Concession Obsession: Ice Cream Sandwiches

If you’re a regular reader of drivingandining, you know that I’ve decided to feature some of the tasty (and sometimes surprising) foods you can buy from concession trailers, carts, or counters. If this is your first visit, welcome! Check out some of my other concession obsessions: the hot dog cart, the corn dog, funnel cakes, and others.

C is For Boring?

Cookies may be ‘good enough’ for amateurs like the Cookie Monster, but if you really want to reach the heights of delicious you need to add some ice cream. Today we look at one of the best combos since you got your peanut butter in my chocolate (“Hey! You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!”).

Ice Cream Sandwiches

I’m talking about what happens when you combine ice cream and cookies. Delicious!

The History Of The Ice Cream Sandwich

Apparently the ice cream sandwich’s early ancestor is the 18th century Charlotte, a treat that involved sandwiching sweet cream between two biscuits. It wasn’t long until “advances in freezer technology made ice cream available to many Europeans and Americans by the 18th century [and] old favorites were transformed.” (thefoodtimeline.org) According to Wikipedia, the standard ice cream sandwich we all know and love (see image above) was invented by an ice cream vendor at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1945. However, foodtimeline.org describes ice cream sandwiches sold at concession carts by New York street vendors as early as the 1890′s and a patent for an ice cream sandwich making machine in 1926.

Blue Earth, Minnesota claims to be the birthplace of the ice cream sandwich. It is also the home of a large statue of the Jolly Green Giant and the Giant Museum if you are in the neighborhood…

Ice Cream Sandwich Collection

Here are some delicious examples of ice cream sandwiches.

Miniature Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

Marion’s Vintage Bake Shop

Visit Marion’s Vintage Bake Shop for the recipe for these little cookies as well as many others: her site features “52 weeks of miniature sweets.”

Sophisticated Sandwiches

Saucy’s Sprinkles

Check out the saucysprinkles site for a collection of sophisticated ice cream sandwiches, including the chocolate raspberry concoction shown above.

Ice Cream Sandwich Maker

Nostalgia Electrics

Make ice cream sandwiches like a pro with this handy ice cream maker. The grill helps you cook up the cookies and then it comes with plastic forms to get the ice cream in position.