I’m partnering with ENLIGHTENED to bring you today’s recipe! They make rich, smooth low-calorie ice cream that tastes as delicious as anything you’d find in an ice cream parlor. I’m totally obsessed—especially with their triple chocolate and salted caramel flavors!
Regardless of the occasion, my mom always celebrates with ice cream. It’s probably a result of growing up in Arizona… Somehow, baking a cake or serving slices of hot apple pie in the middle of 110°F summer weather just didn’t sound appealing!
Events like our 8th grade promotions, honor roll semesters, high school graduations, marching and concert band awards, college degrees, new jobs, my brother’s graduate school Masters ceremony, buying my first house… And of course, every 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and birthday!
Mom isn’t too picky about the ice cream flavor (as long as it isn’t coffee, much to Dad’s and my disappointment!). Vanilla, chocolate, and mint chip are some of her classic standbys… But she’s happy with any pint containing chocolate, fruit, or caramel!
Even though Mom’s birthday falls in December, I knew she’d still want to celebrate with some sort of ice cream treat… And since she’s watching her weight, I knew she’d appreciate a healthier alternative!
So I made these Healthier Brownie Bark Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches just for her! They’re rich and chocolaty, which totally satisfies her chocoholic sweet tooth, but they’re just 45 calories!
And you know what that means… We each enjoyed multiple flavors, and Mom didn’t feel one bit of guilt! (The perfect birthday gift, right??)
And a big part of that is due to ENLIGHTENED’s ice cream! Their flavors are sweet, smooth, creamy… Just as delicious as what you’d find in an ice cream parlor. BUT! They range from just 240 to 400 calories per pint!
Yes, you read that right! It took me a minute to wrap my head around that too… So while you’re soaking in that blissful, incredible, mind-blowing fact… Let’s take a peek at some of these flavors!
We sampled all of the ones in this photo… Plus quite a few unpictured too! (When it comes to ice cream, my family is very thorough in our research!) I’m the most indecisive person on the face of this planet, so it’s nearly impossible for me to choose a favorite flavor—but the sea salt caramel and triple chocolate were definitely at the top of my list!
Psst… You can check out all of ENLIGHTENED’s flavors here! (I also recommend the snickerdoodle and chocolate peanut butter. ♡) And you can see what stores sell ENLIGHTENED’s ice cream near you here!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHIER ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
To make these fun birthday treats, I simply sandwiched a scoop of ENLIGHTENED’s ice cream between two pieces of homemade brownie bark! (Tip: I used a small ice cream scoop, like this!) The brownie bark tastes exactly like traditional rich, indulgent, chocolatey, supremely fudge brownies… Just thin and flat instead!
Because it’s me, you know this brownie bark is much healthier than anything you’d buy from a bakery! It’s made from white whole wheat flour (like this, which has the same exact health benefits as regular whole wheat flour!), lots of cocoa powder (like this!) for that decadent flavor, and a hint of Greek yogurt for extra protein and that irresistible fudgy texture.
Tip: I’ve also shared my favorite gluten free options in the Notes section of this recipe, if you’d like to make your healthier ice cream sandwiches gluten free instead!
After baking your brownie batter on a cookie sheet in a thin layer and letting it cool, cut out little circles as your ice cream sandwich “crusts.” I still haven’t unpacked all of my cookie cutters (it’s only been six months since I moved… oops??), so I actually used the top of a spice jar instead! That measured 1 ¾ inches in diameter, the same width as the popular cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies. That’s the perfect size for me!
Because ENLIGHTENED’s ice cream is much lower in calories and fat than traditional ice creams, it’s pretty hard when you first take it out of the freezer. That just means you need to let it thaw for a bit before scooping!
Tip: While your ice cream thaws, pop those little brownie bark “crusts” in the freezer. This makes them a little firmer, so you can press them together without the brownies bending or breaking!
My family loved these ice cream sandwiches… And now insists on keeping Enlightened’s ice cream in their freezers at all times! 😉
When you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthier ice cream sandwiches!
Healthier Brownie Bark Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
- ½ cup (60g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ⅛ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg white (room temperature)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp (30g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp (45mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ½ cups (210g) ENLIGHTENED ice cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (highly preferred!) or parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Alternate between adding in the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Spread the batter onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer ⅛” thick. (An offset spatula like this really helps!) Bake at 300°F for 11-13 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature on the baking sheet, and let the brownie bark sit for at least 3 hours at room temperature.
