Thai Ice Cream Sandwiches
Coconut ice cream, accented with ginger, lime, and grilled pineapple, is sandwiched between two chewy peanut butter cookies, for a tropical Thai-inspired treat that will tickle your tastebuds! These ice cream sandwiches are so refreshingly summery, and gluten-free and dairy-free to boot!
Hey guys! Â I meant to get this post up right on the tail of the last one, my Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies…
…but we’ve been travelling this July 4th holiday weekend! Â Again! Â Summers tend to be a little crazy around my household, lol! Â My brother- and sister-in-law just bought their first house, and it’s in the breathtakingly beautiful Hudson River Valley. Â Sigh! Â It’s so pretty here, and there are so many charming little shops and restaurants. Â Yesterday we strolled around Rhinebeck, then hopped the bridge over to Saugerties for their First Friday celebration, and tonight we’re checking out Mercato in Red Hook. Â (Got the kiddos a babysitter, woot!) Â Can’t wait to taste!
So, you’ll have to forgive me for the time lapse between posts!
I promised you something really unique and inventive to tease your tastebuds, and I really think this fits the bill! Â I’ve been knocking this idea around in my head for some time, trying to hit on the perfect vehicle for this flavor combo, and I just loved how this came out!
Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of flaked coconut, shredded coconut, or toasted coconut. Â But have you ever tasted coconut milk? Â Omg, sooooooo divine! Â It’s got a very subtle sweetness, just a hint of tropically aroma, and the most incrediblyyyyy creamy texture. Â You CANNOT believe it’s dairy-free. Â I absolutely adore it, and I really wanted to capture all of it’s best qualities in an ice cream.
Since I was going for a tropical flavor, I decided to bump it up with a little lime, ginger, and grilled pineapple. Â Paired with those chewy peanut butter cookies from my last post, it’s like your favorite Thai curry in dessert form!
You’re gonna love how that tart lime and juicy pineapple pop against the earthy richness of peanut butter! Â So refreshing on a warm summer day!
If you don’t have an ice cream maker machine, check out this article. Â It offers 6 ways to make ice cream without a machine! Â I haven’t tried any of these methods, but one of them’s bound to work, right??? Â If you try, drop us a line in the comments, k?
Somehow, this post is my third in a row that is gluten-free. Â And it’s also dairy-free. Â I’m lucky enough not to have gluten or dairy sensitivities, and I’m not actively seeking to post allergen-free dessert recipes. Â This is just a happy accident. Â That also happens to be incredibly delicious!
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Thai Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, (large)
- 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, (tightly packed)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger,, or 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, (juice of half a lime)
- 27 ounces (765.44 ml) coconut milk, (2 cans)
- 1/2 fresh pineapple,, grilled (optional), and roughly chopped
- 20 peanut butter cookies
Instructions
- In a medium pot, whisk the eggs, brown sugar, ginger, and lime juice together.
- Stir in the coconut milk until combined.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until thickened. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon.
- Strain into a heat safe bowl and chill until completely cooled.
- Churn the custard in an ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer's directions.
- Layer the semi-frozen ice cream (in a freezer safe container), alternating with grilled pineapple, and freeze solid.
- Sandwich a scoop of ice cream between two peanut butter cookies, and serve.
Oooh, what a delectable combination! Both the ice cream and cookies are heavenly!
Wow, what a cool recipe! I have to try!
Hi Allie!!
Is there anyway to make this without eggs?? 🙂
Hi Barry! There are eggs in the cookies as well as in the ice cream. Both are cooked to a high enough temp to kill anything suspicious, but if you’re dealing with an allergy or sensitivity, then that’s a whole different issue.
I’m not really much of an expert in the realm of allergen- or egg-free baking; some of the recipes that are found on this blog just happen to be naturally gluten- and/or dairy-free. So I haven’t really actively experimented with substitutions. But I can tell you, that in the cookies, the eggs serve to provide structure, and in the ice cream, they provide richness and a creamier (as opposed to icier/crystalline) texture. If you do a lot of egg-free baking or cooking, then you might already be familiar with some good egg substitutions. I have heard of some bakers using mashed banana, or even flaxmeal mixed with a little water, but I have not tried, so I couldn’t really vouch for the result.
