Food Crawl: 4 must-try ice cream sandwiches in the GTA

The Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookie at Lickadee Split

This East York ice cream spot, opened in 2011, feels like a much older scoop shop you might find in cottage country. The walls and fixtures are painted in pale retro yellow, orange and green. Big jars of Nutella, peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sit beside more than a dozen cone options on the counter. Flavours like Salted Caramel Cashew Toffee Crunch, Limoncello and Raspberry Cheesecake are marked with handwritten labels.

The cookies are loaded to the max with bittersweet chocolate chips and are crispy and crumbly, making it difficult to eat like a regular ice cream sandwich — it’s served on a paper tray. But what the cookie lacks in practicality it excels in textural contrast, since it won’t go mushy even when the ice cream starts to melt. A small sandwich, $7.95, is more than enough for two people, and I’d only advise the large if you want ice cream for dinner. As for which ice cream to choose? Lickadee Split offers one of the best versions of the classic Canadian flavour, Tiger Tail. It features orange-flavoured ice cream with swirls of licorice. Most Tiger Tails go weak on the licorice, but not here: glorious, gooey ribbons of jet-black sweet anise ooze from the tart orange ice cream, resulting in a harmonious balance of earthy and fruity.

Where to get it: Lickadee Split is at 980 Coxwell Ave. at Plains Road. It is not on delivery or takeout apps. The shop operates seasonally and its hours are on its Facebook page. There are a few seats inside and outside.

The Red Rapture Slider from Sweet Jesus

This ice cream spin-off from the founders of La Carnita was one of the first in Toronto to embrace Instagram-friendly food. I remember seeing long lines for its towering soft serve cones topped with cotton candy when it opened its first location in 2015. The ice cream sandwich, $7.85, looks tame by today’s viral dessert standards but it’s a good option if you prefer something softer than a dense cookie. Here, two fluffy and fat discs of sweet red velvet cake are pressed against a vanilla soft-serve filling and finished with strawberry- and cheesecake-flavoured drizzles. It’s the latter that adds a tart, fruity and slightly savoury element that complements the mild vanilla in the cake and soft serve.

Where to get it: Sweet Jesus has multiple locations across Ontario and other provinces, with hours and takeout ordering info available on its site.

The Key Lime Coconut from Ernie’s Ice Box

This little Baby Point shop makes cube-shaped ice cream sandwiches carefully wrapped in paper, ideal for stacking in coolers for day trips. An ice cream sandwich here is $7.25 and has a much higher ice-cream to cookie ratio, but it works because the ice cream is heavenly. Flecks of zest and lime curd in the key lime pie ice cream add delightful pops of summery sourness. The cookie is a dense toasted-coconut blondie with strong hints of caramel, adding a rich, almost smoky contrast to the bright ice cream. Let the sandwich sit for a minute so the ice cream can soften a smidge and the blondie can absorb a bit of the cream.

Where to get it: Ernie’s Ice Box is at 403 Jane St. at Annette Street. Online pre-orders for pickup can be done directly through its site and require two days’ advance notice. Hours are posted on its site.

The Vegan Ice Cream Sandwich from Booyah

Right behind the well-known Dutch Dreams scoop shop on Vaughan Road is this deceptively small ice cream spot that isn’t short on options. There are nearly two dozen flavours including vegan options made with rice and soy milk. You can enjoy your treat in a brioche bun, homemade waffle cone, a waffle shell taco and of course a cookie sandwich. (There’s also a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie option.) I recommend combining the coffee and cinnamon toast crunch ice creams (both vegan) in a s’mores cookie for $6.95. The rich bitterness of the coffee (points for having more coffee flavour than a lot of other shops) pairs well with the warm cinnamon cookie notes, and the chewy, gooey cookie evokes nights by the campfire.

Where to get it: Booyah is at 16 Vaughan Rd. at Hocken Avenue. Pick-up orders can be done directly through its site. Hours are posted on its Instagram page. There is a small sidewalk patio with chairs and tables.

Before you go, I have a few more recommendations:

• This Toronto food entrepreneur’s ready-made picnics pay homage to her Anishinaabe roots.

Check out these four spots I added to my alternative Toronto Michelin Guide.

• Here are my top picks for takeout under $10 in Toronto.

• Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list is finally out. These are the Toronto spots that made the cut.

• This Mississauga family restaurant radiates retro vibes. Here’s why it stands out.

• This beloved Toronto restaurant serves a weekly Jewish brunch buffet — but that’s not all it’s known for.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you back here next week.