Mix and Match Ice-Cream Sandwich

This "junior chef" friendly recipe for ice cream sandwiches is guaranteed to be as much fun to make as they are to eat. Recipe courtesy of Sandra Lee.

Recipe Ingredients:

Root Beer Float Ice Cream Sandwiches:
1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons root beer extract
3 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup toffee bits
Extra toffee bits for garnish

Sugar-Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches:
1 (16.5-ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
5 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
1 tablespoon sparkling sugar

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. For Root Beer Float Ice Cream Sandwiches: In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and extract. Form dough into 12 to 14 (2-inch) balls. Using hands, flatten balls on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.
3. In a large bowl, combine ice cream and toffee bits. Spoon ice cream evenly on flat side of half of cookies. Top with flat side of remaining half of cookies. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap, and freeze until ice cream is firm.
4. Unwrap sandwiches, and roll edges in toffee bits, if desired. Serve immediately.
5. For Sugar-Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches: In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and extract. Roll dough into 32 balls (about 1 1/2 teaspoons dough for each ball). Place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around edges. Let cool on pans for 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely (about 30 minutes).
6. Scoop 1/3 cup ice cream onto the bottoms of 16 cookies. Top each with a cookie; gently press until ice cream almost reaches edges of cookies. Smooth edges of sandwiches with a knife, if necessary. Freeze until firm.
7. On a plate, combine sprinkles and sugar; roll edges of sandwiches in sprinkles mixture. Freeze sandwiches for 10 minutes longer before serving.

Makes 12 to 14 Root Beer Float Ice Cream Sandwiches; 16 Sugar-Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Sample a few of these sweet ideas:

• Coconut ice cream or sorbet between two waffle cookies. Roll sides in chopped or shredded coconut macaroons.
• Lemon sorbet between lemon cookies. Roll sides in finely chopped yellow gumdrops.
• Mint chip ice cream between chocolate waffle or wafer cookies rolled. Roll in chopped pistachios.
• Strawberry ice cream between Pepperidge Farm® macadamia nut cookies. Roll sides in chopped strawberries.
• Butter pecan ice cream between peanut butter cookies. Roll sides in chopped pecans.
• For a nut-free option crush Oreo® cookies or chop fruit to roll on the outside of the sandwich.

Recipe and photograph provided by Sandra Lee via Brandpoint Content; Copyright 1996-2014.