Pistachio Gelato Brownie Sandwiches

Hello and welcome! How about a mid-week sweet treat? Today I have a rich and decadent ice cream sandwich – Pistachio Gelato Brownie Sandwiches. Dark chocolate brownies sandwich pistachio gelato; topped with chocolate syrup and chopped, salted pistachios. These sandwich bars are beyond delicious. Dark chocolate is such a perfect match for the mellow sweetness of pistachio gelato; they are a perfect adult ice cream sandwich! Let’s get to it!

This recipe is very simple; we are using boxed supermarket brownies and 2 pints of store bought pistachio gelato. Use your favorite boxed brownies. I found Ghirardelli brownies that come with a packet of chocolate syrup. Which is handy because we are going to spread chocolate syrup on the brownies at the end, to give the chopped pistachios something to stick to.

Brownies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 8×8 or 9×9-inch square baking pans with parchment lining the bottom and all four sides. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Mix up the brownie batter according to the package directions. Split the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth out the tops with a spatula.

Bake the brownies for 15-20 minutes, until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs, but not wet batter. Let the brownies cool completely in the tins. Meanwhile, let the pints of gelato soften in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Once cool, use the parchment flaps to carefully slide the brownies out onto a wire cooling rack. Then, use two pieces of plastic wrap to line one of the brownie tins. Arrange the plastic wrap in a cross shape to line the sides of the tin.

Slide one of the brownies off of the wire rack. Then, invert the plastic wrap-lined pan over the brownie on the wire rack. Then flip the the brownie into the pan.

Pistachio Gelato

Now for the fun part. The gelato should be soft enough to spread out now. Use a silicone spatula to spread and even layer of the gelato over the upside down brownie in the pan.

Now for the hard part! These brownies are half their normal thickness; to top that off, they are moist. So flipping the top brownie on top of the ice cream so that the top of the brownie is on top is a little challenging.

First, flip that brownie onto a sheet of plastic wrap so it is now upside down (be sure there is a good amount of plastic wrap on all sides of the brownie). Then, to minimize its travel distance and handling (by me), I slid the other brownie tin upside down, under the plastic wrap.

Now, grab the plastic wrap on the side of the brownie farthest from the gelato. Carefully lift it up slightly. Take a breath, let it out, and in one smooth motion, flip the brownie over onto the gelato.

Use the plastic wrap we used to flip the brownie to spread across the top, then pull the sides of the plastic wrap lining the baking tin up and over the top of the Pistachio Gelato Brownie Sandwich, tightly sealing it up.

Place the Pistachio Gelato Brownie Sandwich in the freezer for at least 3 hours.

Pistachio Gelato Brownie Sandwiches

When the sandwich comes out of the freezer, we want to work kinda quick so the gelato doesn’t get too melty. So have your pistachios chopped and your chocolate sauce handy. Flip the sandwich out onto the counter, then flip it back over. Then un-peel the plastic wrap and discard it.

Make one cut vertically down the center of the sandwich. Then, slice it horizontally in the center to make quarters, then cut each quarter in half. This will yield 8 sandwiches.

Finishing Touches

Squeeze some chocolate sauce on each sandwich and use an offset spatula or knife to spread the chocolate sauce, end to end on each sandwich.

Then sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the top.

Now, tightly wrap each bar in plastic wrap. Put the wrapped bars on a sheet tray and place back in the freezer for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.

My lidded quarter sheet pan is perfect for this job.

I took these bars over to Beth’s for our Fourth of July get together and they were a huge hit with everyone. They can be a little messy, so I served them in bowls with whipped cream on top. A perfect dessert! Assembling these bars can seem like a lot of work, but it really is pretty easy. And since we are using boxed brownies and store bought gelato, the time it takes to make these is almost totally passive. Definitely give these a try and let me know what you think! Take care and be well, xo Kelly

Key Equipment

More Summertime Sweets

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Pistachio Gelato Brownie Sandwiches

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Dessert – American/Italian

By Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens – Serves: Makes 8-12 Sandwich Bars

Prep Time: 40 Minutes, plus 6+ Hours Freezing Time – Cooking Time: NA – Total Time: 40 Minutes, plus 6+ Hours Freezing Time

Dark chocolate brownies with pistachio gelato; topped with chocolate syrup and salted pistachios. The perfect adult ice cream sandwich!

Ingredients

• 1 Boxed Brownie Mix
• 2 pints Pistachio Gelato
• Chocolate Syrup
• Salted Pistachios, chopped

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2

Prepare two 8x8 or 9x9-inch square baking pans with parchment lining the bottom and all four sides. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Mix up the brownie batter according to the package directions. Split the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth out the tops with a spatula.

3

Bake the brownies for 15-20 minutes, until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs, but not wet batter. Let the brownies cool completely in the tins. Meanwhile, let the pints of gelato soften in the fridge for 30 minutes.

4

Once cool, use the parchment flaps to carefully slide the brownies out onto a wire cooling rack. Then, use two pieces of plastic wrap to line one of the brownie tins. Arrange the plastic wrap in a cross shape to line the sides of the tin.

5

Slide one of the brownies off of the wire rack. Then, invert the plastic wrap-lined pan over the brownie on the wire rack. Then flip the the brownie into the pan.

6

Use a silicone spatula to spread and even layer of the gelato over the upside down brownie in the pan.

7

First, flip that brownie onto a sheet of plastic wrap so it is now upside down (be sure there is a good amount of plastic wrap on all sides of the brownie). Then, to minimize its travel distance and handling, slide the other brownie tin upside down, under the plastic wrap.

8

Now, grab the plastic wrap on the side of the brownie farthest from the gelato. Carefully lift it up slightly. Take a breath, let it out, and in one smooth motion, flip the brownie over onto the gelato.

9

Use the plastic wrap we used to flip the brownie to spread across the top, then pull the sides of the plastic wrap lining the baking tin up and over the top of the Pistachio Gelato Brownie Sandwich, tightly sealing it up.

10

Place the Pistachio Gelato Brownie Sandwich in the freezer for at least 3 hours.

11

When the sandwich comes out of the freezer, we want to work kinda quick so the gelato doesn't get too melty. So have your pistachios chopped and your chocolate sauce handy. Flip the sandwich out onto the counter, then flip it back over. Then un-peel the plastic wrap and discard it.

12

Make one cut vertically down the center of the sandwich. Then, slice it horizontally in the center to make quarters, then cut each quarter in half. This will yield 8 sandwiches.

13

Squeeze some chocolate sauce on each sandwich and use an offset spatula or knife to spread the chocolate sauce, end to end on each sandwich.

14

Then sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the top.

15

Now, tightly wrap each bar in plastic wrap. Put the wrapped bars on a sheet tray and place back in the freezer for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.

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