Oh man.

These are good.

I mean, they should be right? Peanut butter and ritz crackers are a classic combination, and turning that into an ice cream treat was maybe one of my more brilliant ideas. 

Apparently they look yummy too, based on the fact that my roommate told me, "I don't know what those ritz cracker things are in the freezer but they look insane." That's always nice to hear! I immediately told her to eat as many as she wanted, because these little guys are too easy to eat, really, gone in two bites and then all of a sudden I've had four and I'm wondering why I thought I could show any restraint around them.

Good luck with that. I've mentioned before my love of ice cream sandwiches, but these easy, mini sandwiches are among my favorite ever.  These are sweet and creamy and peanut buttery, with a hit of salty goodness from the crackers, all encased with the crisp chocolate.  The cracker sort of softens from the ice cream the longer it sits in the freezer, mimicking the feel of that classic chocolate and vanilla treat we all know.

Excuse me, I need to go check if I still have some in the freezer.

Peanut Butter & Ritz Ice Cream Sandwiches

Makes 16 

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3/8 cups sugar
• 3/8 cups smooth peanut butter
• pinch salt
• splash vanilla extract
• 1 sleeve ritz crackers (or similar round butter crackers)
• 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp coconut oil

1. Warm the milk, half the cream, and the sugar in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add to a blender with the rest of the heavy cream, the peanut butter, salt and vanilla. Blend until combined thoroughly and chill completely.
2. When ice cream mixture has chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
3. Spoon into a plastic wrap or parchment-lined 8x8 pan, and smooth into an even layer. Freeze until hard.
4. When ice cream is hard, use a small biscuit cutter (1 1/2 in) to cut out rounds, or use a shot glass as a guide with a paring knife. Sandwich rounds between crackers and freeze until solid. I was able to cut out 12 rounds and then scooped the remaining ice cream into 4 more sandwiches using a small cookie scoop. 
5. When sandwiches are frozen solid, melt the chocolate with the coconut oil over a double boiler, and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly, the dip each sandwich halfway in the chocolate. Let set in the freezer, then enjoy! 

Notes:

• As an alternative to steps 3 & 4, you can scoop softened ice cream with a small cookie scoop, but I found the method I used to be better for minimizing broken crackers.
• Instead of making the ice cream, feel free to use your favorite variety of peanut butter ice cream. You will need about a pint.