I love summer entertaining.  It’s usually very casual and weather permitting, I usually plan to grill our entrée.  I love the grilling part as that’s my husband’s domain and it allows me time to pull the rest of the meal together.  We love eating on our screened in porch and if entertaining a larger crowd, also eating out on our deck.

Entertaining isn’t complete without serving dessert and ice cream sandwiches are the perfect summer treat.   Every other year we host a summer barbecue for my husband’s Rotary club.  Because it’s a business event I get to enjoy having the party catered.  The bonus is that the caterer is my dear friend Jonathan with Recipe Express Catering.  One year he served homemade ice cream sandwiches for dessert to our 30+ guests.  Everyone raved about them.

I have found a collection of ice cream sandwiches that are simple to make.  If you want the easy route, just buy your cookies, brownies, pizzelles or graham crackers for the outer portion of the sandwich.  Add your favorite ice cream and garnish with sprinkles, nuts, shredded coconut, etc. or leave them plain and simple.  Your guest will love them.  Here are some recipes to inspire you.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

via Lauren Conrad

Lauren Conrad shares her tips on how to cut the ice cream for her sandwiches.

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

via Keep It Kind

Kristy of Keep it Kind uses a thin brownie crust to make her ice cream sandwiches.

Graham Cracker Ice Cream Sandwiches

via Sweet Treats & More

Kristy with Sweet Treats & More kept it simple by using graham crackers as her sandwich base.  These are also healthier as they are made with frozen Greek yogurt.

Maple Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

via Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Oh my – Maple and Peanut Butter are two flavors I love so these ice cream sandwiches from Amy at Fragrant Vanilla Cake should be delicious!

Chocolate Wafer Sandwiches

via Not So Humble Pie

I love how these sandwiches are wrapped in wax paper and twine.  By wrapping them in advance, its easy to serve to your guests without getting messy.  You can find the recipe for these chocolate wafer sandwiches at Not So Humble Pie.

Pizzelle Ice Cream Sandwiches

via Seeded at the Table

Nikki from Seeded at the Table shares her recipe for Cannoli Ice Cream Sandwiches that she makes with pizzelles.  If you have an Italian bakery nearby, you can probably purchase the pizzelles year round.  She mentions in her post that grocery stores carry them but it may only be around the holidays.

If you are having a large party, these ice cream sandwiches are the ideal dessert.  You can not only make them in advance, you can also wrap them individually as shown above with wax paper and tie with a ribbon or twine.   When its time to serve, place on a tray with some napkins and you can serve your guests outside.  No forks, spoons or plates required!  Who doesn’t like easy clean up?

What is your go to dessert for summer entertaining?

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