Vanilla Bean Coffee Sandwiches (Printable)

Soft coffee cookies layered with creamy vanilla bean ice cream for a cool treat.

# What you need:

→ Coffee Cookies

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1 cup light brown sugar
03 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
04 - 2 large eggs
05 - 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
07 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

10 - 2 cups heavy cream
11 - 1 cup whole milk
12 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
13 - 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
14 - Pinch of salt

# Directions:

01 - Combine milk, sugar, vanilla bean seeds and pod, and salt in a medium saucepan. Warm over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture steams, approximately 5 minutes. Do not boil.
02 - Remove from heat, discard vanilla pod, and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in heavy cream and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until thoroughly chilled.
03 - Transfer chilled mixture to ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer instructions. Spread churned ice cream into a 9x13-inch pan lined with parchment paper to approximately 3/4-inch thickness. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.
04 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream softened butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla extract until well incorporated.
05 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add dry mixture to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, flattening each slightly to form 2.5-inch rounds. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until edges are set but centers remain soft. Cool completely on baking sheets.
07 - Using a round cutter matching cookie size, cut ice cream rounds from the frozen slab. Place one ice cream round between two cookies and press gently. Return assembled sandwiches to freezer for at least 30 minutes before serving.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • The contrast between soft, coffee-kissed cookies and silky vanilla bean ice cream hits differently than anything from a freezer case.
  • You get to feel fancy making homemade ice cream, but the assembly part is honestly fun and forgiving.
  • These keep beautifully wrapped in parchment, so you can make a batch and have fancy desserts ready whenever.
02 -
  • Don't skip chilling the ice cream base—it seems like an annoying step, but it makes the difference between grainy and silky ice cream.
  • Those cookies need to be completely cool before you touch them with the ice cream or everything will melt into a mess; I learned this the hard way on my first attempt.
  • The vanilla bean paste is genuinely a great shortcut if you can't find whole beans—it delivers the same flavor without any fussing.
03 -
  • Measure your dry ingredients by spooning flour into a measuring cup and leveling with a knife—scooping directly from the bag packs it too tightly and makes cookies dense.
  • If your ice cream is melting as you assemble, pop it back in the freezer for 10 minutes and work quickly; having everything prepped and ready makes this step so much smoother.
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