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?
Oh. My. Gaahh…… I think I just died and went to heaven. I think I could eat all 8 of these sandwiches and still want more. I am kinda glad you used a premade croissant because I’ve been super scared of making them on my own (one day.. one day).
Thanks Amanda! Honestly if you can find a high-quality croissant brand, I think it’s one of those items that makes more sense to buy than to make. I mean, for the experience? Sure. But for sandwiching with ice cream? Let the good Trader Joe take care of that for you. 🙂
Everything about this. All of the yes. All of the yum. Amazing.
All of the yes, all of the yum would make an amazing blog tagline. You’re on to something, lady! And thank you!
I have never seen this done before! But these sandwiches look insanely good!
Thanks Jessica! I’m sure it’s a thing, but it was new to me too. This was the first time…but NOT the last!
oh my gawd, loved that first paragraph! you are hilarious! and you made an ice cream sandwich with croissants!! I think I love you. . brilliant!
Thanks Alice! The love is definitely mutual.
Haha seriously it is much too hot still to dive into pumpkin recipes. What a fun ice cream sandwich. Croissants are definitely not the first thing I would think of but they sound perfect with this ice cream.
Turns out, when you toast croissants in butter, they pair quite nicely with ice cream! 😉 Thanks Erin!
Now that is an ice cream sandwich!
Thanks Heather!
Oh my god those look incredible! The intersection of all these wonderful ingredients, fresh honey and fresh ice cream and fresh croissants, yum yum yum ! And salt too! salt makes everything better 🙂
I’m with you–salt does make everything better! My husband makes fun of my salt tooth, but you and I know the truth–food is way better with a big ole dose of salt. Thanks June!
OMG. Your conversation with September… Dying.
Also, of course you did! And of course it’s brilliant! I love putting honey on plain frozen yogurt, ’cause it firms up and gets chewy. It’s so great. I can imagine the same effect here. Swoon!
Yessss, chewy honey for the win! (File that one under “sentences I never thought I’d say.”) Seriously, though, that texture is one of my faves, too!
Elizabeth, I seriously could *not* get past those first two paragraphs without laughing out loud! Which totally interrupted the husband who was “seriously” watching “football”. Whatev’s!!! That was some funny stuff! Girl, with the croissant, honey ice cream and the crumbled butter waffle cookies, I’m seriously swooning. Let’s be real ~ I never swoon. I’m kinda scared now. 🙂 Pinned!
Haha, thank you Kristi! You’re cracking me up too–somehow football fans always think their thing is, like, the most serious. It’s just men in shiny capris chasing each other! C’mon now. 🙂
You are so funny! hahaha. And these croissants have blown my mind too. As luck may have it, I bought croissants this morning and I still have one left over that’s begging to be made into an ice cream sandwich … lol 😉
Um, that sounds like FATE or DESTINY to me. Obviously you need to have a croissant ice cream sandwich!