Creamy homemade mocha toffee ice cream sandwiched between two ultra fudgy brownies!
Growing up, one of my favorite ice cream treats was the ice cream sandwich, preferably those classic rectangular ones with the vanilla ice cream and chocolate wafers. The ice cream was always super creamy, and the wafers were soft enough that the ice cream wouldn’t smush out the edges when you took a bite.
So this week, I got to thinking. What if we replaced those chocolate wafers with fudgy brownies, and the vanilla ice cream with mocha toffee ice cream?
Why These Mocha Toffee Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches are the BEST
Homemade Mocha Toffee Ice Cream: Rich chocolate and roasted espresso come together to create that divine mocha flavor, and the chocolate toffee bits add the perfect crunch.
Perfect Brownie to Ice Cream Ratio: The brownies are the perfect thickness, and they remain soft and fudgy. You get a nice balance of mocha toffee ice cream and brownie in every single heavenly bite.
Easy to Make: The brownies are made with a mix, and the ice cream is a simple no-churn recipe. How much simpler can you get??
How to Make Mocha Toffee Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Start with the Brownies: For this recipe, I used Pillsbury’s Chocolate Fudge brownie mix (18.4 oz), which called for 2 eggs, 2/3 cup oil, and 1/4 cup water. Combine all of your brownie ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then divide the batter evenly among two 8×8-inch pans. Make sure that your pans are both lined with parchment paper and greased with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
IMPORTANT: Leave extra parchment paper overhang on the sides. This will ensure easy removal later on when you’re un-molding the ice cream sandwiches from the pan.
Bake the brownies in the oven for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the brownies to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, before placing them in the freezer for another 30-40 minutes. While your brownies are cooling/chilling, make the ice cream.
Make the No-Churn Ice Cream: In a medium bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, and 1-1/2 Tablespoons hot water. Once you have a smooth paste-like mixture, gradually incorporate 7 ounces of sweetened condensed milk (half a can) into the mixture, starting with a few tablespoons. Add the rest of the sweetened condensed milk, stirring until completely incorporated.
In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer (or in a bowl with an electric beater), beat 1 cup of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and gently fold in the sweetened condensed milk mixture until almost combined. Add 1/2 cup chopped chocolate toffee, and fold until just combined.
Assemble the Sandwiches: Remove one brownie slab from the freezer. Leave it in the pan, since that will serve as our mold. Pour the ice cream on top of the brownie, and use an offset spatula or butterknife to spread the ice cream into a nice even layer. Remove the other brownie slab from the freezer, lift it out of the pan, and peel off the parchment paper. Place it on top of the ice cream layer, gently pressing down to adhere it to the ice cream. I placed it top-side down, but you can do bottom-side down as well. Place the pan in the freezer, and chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Slice the Ice Cream Sandwiches: Run a thin spatula or knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the brownies and ice cream from the pan. Using the parchment paper overhang, lift the whole thing out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe it clean with a paper towel, then slice into the brownie sandwich. You’re free to create whatever shape or size you want. I went with “Fat Boy-style” and that resulted in 9 MASSIVE squares.
What is the best type of pan to use?
I would recommend using a metal pan with straight-up sides and sharp corners, rather than the glass baking dishes which have sides that slope outward and rounded corners. Using a straight-edge pan will ensure those nice clean edges all around the ice cream sandwiches.
What if I only have one 8-inch square baking pan?
If you don’t have two 8×8-inch square pans, you can bake the brownies in separate batches. In fact, that’s what I ended up doing since I only had one straight edge pan.
Can I make chocolate ice cream instead of mocha?
Yes! If you’d prefer a chocolate ice cream over mocha ice cream, simply leave out the espresso powder.
What should I do with the leftover sweetened condensed milk?
Make a double batch of the ice cream! That’s what I ended up doing since I hate having half a can of ANYthing leftover. If you end up doubling the ice cream recipe, just use half of the ice cream for the brownie sandwiches, and store the other half in a freezer-safe container in the freezer. Now you have brownie sandwiches AND yummy mocha toffee ice cream to enjoy!
Brownie Mocha Toffee Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
Brownies:
- 1 box Brownie mix (plus ingredients needed)*
Mocha Toffee Ice Cream:
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 1 ½ Tablespoons hot water
- 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chopped chocolate toffee (I used Heath bars)
Instructions
Make the Brownies:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two 8-inch square baking pans with parchment paper, leaving extra overhang on the sides for easy removal. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Prepare brownie batter according to the instructions on the back of the box. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans, and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, then chill in the freezer for 30-45 minutes.
Make the Ice Cream:
- In a medium bowl, stir the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and water together until smooth. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of the sweetened condensed milk, stirring until combined. Add the rest of the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt, and stir until completely incorporated; set aside.
- In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove bowl from mixer. Add the sweetened condensed milk mixture to the whipped cream, and fold everything together until mostly combined. Fold in the chopped toffee.
Assembling the Sandwiches:
- Remove one brownie half from the freezer. (Leave it in the pan.) Pour ice cream on top of the brownie, and spread into an even layer. Remove the other brownie half from the freezer, remove from the pan, and peel off parchment paper. Carefully place it on top of the ice cream, pressing down slightly. Cover pan in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer until frozen solid, about 6 hours. (Overnight is best.)
- Once frozen, remove pan from freezer. Run a thin knife or metal spatula along the edges of the pan to loosen ice cream sandwich slab. Using the parchment paper sides, lift the ice cream sandwich slab out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into squares or rectangles, using a knife dipped in hot water. Enjoy immediately, or store ice cream sandwiches in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.