Neapolitan Ice Cream Sandwiches made with no-churn strawberry ice cream between chocolate + vanilla no-bake cookie for a healthy triple layer treat!
Chocolate. Vanilla. Strawberry snuggled in between.
Okay maybe snuggled is the wrong word with its warm+fuzzies connotation when this is more of a cool+creamy situation. But those three have been squished and squeezed and squared into one compact triple layer bite, and there’s so much yum going on it’s starting to feel flavor-crowded!
Since ice cream sandwiches are my favorite kind of sandwiches, after experiencing the no-bake deliciousness of these chocolate chip cookie dough ones I knew I wanted to try out another flavor before summer slipped away from us. Those chip-speckled ones have already been remade many times with positive reviews, so I figured you’d be cool with it too, yes?
I can’t think of a classic ice cream flavor that lends itself better to being sandwich-ed than Neapolitan. It already comes with three distinct components built in, and one of them is perfectly fruity for the no-churn ice cream filling. Not to say that butter pecan or rocky road didn’t cross my mind. No worries though, those are stashed away in my brain (or very long word doc of ideas) for next year.
I partnered up with Your Superfoods on the video for this recipe, so you will see a couple of their delicious superfood products in the mix. Not surprisingly, the Chocolate Lover mix was my favorite – it has a rich and intensely chocolatey flavor that almost made me wish both cookie sides were chocolate. But that would be breaking the Neapolitan rules. The Energy Bomb mix was bright and delicious too – with acai as the first ingredient it blended wonderfully with the strawberry ice cream.
If you want to give those mixes or any of their products a try, you can use the code NATALIE15 to receive 15% off -> HERE
Vanilla. I am proud to say I have finally reached a point where I can buy the BIG container of coconut flour knowing that I will actually go through it all before the expiration date (does coconut flour even have an expiration date?)
Coconut flour, you’re pretty cool. And coconut flour combined with date paste makes for the best no-bake cookie/cake texture that I just can’t get enough of. That is literally all this cookie layer requires: date paste + coconut flour + vanilla extract. And if you skipped the extract, neither the world nor the cookie would fall apart.
Chocolate. Cookie once, flavor twice. If you save half of that grain-free vanilla cookie dough from above and add cacao powder or cocoa powder or the Your Superfoods Chocolate Lover mix, sandwich cookie side two is done. Just like that!
Actually you may need a little extra date paste or non-dairy milk too, since any of the chocolatey powder options will dry out the dough. Mix, add, taste, and adjust as need be.
Strawberry. I saved the fruitiest flavor for the frosty filling, because frozen fruit makes no-churn blender ice cream-ing very easy. The only ingredients required for this pink sandwich center are frozen strawberries and coconut milk. I added in the Your Superfoods Energy Bomb mix too for extra tangy berry superfood fun, but it’s optional.
You will want to use full fat coconut milk to keep the ice cream creamy, and stirring a few times as it’s freezing before adding the top cookie layer helps too. Store-bought strawberry ice cream would work as well, but I do not recommend strawberry nice cream because it gets way too icy after freezing overnight. Even with the coconut milk, I do suggest removing the sandwiches from the freezer 10-15 minutes before slicing and eating for best texture.
Three layers. Only six necessary ingredients. No grains or added sugar or baking or even sharing required. Just clear out some space on the bottom shelf of the freezer and build a fort with bags of frozen vegetables and cold packs – no one will ever find you sweet sandwich stash!
Neapolitan Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Yield: 6 sandwiches 1x
Description
Neapolitan Ice Cream Sandwiches made with no-churn strawberry ice cream between chocolate + vanilla no-bake cookie for a healthy triple layer treat!
Ingredients
Chocolate & Vanilla Cookie
- 2/3 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup date paste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp cacao powder ((*see notes))
Strawberry Ice Cream
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- 1 15oz can full-fat coconut milk
- Optional: 1 tbsp Energy Bomb superfood mix
Instructions
- Combine the date paste, coconut flour, and vanilla extract. Mix to form a sticky dough. If it is too dry/crumbly, add a little bit of non-dairy milk or more date paste.
- Divide the dough in half.
