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LEMON ICE CREAM BARS

Lemon Ice Cream Bars are a lemon cookie base topped with a delicious lemon flavored ice cream filling. This ice cream sandwich recipe is so simple to make, it makes a perfect summer treat!
Prep Time15 minutes
chilling time12 hours
Total Time12 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert, treats
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ice cream sandwich, Lemon Ice Cream Bars
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 378kcal

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter softened
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp lemon zest divided (I used the zest from 2 medium lemons and it worked perfectly)
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 ½ quarts vanilla ice cream or ½ gallon
  • 10 oz lemon curd

Instructions

  • Prep: Begin by getting the oven preheating to 350F.  Then, line two 8 x 8 pans with foil and set aside.
  • Cookie dough: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds and then add in the sugar, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Mix again until combined. Next, add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix again. After that, add in the flour and mix until well combined. The dough should be a little crumbly as shown in the picture below.
  • Bake: Proceed to press half of the dough into each of the foil lined pans and bake for 12 minutes. Once baking is complete, using the foil, lift the cookie bars from each of the pans and cool on a wire rack.
  • Ice cream filling: Once the cookies are cooled, soften the ice cream and place in a large bowl. To soften the ice cream, you can either let it sit at room temperature for10-15 minutes or microwave for about 30 seconds. Then, add in the lemon curd and the remaining lemon zest, stir well to combine.  
  • Assemble: Now, line one of the 8x8 pans with plastic wrap (I used wax paper, but I think plastic wrap would work better) and place one of the cookies squares back in the pan. Proceed to spread the ice cream mixture on top of the cookie evenly to cover the entire surface. Then place the remaining cookie square on top of the ice cream, press down gently to create the sandwich.
  • Chill & serve: Cover the pan and place it in the freezer overnight. For easier serving, cut the frozen bars into squares and wrap each square in plastic wrap, freezing each one individually until ready to eat!

Notes

These Lemon Ice Cream Bars are a perfect combination of chewy cookie and cold creamy ice cream. This ice cream sandwich recipe is easy to make, it does require time to chill, but the wait is totally worth it. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 208mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 566IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 1mg