These Gluten Free Blackberry Ice Cream Sandwiches are the grown-up ice cream sandwich you didn't know you needed. Fresh blackberries are folded into soft gluten free cookies AND swirled into homemade vanilla ice cream for double the blackberry flavor in every single bite. Completely dairy free, refined sugar free, and allergy friendly, these ice cream sandwiches are genuinely one of the most unique and beautiful desserts you'll make all summer.
I have a homemade ice cream sandwich series where I make lots of different flavored dairy free and gluten free ice cream sandwiches (they are all linked at the bottom of this post). I'm continuing to add to that series every summer and these blackberry swirl ice cream sandwiches have quickly become one of my top favorites in this series. Blackberries are wildly underrated and they make for an elegant and delicious ice cream sandwich!
The cookie base is basically my healthy sugar cookies recipe with blackberries folded in. Then we make a homemade blackberry jam and swirl that into a pint of vanilla ice cream before sandwiching that between the cookies. Sometimes I truly amaze myself with the delicious recipes I am able to develop while keeping things healthier. The blackberry cookies are honestly a wonderful baked treat on their own.
Why You'll Love These Blackberry Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Allergy friendly: these homemade ice cream sandwiches are gluten free, dairy free, corn free, nut free, and soy free. My goal is always to create allergy friendly treats that everyone can enjoy. These sammies taste absolutely amazing while being allergy free!
- Refined sugar free: these healthier cream sandwiches contain a fraction of the sugar of traditional sandwiches and no refined sugars. We highlight the natural sweetness of blackberries along with a little bit of coconut sugar.
- Easy to make: although there are a few steps, they are all easy! We make a 10-minute homemade blackberry jam to swirl into your favorite sweet vanilla ice cream then whip up a batch of basic mix-and-bake cookies. Sandwich the ice cream between the cookies, freeze, and you're done!
- Double blackberry: blackberries are in the cookies AND swirled into the ice cream. Most recipes pick one, we do both for maximum blackberry flavor in every bite.
- Homemade blackberry jam: a quick 10-minute jam elevates this recipe from a basic ice cream sandwich to something more special. Store-bought works too if you're short on time, though.
- Grown-up ice cream sandwiches: sophisticated blackberry flavor, beautiful purple color, and a combination you won't find in any store. This is the ice cream sandwich for people who want something unique, but fun!
Love blackberries? Try some of my other blackberry recipes:
Gluten Free Blackberry Jam Donuts
Gluten Free Berry Crumble Cake
Gluten Free Blackberry Ice Cream Sandwich Ingredients
Blackberry swirl ice cream:
- Vanilla ice cream: I use my Ninja Creami Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream recipe- but you can also make my Dairy Free Vanilla Ice Cream in a traditional ice cream maker or use a store-bought vanilla ice cream you love.
- Blackberries: fresh or frozen berries work.
- Coconut sugar: just 2 tablespoon of unrefined sweetener is used for the jam, relying on the natural sugar from the blackberries to provide the sweetness.
- Tapioca starch: this helps thicken the jam.
Blackberry cookies:
- Gluten free flour: be sure to use a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum for best results.
- Tigernut flour: this is a nut free alternative to almond flour, but you can use almond flour instead if you tolerate almonds.
- Coconut sugar: the unrefined sweetener in these cookies.
- Coconut oil: to keep these cookies dairy and nut free, we use coconut oil as the fat.
- Applesauce: applesauce helps cut the fat content and keep the cookies light and chewy when frozen.
- Egg: 1 large egg.
- Blackberries: I prefer using in-season, fresh blackberries in this recipe, but you can use frozen for both the jam and cookies.
- Baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract
How to Make Blackberry Ice Cream Sandwiches:
- First, make the blackberry jam by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Cook 5-10 minutes, mixing and mashing the blackberries until you have a sticky, jam consistency. To make a seedless blackberry jam, strain the cooked jam through a fine mesh strainer (optional). Let cool completely.
- When cooled, soften ice cream and swirl jam through it. Place back in the freezer.
- Next, bake the blackberry cookies. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350F.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients, except the sugar, in a medium bowl.
- Beat together the coconut oil, applesauce and sugar in a large bowl. Add the vanilla and egg and beat to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in the blackberries.
- Use a 2 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet. You should get about 16 cookies (you will need to bake in batches)
- Bake for 10 minutes then remove and let cool on cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- When cookies are cool, place one large scoop of ice cream between two cookies and sandwich to spread the ice cream to the edges of the cookies. You should have enough portions of ice cream with one pint to make 8 ice cream cookie sandwiches.
- You can use a spoon, knife, or offset spatula to clean up the edges if desired for a smooth surface of the ice cream around the sandwiches.
- Place gluten-free ice cream sandwiches back in the freezer on a level surface to firm up.
