If you know me, then it’s no mystery to hear that I love both chocolate and ice cream equally. But honestly, who doesn’t? And why should you have to choose? Growing up my family and I would vacation to the lake, and after a long day in the sun it became a tradition to go to the local grocery mart to pick up a Big Wheel. If you don’t know what that is, well essentially it’s a cookie ice cream sandwich. Big Wheel’s were delicious, full of processed ingredients and definitely not vegan. Since the weather’s been so nice, I decided on these homemade big wheels that ended up being a big hit in our house. Keep reading on to see how you can make this easy recipe for yourself!

My latest review of Salazon got me thinking of some delicious ways to incorporate their Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt bars. This bar has the wonderful richness of a dark chocolate bar with some hidden sprinkles of sea salt mixed in. I rarely have chocolate chips on hand, because I much prefer mixing in actual chunks of dark chocolate into baked goods. Plus the cookies come out looking a lot fancier in my opinion and you don’t have to worry about seeking out vegan chocolate chips in the first place.

One of the secrets to these cookies is making them large enough for sandwiches, at least if you want to make them like traditional Big Wheels. However, if you want you can have these cookies plain or à la mode with your favorite vanilla or chocolate ice cream then go for it!

The reason you want to make your cookies a certain sizes is because of this “Life Hack”. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to spoon out your dough to make six larger cookies as opposed to one dozen of the normal size. After your cookies have cooked completely (don’t leave them “half-baked” or too soft), let them cool and then it’s time to assemble! Simply take your vegan ice cream (I recommend coconut or cashew-based) and let it thaw for just a few minutes. Remove the lid and using a serrated knife, cut about half an inch off of the pint from the top. Simply peel off the packaging and smush (lightly) between two cookies.

By using a pint of ice cream itself for the filling, rather than scooping out the ice cream, you’re left with a perfect flat filling  that presents itself quite nicely. I challenge you to experiment with different ice cream flavors, such as vanilla, coconut, chocolate, or even berry. The recipe I used for this batch will be posted below, but seriously…don’t be afraid to get creative!

The recipe makes about 3 sandwiches, just so you know. I like to store these by wrapping each assembled sandwich and placing in an airtight container in the freezer. Or, you can just eat them right after putting the sandwiches together. I’ll admit, it’s hard to go through the whole day knowing these are in your freezer and saving them for dessert. Regardless of when you choose to make (and eat) these, they are super easy to prepare and much tastier than any Big Wheel I have ever had!