- Add the cacao powder to one half. Mix, adding 1-2 tbsp non-dairy milk as needed.
- Press the chocolate cookie dough into the bottom of an 8×5″ dish (or a standard loaf pan) lined with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a blender, combine the frozen strawberries, coconut milk, and superfood mix if using.
- Blend until well combined and smooth.
- Pour on top of the chocolate cookie layer. Freeze for 1-2 hours, stirring after 30 minutes until solid to the touch.
- On a sheet of wax or parchment paper, press the remaining vanilla cookie into a rectangle roughly the size of the dish.
- Flip the vanilla cookie on top of the ice cream and press it in gently.
- Freeze for at least 8 hours.
- Remove from the freezer at least 15 minutes before slicing and eating. Keep leftovers in the freezer.
Notes
You can also use cocoa powder OR (as seen in the video) the Chocolate Lover mix from Your Superfoods.
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Okay so I didn’t know whether you could top the cookie dough version with how perfectly square and sandwich-y they were, but you’ve done it! I’ve always loved the neapolitan, probably mostly for how pretty the colors look together, but the flavors work so well which just makes it even more tempting. I couldn’t agree with you more about the date + coconut flour combination, so sweet and soft and perfect! These are like the perfect way to say goodbye to summer. Love!
I love the colors of neapolitan too, but any dessert that let’s me have chocolate AND vanilla all at once feels like a win in my book! Oh and the strawberry addition I’ve come to appreciate as I’ve gotten older and fruitier too 🙂 Aww summer I will miss you, but in the meantime…all the ice cream!
These look so delicious! I can’t wait to gather all the ingredients and give them a try!
Thanks Raia! I hope you love them too 🙂
Would oat flour also work in this recipe instead of coconut flour? Can’t wait to try these!
Oat flour will not work as a direct sub since it is much less absorptive than coconut flour, so if you want to use it you will need to probably double the amount of flour to get a manageable no-bake dough. Even so, the texture will not be as “baked” like, but it will still work and taste fine 🙂 Enjoy!
So sorry I’m so late on your post, I’m drowning over here, haha! What I WISH I was drowning in, is these beautiful pink neapolitan ice cream sandwiches! I love strawberry ice cream and well, strawberries in general and it sandwiched between vanilla and chocolate, that sounds like heaven. I love chocolate and vanilla both so much. I would normally say vanilla is my favorite flavor, but lately the intense chocolate creations going down in my kitchen has me #1 chocolate again and the fact that you have the best of both worlds here is fantastic! Those superfoods sound amazing too. Any chance to spruce up the nutrition I’m all for. Glad you mentioned only using the full fat milk for the strawberry ice cream too…nobody wants to bite into a rock hard ice cream sandwich and break a tooth, LOL! These sure are beautiful Natalie! Loved your video too.
I flip flop on the chocolate vs vanilla thing all the dang time, so both together with no tough decisions always makes me happy to 🙂 Ha yes let’s keep dentists and tastebuds happy all at the same time and stick to ice CREAM instead of ice CUBE sandwiches. Ahhh I can’t imagine how crazy busy you must be, but at least you are well stocked in snacks–no question there. Good luck and no worries ever on being “late” 🙂
Bahaha, the dentist comment killed me!! Lol! Thank you for understanding sweet Natalie…I feel bad that I’m getting so behind, because I want you to know I absolutely LOVE your posts and will always find the time to read them….and DROOL over them, LOL! xx
You are so sweet, that means a lot to me <3 But really don't feel bad, I've heard many stories about the craziness of cookbook writing and I have a feeling it's even more crazy once you are in it then you can ever imagine from anecdotes! xo
Does the cookie part freeze completely solid? Last time I tried to make ice cream sandwiches they froze like rock hard and the ice cream was pretty soft so by the time the cookie defrosted which took multiple hours it was so melted. This obviously wasn’t your recipe so that’s not your fault haha but just wanna make sure this one won’t so I don’t waste ingredients again. Thanks! These look so yummy! 🙂
This is a pretty soft/chewy cookie so it’s not rock hard, but I would recommend defrosting them 10 mins or so before eating to allow it to soften. Definitely will not take hours!