Substitutions and Variations
- Flour: you can use almond flour instead of tigernut flour if you tolerate nuts.
- Coconut oil: I have not tested this recipe with butter or dairy free butter, but it should work.
- Applesauce: if you don't have any applesauce on hand, (dairy free) yogurt will work in a pinch or use extra coconut oil.
- Egg: I have not tested a vegan version of these blackberry cookies. If you try an egg substitute, let me know how it went in the comments.
- Sugar: if you don't have coconut sugar, you can use light brown sugar instead.
- Jam: you can use a store-bought jam if you prefer.
- Frozen blackberries: you can use frozen in both the jam and cookies. For the cookies, no need to thaw, just toss with flour and add to the dough.
- Variations: you can certainly try using another berry like blueberries or raspberries. Add white chocolate chips or dark chocolate to the cookie batter for a twist or even add some food grade lavender to the ice cream for hints of lavender flavor.
Storage
Once ice cream sandwiches are frozen, you can wrap them individually in plastic wrap or sheets of parchment paper then keep stored in an airtight container or bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can also make the components ahead of time. You can make the jam up to 5 days ahead and the cookies can be made up to 2 days before assembly.
For serving, I suggest leaving ice cream sandwiches out for 10 minutes at room temperature before eating so they can soften slightly.
Tips for the Best Gluten Free Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Room temperature ingredients: if your eggs or applesauce are cold, it can cause the coconut oil to seize when mixing.
- Cool the jam completely before swirling: warm jam will melt your ice cream and you'll have a purple mess instead of a beautiful swirl.
- Don't over-swirl: a few passes with a butter knife or skewer creates a beautiful marble effect. Over-swirling blends everything together and you lose the visual impact.
- Work quickly during assembly: have everything prepped and ready. Once the ice cream softens it can melt fast and you'll end up with a slidey mess.
FAQ
Yes, they are gluten free as written. As always, be sure to check ingredient labels.
They are dairy free as written, just be sure to use a dairy free vanilla ice cream.
These blackberry ice cream sandwiches are good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make a big batch and you'll have them all summer long!
If your cookies are spreading, your coconut oil was probably too warm. Just pop the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking the rest of the cookies.
Although I think using in-season fresh berries is ideal, you can use frozen berries (especially if you want to make these when blackberries aren't in season). No need to thaw, just toss in 1 tablespoon of flour before adding to the cookie dough. For the jam, you'll need to cook it a little longer to account for thaw time.
Yes, you can make the jam up to 5 days ahead.
No, you don't have to. You can use a store-bought blackberry jam instead if you are short on time.
You can! I've never seen blackberry ice cream in stores, let alone a dairy free variety, so you can use store-bought dairy free vanilla ice cream then swirl the blackberry jam into that.
More Gluten Free Dairy Free Ice Cream Sandwiches
Gluten Free Classic Ice Cream Sandwiches
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Sandwiches
Banana Pudding Ice Cream Sandwiches
Golden Milk Ice Cream Sandwiches
If you try this recipe, leave a rating and review below. Tag me on social media too! I'd love to hear how you liked these gluten free blackberry ice cream sandwiches
Blackberry Ice Cream Sandwiches (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Equipment
- Ninja Creami or
Ingredients
- 1 pint Vanilla ice cream*
Blackberry jam**
- 1 heaping cup blackberries (fresh is best, frozen works too)
- 2 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch arrowroot or corn works too
- 2 tablespoon water
Blackberry Cookies
- ¼ cup softened coconut oil
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup 1:1 gluten free flour
- ½ cup tigernut flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup blackberries, chopped (fresh is best, but you can use frozen in a pinch)
Instructions
Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream
- First, make the blackberry jam by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Cook 5-10 minutes, mixing and mashing the blackberries until you have a sticky, jam consistency.
- To make a seedless blackberry jam, strain the cooked jam through a fine mesh strainer (optional). Let cook completely.
- When cooled, soften ice cream and swirl jam through it. Place back in the freezer.
Cookies
- Next, bake the blackberry cookies. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350F.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients, except the sugar, in a medium bowl.
- Beat together the coconut oil, applesauce and sugar in a large bowl. Add the vanilla and egg and beat to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in the blackberries.
- Use a 2 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet. You should get about 16 cookies (you will need to bake in batches).
- Bake for 10 minutes then remove and let cool on cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Assembly
- When cookies are cool, place one large scoop of ice cream between two cookies and sandwich to spread the ice cream to the edges of the cookies. You should have enough ice cream with one pint to make 8 ice cream cookie sandwiches.
- You can use a spoon, knife, or offset spatula to clean up the edges if desired.
- Place gluten-free ice cream sandwiches back in the freezer on a level surface to firm up.
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