Thanks for the great question and I hope you can find a way to enjoy this treat!
These look amazing! I cannot wait to try this recipe out!
I hope you enjoy, Brittan! They are so different but I just love how all the flavors work together. Thanks so much for stopping by; hope to see you here again! 🙂
Wow! These sound delicious.
Not sure if you’re familiar with them, but Thailand does actually have ice-cream sandwiches. They’re very different from the American treat.
Thai ice-cream sandwiches are on real bread (it looks exactly like a hot dog bun, but it’s sweeter). The bun is filled with several small scoops of coconut ice cream, and then there might be a choice of toppings like crushed peanuts and sweetened condensed milk. It looks not so appealing to some people but they really are delicious.
By the way: the two most traditional ice cream flavors are:
(1) Coconut
(2) Coconut with green beans and corn. Yep, green beans and corn. Sometimes red beans are thrown into the mix. It looks odd to outsiders, but strangely the little slivers of the veggies are a pretty good match for the coconut. They add more texture than taste anyway.
Wow, James, I had no idea! I’m so glad to have learned… how interesting! I think coconut ice cream on a sweet bun with condensed milk sounds delicious, and I could even imagine it with corn and red beans. (Have you ever had sweet corn ice cream? So yummy with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top!) But I have to admit, I can’t quite get my head around the green beans, lol! I’m glad you liked my own version of Thai Ice Cream Sandwiches, although now I’m thinking I should have probably titled them “Thai-Inspired.” Thanks for reading, and for the very educational comment!
Never tried sweetcorn ice cream. Sounds scary, but I realize it’s probably delicious.
I think your name is just fine. The “authentic” Thai ice cream sandwiches are delicious. But yours sound even better!
Thanks, James! Ps- I visited your blog and watched your most recent video post. So amazing! I shared it on twitter… 🙂
Thanks! P.S. – I was wrong about the green beans.
It just crossed my mind that I might have been mistaken so I checked. While you can get ice cream with green beans (green lentils really), the really popular traditional coconut ice cream flavor with the green and yellow bits is actually made with shredded bits of corn, jackfruit and/or durian and lot chong (green rice jelly noodles). Sometimes it’s made with red beans too, but even when it’s not, that’s a popular topping.
Thinking back on it, I suspected the green stuff might be lot chong because that’s a really common dessert ingredient in Thailand (and lots of other places in Southeast Asia). The first time I tried the ice cream though, I had never heard of “lot chong” so I just assumed it was green beans and the idea stuck in my mind like an ice cream brain freeze. Oops.
That’s really funny, James! Of all things, green beans… fruit and rice jelly noodles sounds a little more reasonable in ice cream. Very interesting though! I love learning about other cultures and especially their food, so I’m so glad you took a minute to share. Hope to see you here again soon! 🙂
Thanks for linking up with us, hope we get to see you each week!
Tracy
The flavors in this recipe sound so good its crazy. Pinning!
Thanks for sharing, Reba! I think you will love the flavors, very tropical and refreshing. Thanks for stopping by!
Wowsers, this looks epic! So creative and looks so creamy – with no dairy too. I love Thai flavors. This would be the perfect refreshing summer treat to cool down with.
Hi, Kelly! It is super-creamy and so full of fresh, bright flavor! Very refreshing. Thanks so much for reading and for the sweet comment! 🙂
Wow, wow, wow, wow. These are gorgeous! They look so yummy! I like anything that involves “thai.”
Thank you so much, Nat! I am also a sucker for Thai, lol! Thanks for reading, and for the awesome positive feedback!
What a creative idea! Sounds delicious 🙂
Thanks, Eric! Very yummy & different! 🙂