- Using a small round cookie cutter (see Notes!), gently press down into the cooled brownie bark to cut out circles. Carefully remove the excess brownie bark.
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer, and let it thaw for at least 15 minutes. While the ice cream thaws, place the brownie bark circles in the freezer to make them firmer. Once the ice cream has thawed enough to scoop, use a small ice cream scoop (I used this size!) to scoop up 1 ½ tablespoons of ice cream. Place onto the flat back side of one brownie bark circle, and gently press the flat back side of another brownie bark circle down on top to make a sandwich. Serve immediately -OR- place the ice cream sandwich in the freezer (to prevent the ice cream from melting!) while continuing to assemble the rest of your ice cream sandwiches with the remaining ingredients.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
This post was sponsored by ENLIGHTENED. As always, all text, photos, recipes, and opinions are my own.
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Fudgy Brownie Thins
♡ Healthy Slow Cooker Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies
♡ Healthy Flourless Peppermint Mocha Brownie Bites
♡ Healthy Fudgy Dark Chocolate Frosted Brownies
♡ Healthy Fudgy Dark Chocolate Raspberry Brownies
♡ Healthy One-Bowl Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies
♡ Healthy Small-Batch Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies
These are calling my name!! Going to have to try Enlightened next time I pick up ice cream!! Looks great!
Thanks Aggie! Enlightened’s ice cream is incredible — I hope you love it as much as we do! 🙂
Do you have a sugar free substitute suggestion so I can make these for a diabetic friend?
You’re so thoughtful to want to make these for your friend, Debbie! That person is so lucky to have you. 🙂 Are you mainly looking for an alternative to the pure maple syrup in the brownie bark (rather than for the ice cream)? If so, does your friend have a favorite no-calorie sweetener?
I was thinking about the product called Swerve. I know there are granular sugar alternatives that can be used cup for cup in baked goods. But I don’t know if there is a liquid product equivalent?
Swerve should work! To replace the maple syrup in this particular recipe, you’ll need ¼ cup of Swerve + 3 ½ tablespoons of milk. Although Swerve sweetens cup-for-cup like granulated sugar, it doesn’t behave quite exactly the same (it both absorbs and dissolves differently in liquids!), which is why you’ll need to add the extra milk to achieve the same brownie batter consistency. 🙂
I’d love to hear what you and your friend think of these ice cream sandwiches if you end up making them, Debbie!
SO I LOVE enlightened!!! it’s SO creamy and good!! These little sandwiches are calling my name!
It’s totally a freezer staple, isn’t it Taylor? 😉 I’ll set one aside in honor of you the next time I make these ice cream sandwiches! 🙂
Mmmmm….I’ll take one with salted caramel. Heck, I’ll try one of each!!! Time to pick up some Enlightened ice creams!
I’ll set some aside for you Liz! I’d even share a salted caramel one! 😉
I love these!!! They look sooo good and I love that you made them healthy!! 🙂
Thanks so much, Julie! That means a lot to me, coming from you!! 🙂
I love Enlightened ice cream! I am definitely going to have to give these sandwiches a try!
Enlightened’s ice cream is definitely amazing!! I’d love to hear what you think of them if you do, Jen! 🙂
My two favorite desserts: chocolate and ice cream!!
I had a feeling you might approve Liz! 😉
Oh I was waiting for the enlightened ice cream copycat recipe of yours as we dont have it here in NZ
maybe your next project I will be waiting in the wings for that one Amy.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Debra! You could easily use one of my homemade ice cream recipes to make these ice cream sandwiches — or any of your favorite ice cream pints that you have available to you in NZ! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these brownie ice cream sandwiches if you try making them!
wow, these healthier brownie bark mini ice cream sandwich looks sooo delicious and yummy. i just love this. thanks for sharing this amazing article and recipe.
My pleasure! I’d love to hear what you think of these ice cream sandwiches if you try making them! 🙂
SO I LOVE enlightened!!! it’s SO creamy and good!! These little sandwiches are calling my name! thanks for sharing this article with us.
It’s my pleasure! I’d love to hear what you think of these ice cream sandwiches if you end up making them! 🙂