One Good Find: Nye’s Cream Sandwiches

A scoop of ice cream nestled between two cookies, while decidedly decadent, isn’t what I reach for on a hot summer day. It just isn’t refreshing in the manner of a soft-serve cone or fruity ice pop, and my teeth are stuck in a frozen abyss when I try to bite into its hard exterior. Enter Nye’s Cream Sandwiches—the Wilmington, North Carolina-based company crafts each sandwich by hand, favoring subtle ice cream flavors over cloying ones, with cookies that are firm enough to hold up and soft enough to yield to each delicious bite. Take the Meyer lemon ice cream, which is creamy in texture but as bright as a sorbet. Sandwiched between two sugar cookies lightly spiced with cardamom and ginger—the refined ideal of a snickerdoodle—it makes for a treat that’s at once satisfying and nuanced. While classic American-inspired flavors like strawberry shortcake and blueberry pie are likewise subdued, look no further than the chocolate ganache cookie for a more indulgent dessert fix. Whether filled with toasted coconut ice cream or simple vanilla, it's intensely fudgy and rich. All of the cookies, baked on-site, have a chewy, soft texture that's just past raw cookie dough—not a problem for a snack that satisfies my childlike craving for fresh-baked cookies and melting ice cream, one that I know will endure long into adulthood. The next time it’s hot out—or I just want to make good on my sweet tooth—I’m reaching for Nye’s.