Recipe: Dreyer’s Grand + Rice Krispie Treat Ice Cream Sandwiches

In celebration of July being national ice cream month, I decided to pair two great things that go even better together: ice cream and Rice Krispie treats. And, let me tell you that these Rice Krispie treat ice cream sandwiches have been a hit with my daughter and her friends.

Summer is meant for cold treats and ice cream always hits the spot whether we’re having a party or a quiet dinner.

At any given time, our freezer is full of at least 3-4 Dreyer’s Grand and Slow Churned ice cream flavors. The latter has half the fat and 1/3 the calories of regular ice cream. Classic strawberry sounded good for this round of ice cream sandwiches. But, rocky road, double fudge brownie, and other Dreyer’s flavors could work, too.

Basically, what you do is add a layer of treats, a middle layer ice cream and a final layer of treats in a cake pan, one-by-one. It doesn’t take very long and is easier than it sounds.

Rice Krispie Treat Ice Cream Sandwiches with Dreyer’s Grand

Coat a square cake pan with non-stick spray. (I like Wilton’s Bake Easy non-stick spray.) You could use a 9″ square pan or an 8″ square pan. The 8″ will just have slightly thicker layers.

Remove the Dreyer’s Grand ice cream from the freezer to thaw slightly and make the original Rice Krispie treat recipe. Start by melting butter in a pot. I strongly prefer to make Rice Krispie treats in a cast iron Le Creuset pan because it mitigates burning and is easy to clean.

Add marshmallows and once they melt, add in the vanilla. Next, gradually mix in the cereal until coated.

Turn off the burner. Scoop half of the cereal mix into the square cake pan and cover the remainder with the pan’s lid immediately to keep it warm. Wet your fingers (to avoid sticking) with water to compact the cereal mix into the pan. Then, stick the pan in the freezer for 5 minutes so that the cereal mix hardens.

Next, add a layer of softened ice cream to the pan. You can decide how thick you want it. Make sure to compact it to the edges. I also wiped the excess ice cream off the pan so that the ice cream sandwich sides look a little cleaner.

Pop the pan back into the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Then, add the remaining half of the warm cereal mixture to the top of the ice cream layer. If not using a cast iron pan, you may need to add a little heat before scooping it out again to make it pliable, but probably not.

Voila, pop the cake pan back into the freezer for several hours or overnight. Then, cut into whatever size you like. I used an angled 2″ spatula to cut the sandwiches and added a little sprinkles for flourish.

This is an excellent dessert to keep on hand in the event of a summer playdate or impromptu guests. Be sure to use a tasty ice cream like Dreyer’s as the middle layer is critical to the dessert. Smiles are guaranteed.

Recipe: Rice Krispie Treat Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 4 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 gallon Dreyer's Grand or Slow Churned ice cream
• Sprinkles or other flourish

Instructions

1. Spray an 8" or 9" square cake pan with non-stick spray.
2. Remove ice cream from the freezer to thaw slightly.
3. Melt the butter in a pan on low heat. (I find that cast iron pots work best.)
4. Add marshmallows and melt on low heat. Then, add in vanilla.
5. Gradually stir in the Rice Krispies. Turn off the heat.
6. Scoop half of the cereal mix into the cake pan and press into shape. Cover the pot securely with a lid to keep the remaining cereal mix warm.
7. Put the cake pan in the freezer for 5 minutes to harden the cereal mix.
8. Once cooled, spread a layer of ice cream on top of the cereal mix to desired thickness. Put back in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
9. Scoop remainder of the Rice Krispie Treat mix on top of the ice cream. Press into shape.
10. Pop the entire thing in the freezer for several hours or overnight before cutting and serving.

While you could make a thick layer of Rice Krispie treats and saw it in half before adding in the ice cream, that method takes some good knife skills as well as a long blade. And, really, doing it this way doesn’t take too much extra time.

You can also make these ice cream sandwiches as small or as large as you like. Even bite-sized is also very doable. Pin this recipe for later here:

Visit Dreyer’s online to contemplate which flavor you would make this recipe with. I just noticed that they have a Slow Churned peanut butter cup flavor, but there are so many others. Ice cream and summer… there’s nothing like it.

(If you live east of the Rockie’s, Edy’s is the brand name to look for.)

*This post is brought to you in partnership with Dreyer’s, a brand of ice cream I’ve been eating my entire life.