Healthier Brownie Bark Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches
These little ice cream sandwiches are so cute and fun! The fudgy brownie bark “crusts” taste so indulgent, but the smooth, rich ice cream in the middle truly steals the show. It tastes incredible! (The salted caramel and triple chocolate flavors are my favorite!) Ice cream sandwiches will keep for at least 3 months if stored in zip-topped bag in the freezer with all of the air squeezed out of it. Just thaw on the counter for 5+ minutes before enjoying!
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
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE: Make sure you measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly using this method or a kitchen scale (← that’s the one I own!). Too much of either will make the brownie batter dry, and too much cocoa powder will make the brownie bark taste bitter.
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.
FLOUR SUBSTITUTIONS: Regular whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary!) may be substituted as well, but be extremely careful when measuring it!
IMPORTANT COCOA POWDER NOTE: Use regular unsweetened cocoa powder, like this! I don’t recommend using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. They have a different acidity level, which can affect the taste and texture of your brownie bark. I promise the brownie bark already tastes very rich and dark chocolaty without using either of those!
SWEETENER SUBSTITUTIONS: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
MILK SUBSTITUTIONS: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
ICE CREAM NOTES: I used a variety of ENLIGHTENED’s flavors! Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry cheesecake, triple chocolate, salted caramel, and brownies & cookie dough. (See my pictures in the blog post above!) You can find all of ENLIGHTENED’s flavors here! And you can see what stores sell ENLIGHTENED’s ice cream near you here!
COOKIE CUTTER NOTE: For the small round cookie cutter, I actually used the metal lid of a spice jar that was 1 ¾ inches in diameter. (I still hadn't unpacked all of my cookie cutters after moving!)
SERVING NOTE: If your ice cream sandwiches have been in the freezer for more than about 10 minutes, then let them thaw for a bit on the counter before enjoying!
{gluten-free, low fat}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.