Key Lime Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches (Printer-friendly)

Creamy key lime pie ice cream sandwiched by crisp graham cracker cookies for a bright, summery frozen treat.

# What You'll Need:

→ Key Lime Ice Cream

01 - 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
02 - 1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream, cold
03 - 1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
04 - 1/3 cup fresh key lime juice
05 - 1 tablespoon key lime zest
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
07 - Pinch of salt

→ Graham Cracker Cookies

08 - 1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
09 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
10 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
13 - 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
14 - 1 large egg
15 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

# How to Prepare:

01 - In a large bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, Greek yogurt, key lime juice, lime zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
02 - In a separate chilled bowl, whip heavy cream using an electric mixer or whisk until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into lime mixture until fully incorporated and smooth.
03 - Line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper. Pour in lime ice cream mixture and smooth the surface evenly. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until firm.
04 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
05 - In a mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
06 - In another bowl, beat unsalted butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Incorporate the egg and vanilla extract until homogenous.
07 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, stirring just until combined. Do not overmix.
08 - Portion dough into 16 tablespoon-sized balls onto the prepared baking sheet, flatten each slightly. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.
09 - Once ice cream is fully set, use a round cookie cutter matching the cookie size to cut out 8 discs from the frozen ice cream.
10 - Place each ice cream disc between two graham cracker cookies. Serve immediately or wrap and freeze until ready to enjoy.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The zip of fresh key lime and a plush, not-too-sweet ice cream center taste like a vacation you didn't have to pack for.
  • The graham cracker cookies bring a toasty crunch that’s honestly good enough to eat solo, but together, they’re magic.
02 -
  • If the ice cream isn’t truly firm when you cut it, you'll end up with a soupy mess and broken cookies.
  • Around my third batch, I learned that slightly underbaking the cookies keeps them tender enough to bite through when frozen.
03 -
  • Using parchment paper to line your ice cream pan makes removing and cutting the frozen layer seamless.
  • Lining up cookies in pairs by size before assembling avoids mismatched tops and bottoms.