You Don't Need To Bake Your Cookies The Next Time You Make Ice Cream Sandwiches

A couple scoops of good, homemade ice cream can stand alone as a delicious after-dinner treat, but ice cream also serves as an exceptional base for crunchy toppings like nuts and candy, offsets dense delicacies like gooey brownies, and even creates a rick pick-me-up when topped with a shot of espresso. What's more, ice cream famously pairs well with cookie dough, usually in the form of a creamy vanilla base dotted with globs of chocolate-chip studded dough. However, ice cream is just as dreamy wedged between two big slabs of cookie dough.

That's right: We're talking about making ice cream sandwiches — one of the most pleasant and portable ways to consume ice cream — with cookie dough in lieu of baked cookies. This is an incredibly easy way to step up your ice-cream-sandwich game, swapping out your classic chocolate chip or dense chocolate cookie with something that's somehow even richer. Even without a bulky ice cream maker cluttering your kitchen, there are many ways to whip up a tub of your favorite ice cream flavor, such as by using a hand mixer or freezing your ice-cream base in a cake pan. Because of this, there's no reason you shouldn't stir together a batch of cookie dough and create an extra-satisfying snacking experience.

You've probably snuck a spoonful or two of cookie dough from the mixing bowl before baking it, but, as most of us know, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration actually advises against consuming raw batters and doughs. Not only are uncooked eggs dangerous, but raw flour can also cause illnesses. Luckily, it's possible to safely mimic the consistency and sweet, buttery flavor of cookie dough without the addition of eggs, and flour can be quickly heated in the microwave or oven before incorporating it into your dough to kill any sneaky bacteria hiding within. 

While part of the pleasure of swiping a taste of pre-baked cookie dough is that it makes for a quick bite, there's still some wait time involved in putting together ice cream sandwiches with cookie dough. After making your dough, it'll need to be chilled before slicing it into squares or cutting it out with cookie cutters so it maintains your intended shape — one of the perks of using cookie dough is that it's even easier to create any shape of sandwich you want, as baked cookies can spread and lose their shape unpredictably in the oven. 

The wait for this playful treat is completely worth it, though, and you can experiment with different cookie dough recipes and ice cream flavors to create your own personal favorite treat. For example, try double-chocolate cookie dough with mint-chip ice cream, peanut-butter cookie dough with cookies-and-cream ice cream, or birthday-cake cookie dough with vanilla ice cream. Anything goes!