Summer’s last licks: three grownup ice cream sammies

The fun of the Chipwich was not so much the existence of a sandwich made of ice cream and cookies, but the actual eating of it. You can’t just bite into an ice cream sandwich — unless you have exceptional teeth — and it had a 15-minute lifespan, so it had to be eaten quickly. It was a sticky, drippy affair that you probably haven’t had the pleasure of embarking on for years. Here are three adult versions to try before the summer melts away.

Ice Cream Sandwich
at the Meatball Shop
www.themeatballshop.com Various locations

These sweet sliders pack a baseball-sized scoop of gelato between two soft homemade cookies. As with the rest of the Meatball Shop’s menu, you can design your own cookie/gelato combos — the mixing of top and bottom cookies is encouraged. We like the fresh herb-flecked mint gelato with walnut brownie cookies, or the fragrant gingersnap filled with the fruity gelato of the day (check the website for daily specials). The MBS recommends pairing the sandwiches with a glass of Moscato d’Asti — the fruity sparkling wine cuts through the rich sweetness.

Bourbon Cask Ice Cream Sandwich
at Atera
www.ateranyc.com
77 Worth St., 212-226-1442

This high-concept confection crystalizes a few current themes in New York dining: local, experimental and nostalgic. Chef Matthew Lightner’s Bourbon Cask Ice Cream Sandwich neatly presses ice cream made from bourbon-barrel-aged milk (using spirits originated by New York distillery Tuthilltown) between cookies made from ground oak chips, cocoa powder and olive oil. Considering its complexity, it tastes surprisingly like an ice cream sandwich. It may come to the table on a piece of chilled slate, but the crinkly, shiny wrapper keeps it fun.

Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich at Francois Payard Bakery
www.fpbnyc.com
Various locations

In a new addition to the luxe bakery’s menu, long sheets of delicately crisp-then-chewy macarons are filled with ice cream or sorbet and sliced to order. The rectangular sandwiches come in tropical flavors like passion fruit cheesecake and coconut mango, but they also delve into darker territory with dark chocolate and cocoa nibs. Whatever the flavor, these sammies are a perfect grab-and-go for the fleeting days of warmth.