The Crafty Technique For Turning Ice Cream Pints Into Perfect Sandwich Discs

When you're making homemade ice cream sandwiches, cookies make a great base for the treats. You can bake up a fresh batch, and once they're cool, scoop some of your favorite ice cream in between two cookies. Then, press the entire thing together.

But if you're using an ice cream scooper, you may need to wait and allow the ice cream to thaw out just a little bit so it's smooth enough to scoop. That may mean that the ice cream could melt soon after, and you run the risk of making a mess. Fortunately, there is one way to prevent that mess — while getting a perfect portion of ice cream.

If you buy your ice cream in pints, chances are the container is cylindrical. If your cookies are baked big enough, all you'll need to do is slice right through that carton. Then, you'll wind up with perfectly shaped ice cream disks to press between the two cookies.

To start, you'll want to remove the lid of the carton, then lay the pint of ice cream on its side on a cutting board. Take your knife, and carefully slice through the carton to create a disc-shaped slice of ice cream. Place the slice in between two of your cookies, and remove the carton from the outside. Since pints often aren't perfectly straight up and down, the first few slices may be bigger than the last few. Just make sure to select your cookies accordingly.

Pints made of paper will work best for this method. If your knife isn't sharp enough, it could slide right off the outside of a plastic container, or even break tiny shards of plastic off into the dessert. Additionally, even with a paper carton, you might want to try using a sharpened serrated knife. The teeth of the knife will slice through the frozen ice cream without crushing the carton down, ensuring that every slice will keep its shape.

Once your ice cream sandwiches have been assembled, they can be eaten and enjoyed immediately. If you'd rather save them for later, you can carefully place them on a tray in your freezer.

Depending on which flavor of ice cream or cookies you're using, you could create some pretty unique combinations. Chocolate and vanilla are pretty standard flavors that pair well together. If you want just a hint of cinnamon in your sandwich, consider using two snickerdoodle cookies on the outside. If you want some extra flavors and textures in your treats, Ben and Jerry's ice cream pints have plenty of unique options that can be paired with cookies.

If you don't feel like splurging on ice cream that has the fillings pre-mixed in, you can always top off the ice cream circle before sandwiching it between the cookies. Add a small sprinkling of chocolate chips, sprinkles, nuts, or candies to the top of the frozen treat. Then, place your cookie on top, and take a bite.

The next time you're craving some homemade ice cream sandwiches, pull out a pint of ice cream and grab a knife to slice it up — you'll have some picture-perfect ice cream rounds to place between your cookies.