How to Host Your Own Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich + Sundae Bar

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Last Wednesday, I did a wonderful thing. I did a wonderful, very cool thing. I did a wonderful, very cool, crazy thing that has revolutionized the way I think about summer. Can I get a Josh Gad/Olaf solo about summer in here? No? Well bully that, here it is anyway….

I hosted my very own ice cream cookie sandwich + sundae bar!

The only thing better than getting together to celebrate the arrival of summer with friends in late April is getting together to celebrate the arrival of summer with friends AND homemade ice cream AND homemade cookies AND homemade toppings. I stopped by Walmart the weekend before to grab some dessert-making essentials, like Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Cream Bars for my cookies ‘n’ cream cookies, a big bag of M&Ms for my loaded Kitchen Sink cookies, and the hit of the party: my homemade no-churn Twix ice cream, which I’m sharing here today–scroll to the bottom for the stellar (and simple) recipe!

Hosting parties for no official designated holiday makes me one seriously happy crazy person. The night before the big get-together, I cranked up the TSwift, pulled out every pot and bowl I own, whipped up an insane amount of ice cream, and belted out the lyrics to “Blank Space” straight into my ice cream scoop while I was doing the dishes like a responsible adult-like human being thingy.

If you’ve ever experienced this feeling and love it, take my advice and throw the party. You’ll thank me for it, I promise!

If you’ve never experienced this feeling before: THROW THE DANG PARTY NOW. TRUST ME. It’s been a full week and my friends are still raving about the sweet idea!

Below, I’ve included a few tips on how to host your own ice cream cookie sandwich + sundae party, as well as some insight into my own experience hosting this amazingly fun, simple event. Read on!

Tip #1: Ask for RSVPs in advance. 

There’s nothing worse than announcing that you’re throwing the most epic party west of the Mississippi and then discovering, to your horror, that 10 times as many people have shown up then you have cookies and ice cream to feed them with. Send an informal e-vite or set up a Facebook event for your party at least a week ahead of time so that your guests can save the date and so that you’ll have plenty of sweet fare to share when the big day comes. Also be sure to check for allergies and other dietary restrictions. I opted for a small, private Facebook event that I sent to a group of friends from swim club.

Tip #2: Make it a potluck!

Why do more work than you have to? If you are all about the summer fun and none of the intensive labor, just ask your guests to bring their favorite cookie, ice cream flavor, or sundae topping to share. I knew I wanted to make at least four dozen cookies, two batches of ice cream, and these toppings  to get the bar started, but we ended up with waaaay more sweets than we could finish – I’m making my way through another tub of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream as I type….shhhhh….

Tip #3: Plan to use the day before the party to buy supplies, make cookies and ice cream, and make sure you have everything ready for the next day.

My checklist at Walmart included things like: sturdy plastic bowls (to prevent ice cream leaks), tablecloths, disposable spoons, bags of M&Ms for sundae toppings, and ingredients for my cookies and ice cream (Twix, Hershey’s, etc.). When you get home, you’ll want to make sure that you have the appropriate set up as well: a large, clean tabletop on which everyone can put their cookies/ice cream, and another table for things such as drinks, utensils, and napkins.

Tip #4: Do frequent quality checks on your ice cream.

What? You don’t want to serve subpar ice cream to your guests, now, do you?

5. Allow your guests to help themselves and encourage them to consume as much as they want.

Nothing makes for happier friends than unlimited supplies sweets! They’ll love you so much for it, it’s sure to rack up a few brownie points in your favor for future use. Win-win.

6. Keep zip-top plastic bags on hand so that your friends can pack up leftover cookies to-go.

I managed to pawn off every single cookie in my house once the party ended – it helped that everybody loved the ones I had made to share! Having plastic bags prepared helps you avoid the awkward explanation that keeping 15 dozen cookies around will expand your waist to the size of an inflatable bouncy house: just hand them out nonchalantly as the party wraps up and your friends will fill them of their own accord. (Of course, if you want to keep all of your leftovers for, erm, personal consumption, conveniently “forget” to put the plastic bags out. They’ll be none the wiser, and you’ll be 180 cookies richer.)

Tip #7: Take pictures. Lots of them!

Trust me – whether your hosting your first or your fiftieth ice cream cookie sandwich + sundae party, the good times are going to roll. Always keep your camera on hand and don’t hesitate to snap that shutter: you never know what sweet memories you’re going to capture!

These are the fun folks from swim club who helped make this awesome summer kickoff party such a blast (I even made cake so we could surprise D and celebrate her belated birthday!):

And of course, fifty pounds later, an obligatory post-ice cream selfie:

What, are you still sitting here at your computer? Start planning–this party idea is totally worth it! (tip: If you want to start your own party ideas, you might consider visiting Simple Entertaining Social Hub.)

What’s the most awesome ice cream + cookie combo you can imagine?

No-Churn Twix Ice Cream

Quick and delicious ice cream? Here's your chance! This No-Churn Twix Ice Cream features chopped Twix Bars for maximum chocolate-caramel goodness.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
• 1 1/2 cups chopped Twix Bars

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until completely smooth. Stir in vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer to whip heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream gently into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in chopped Twix bars.
3. Pour ice cream into a baking dish (I used 9x9) and cover tightly with a lid or cling wrap. Freeze for at least four hours before serving. Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container for up to three weeks.

Need more ideas to create your own homemade ice cream cookie sandwich + sundae bar? Here are some recipes to get you started!

Homemade ice cream recipes–no ice cream maker needed:

Biscoff Meringue Ice Cream via Wallflour Girl

Funfetti Cake Batter Golden Oreo Ice Cream via Averie Cooks

No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream via Minimalist Baker

No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream with Circus Animal Cookie Crumbs

No-Churn Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream via Wallflour Girl

Raspberry & Chocolate Ripple Semifreddo via Bakers Royale

Homemade cookie recipes:

Chocoholic Bomb Cookies via Wallflour Girl

Coconut Oil Cranberry Hootycreeks via Wallflour Girl

Coconut Oil White Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies via Wallflour Girl

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies via Wallflour Girl

Funfetti Cookies via Wallflour Girl

Mom’s Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie via Wallflour Girl

My Favorite Puffy, Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies via Wallflour Girl

My Favorite Thick, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies via Wallflour Girl

One-Bowl Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies via Wallflour Girl

Salty and Sweet Compost Cookies via Wallflour Girl

Thick, Puffy Ginger Molasses Cookies via Wallflour Girl