 g (1 cup + 1 Tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour
Ice Cream:
- 150 g ( 1 ⅓ cups) unroasted cashews
- 250 ml carton (1 cup) coconut cream
- 80 g (¼ cup) maple syrup
- 30 g (2 ½ Tablespoons) caster, granulated, brown or coconut sugar
- 1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder or coffee granules
- 2 Tablespoons coffee liqueur (such as Tia Maria or coffee Kraken)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Cookies:
- *If you only have one 20 cm/8 in tin then you will need to make a HALF BATCH of the cookie batter, bake that and then make another half batch. Half batch quantities can be found below in the notes section of the recipe card.*
- Preheat the oven to 180℃/160℃ fan/350℉/gas mark 4. Grease two 20 cm/8 in square cake tins with vegan butter and line them with baking paper. (Sticking the parchment to the tin with butter makes it easier to spread the batter later).
- Whisk together the melted butter, sugar and cocoa powder with a balloon whisk until smooth.70 g (5 Tablespoons) vegan block butter, 120 g (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar, 20 g (¼ cup) black cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder
- Whisk in the milk, vanilla, salt and baking powder, followed by the plain flour.80 g (⅓ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 130 g (1 cup + 1 Tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Divide the batter evenly between the tins (I use a scale for accuracy), then use an offset palette knife to spread it into a thin, even layer. It doesn't have to be perfect but it will not spread much in the oven so get it as even as you can.
- Bake the cookies for 15 minutes until set but still slightly soft to the touch. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then lift them out using the baking paper and place on a wire rack to cool (no need to remove the paper).
Ice Cream:
- Place the cashews in a heat-proof bowl, cover with plenty of boiling water and leave to soak for 1-2 hours.150 g ( 1 ⅓ cups) unroasted cashews
- Drain the cashews well then tip them into a blender along with the coconut cream, maple syrup, sugar, espresso/coffee granules, coffee liqueur and vanilla extract. Blend until really smooth, with no hint of grittiness. Scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.250 ml carton (1 cup) coconut cream, 80 g (¼ cup) maple syrup, 30 g (2 ½ Tablespoons) caster, granulated, brown or coconut sugar, 1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder or coffee granules, 2 Tablespoons coffee liqueur (such as Tia Maria or coffee Kraken), 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Assembly:
- Clean a 20 cm/8 in square tin and line it with baking paper that overhangs the sides slightly (do not grease it this time). Place one of the cookie layers upside down in the tin.
- Pour the blended ice cream mixture on top of the cookie in the tin. Freeze for 1-2 hours until the ice cream is starting to firm up but is not yet set.
- Place the other cookie layer top side up on top of the ice cream layer then return to the freezer for about 6 hours until fully set.
- Use the baking paper to lift the ice cream slab out of the tin then use a sharp knife to cut it into 8 bars. Dip the knife into boiling water and wipe it dry in between cuts to make it easier to slice through the ice cream.
- Store the ice cream bars wrapped in baking parchment in a freezer bag in the freezer.
Notes
- 35g butter
- 60g sugar
- 10g cocoa powder
- 40g milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 65g plain flour
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Toby
Hi Hannah
This sounds amazing, 'cept my wife is very non-coffee. I'm thinking raspberry - maybe reduce the coconut and maple syrup, and add 200g raspberries? Maybe a tbsp of Belvoir Raspberry & Lemon Cordial. Would that make it more sorbet?
Hannah
Hi Toby, I wouldn't reduce any of the ingredients, I would just puree and sieve about 250g of raspberries then reduce the puree in a pan by half to concentrate the flavour and remove some of the moisture, then blend that with the rest of the ice cream ingredients (minus coffee/liqueur). A Tablespoon or two of cordial sounds like a good addition as well!