These Croissant Salted Honey Ice Cream Sandwiches are ice cream sandwiches like you’ve never had before! Buttery toasted croissants sandwich a delicious salted honey ice cream for a dessert that’s sweet, salty, and crunchy.
Oh, hey, September! It’s me, Liz. How are you, girl? It’s been a long time! What are you up to? Sending kids back to school and taunting people with pumpkin spice lattes while it’s still a hundred degrees outside? Cool, cool. You were always crazy like that. Me? I’m just chilling with some ice cream sandwic—what’s that? Unseasonal? No way! Ice cream is a year-round food! Stop being so uptight.
…oh, I can’t stay mad at you. Let’s never fight again. Kisses, byeeee!
So yeah, no matter what that jerk September says, these Croissant Ice Cream Sandwiches are welcome any time of year. They’re made with flaky, buttery croissants that have been toasted in butter on one side, so they’re extra-crispy and extra-delicious.
Irresistible Honey Salted Ice Cream
I hope I had you at “croissants,” but in case you need more convincing, inside that toasted croissant is a salted honey ice cream packed with crumbled butter waffle cookie pieces. The ice cream stays a little soft, so it has a beautifully lush texture, and the cookie chunks add just the right amount of crunch and flavor. Honey on its own can be a little cloying, but when you add a big pinch of salt to the mix—yowza! Something magical happens and it becomes literally irresistible. As in, I could not resist sneaking bite after bite from the freezer, even after I had brushed my teeth. And get this: the ice cream even tasted good mixed with toothpaste breath. That’s gotta be a good sign, right?
I don’t know why it took me so long to think of sandwiching croissants and ice cream together. We all know that brownie ice cream sandwiches are a thing of beauty. And, churro ice cream sandwiches blew my mind earlier this summer. But there’s something so perfect about the mix of light, buttery pastry and cold, melting ice cream, it’s almost like this was ice cream’s ultimate soul mate all along.
Flavorful Honey
For the honey, I used a local orange blossom honey that’s fairly light and very fruity. It has a really layered, interesting flavor on its own, which is what you want, because your ice cream will have a strong honey taste. Use something that you enjoy eating! I drizzled a little bit on top of my ice cream during sandwich construction, and although it’s not a necessary step, I loved those bites of intense honey flavor where the drizzled honey pooled in the pockets of the croissant.
Baked and Toasted Croissants
For the croissants, I took the cheater’s way and baked frozen mini croissants from Trader Joe’s. If you’re out to earn your Martha Stewart merit badge you could make croissants from scratch, but you’ve already made homemade ice cream—don’t you deserve to put your feet up instead of slaving in that kitchen? I thought so.
Get the Look
I topped my croissants with slivered almonds. To get the look from these pictures, brush the tops with a beaten egg and sprinkle slivered almonds on top before baking.
After they’re baked, give them a little toasting in a pan with some melted butter, to get the inside perfectly crisp and ready for that ice cream scoop! And if honey isn’t your thing, this idea would work with so many other flavors of ice cream, so there’s no excuse not to show September who’s boss and have a big ole croissant ice cream sandwich this week!
💜More Ice Cream Sandwich Recipes!
- Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Spicy Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Brownie Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream Sandwiches
Chocolate Hunny Pots
Salted Honey Walnut Bars
Croissant Salted Honey Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 9 oz honey, (3/4 cup), Use a honey with a taste that you love
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 5 large egg yolks
- 3 oz butter waffle cookies, (1 cup), coarsely crushed
- 8 mini croissants
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Combine the cream, milk, honey, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Put the egg yolks in a medium bowl nearby and whisk them gently. Bring the milk/cream mixture to a simmer, then when it just starts to come to a boil, remove the pan from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks while you slowly pour in about a third of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs heat up but don’t cook during the process.
- Now return the saucepan to the heat and start whisking the cream while you pour in the hot egg mixture. Continue to whisk as the custard cooks, and cook it until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. If you want to use a candy thermometer, you’re shooting for 175 F (80C).
- Take the pan from the heat and strain the ice cream custard through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Continue to whisk occasionally as it cools. Once at room temperature, press a layer of cling wrap on top of the custard and refrigerate it until it’s completely chilled. (To speed up the process, you can place the bowl over an ice bath and whisk it as it cools down.)
- Once the custard is fully chilled, churn the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. When it reaches soft-serve consistency, stop the ice cream maker and stir in the crushed cookies. Spread the ice cream in a loaf pan, press a layer of cling wrap on top, and freeze for 1-2 hours, until firm.
- To assemble the sandwiches, slice the croissants in half. Heat a saucepan over medium heat and melt 1 tbsp butter. Fry four croissant halves, cut side-down, in the butter until golden and crispy. Remove them from the heat, and repeat with the remaining butter and croissants until they are all crispy.
- Top a croissant half with a big scoop of ice cream, drizzle with a little more honey if desired, then top with a second croissant half. Devour!
Recipe Notes
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
OMG I laughed so hard I snorted! I couldn’t agree more about the whole September being a jerk issue. Ice cream is ALWAYS in season. And you definitely had me at croissants!
Haha, just don’t tell September I’m talking behind her back. It’s our little secret, Regina George-style.
Hoooooly crap. Croissants are easily one of the best foods ever, and when used as a vessel for ice cream and honey?! I’m sold. Also, those Trader Joe’s frozen croissants are insanely good and legit. I’ve tried the almond and the chocolate and I’m obsessed.
Also, screw everyone else, ice cream is best in fall and winter. Who wants to eat something creamy and heavy in the hot sun?! (Well, I mean…me…but that’s because I’ll eat ice cream anytime…but the point still stands!)
YES. The TJ’s ones are great! Honestly making croissants is one of those things I rarely think is worth the homemade effort. I’ve only had the plain ones but am excited to try the other varieties!
Oh my gosh. Oh. My. Gosh. That croissant! hot and toasted and buttery? with HONEY ice cream? You know – I still think I don’t really like ice cream, but then you and Danguole come up with all these things and I’m like, “Oh, YUM!”, and then I’m like, “But I don’t like ice cream”, and then, I’m thinking, “Self, you’re sort of lying to yourself. I think you pretty much like ice cream.”
You girls are changing me.
I.AM.IN.LOVEEEEEEEEEE with this beauty!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!! I.CAN’T.EVEN!!!! These ice cream sandwiches are just incredibly genius! Salted honey ice cream and croissants????? I can almost taste the goodness! Need to make this stat!
Eeeeexcellent…imagine me rubbing my hands together like Mr. Burns. You WILL like ice cream! You will! You will!