Top 10 best sandwiches, without bread!

We are celebrating all things encompassed by two slices of bread! Or that’s what we would be saying if we hadn’t found these incredible dessert sandwiches! It’s the best way to get away with eating ice cream for lunch, “it’s national sandwich day!” because technically…a ball of sweet, sweet, vanilla ice cream being gently hugged by two chunky chocolate chip cookies counts as a sandwich.

It’s time to destroy the idea that a sandwich must be confined to bread-only items! This list of best sandwiches will enlighten any non-believers into thinking about the wider range of sarnie-goodness that even the Earl of Sandwich himself would approve of.

10. A vanilla slice from Aviv Cakes and Bagels, Australia
So creamy, so thick! Just imagine biting into this custard puff pastry slice. Pastry is basically the same as bread I reckon, give or take a bit of butter. They’re pretty much related, so it’s not too far a leap for those too scared to break the rules.

9. Sandwich cookies with lingonberry jam filling
In Boston, they believe that a sandwich must include a minimum of two slices of bread. In The Staff Canteen office, I believe in the liberation of a sandwich’s breaded chains! These jammy sandwich biscuits can be made with any jam you fancy, apricot, raspberry, blueberry... Get the recipe >>here for Natasha’s biscuits!

8. Rice crispy sandwich, topped with a PEEPS marshmallow bunny
For some reason this sends me back to my childhood, It's pink, its made of cereal and it has an adorable bunny on the top of it, for goodness sake. And obviously, like everything in my mildly obese adolescence was - it's slathered in white chocolate. Find the recipe from Chrisi at Love from the Oven >>here.

7. Molasses cookie and cinnamon ice cream sandwich
Ever eaten a custard cream, or a bourbon? Of course you have. Well, surprise surprise, they count as a sandwich! Same for Oreos. Read it and weep, Boston. For this top 10 list, I refused to include a regular ice cream cookie sandwich. These biscuits are made of molasses, or black treacle to us English folk, which makes them soft, like a tiny brownie. Here's a recipe by Averie >>here, definitely a biscuit you wouldn't want to dip in your tea!

6.  African Gateau
The African take on the classic Victoria sponge (otherwise known as a sandwich cake). The zesty creamy custard inside the two cushioned layers of chocolate sponge also contains a scattering of orange. There are many recipes online instructing how to make this delicious cake, but unless you have a translator on hand, it might be a struggle to read them! Maybe this citrus surprise should be left to the innovative among us...

5. Spiced apple and pear shortcake sandwich
Made purely by accident, these spiced apple and pear shortcake sandwiches began their life intending to be apple scones. Emily from Back to the Cutting Board, thought they were destined for the bin. They hadn't risen in the oven, and the wholewheat flour made them look dry and crispy. However, we always say don't judge a scone by the cover, and after tasting one, the chef (modest as ever) found they were the best she'd ever tasted. And that's the story of how this amazing shortcake sandwich was born! And they all lived happily ever after...in this >>recipe

4. Matcha green tea frozen custard sandwich from Teanobi, Los Angeles. 
I just had an E.T moment with my computer screen, and this tantalizingly green custard desert. It looks like a cake mixture, oozing from within its wafer stockade. The green tea in this ice cream is grown in Fukuoka, Japan and imported to the USA in order to create unique green tea from Gyokuro tea leaves. Teanobi are proud to say this ice cream has no preservatives or additives, so tuck in! Learn how to make Teanobi's green tea custard >>here

3. Hamburger Cupcake from Personal Creations
Whoever thinks a burger is not a sandwich is wrong. It has all the components: bread? Check. Meat, fish, cheese, egg or some sort of yummy filling? Check. Well this burger is no different, apart from we are replacing the bread with cake. And I assume no one is going to put up a fight about that. I found myself staring in admiration (and salivation) at the icing...are we 100% sure that's not actually ketchup? There's even sesame seeds to top the bun! Who needs real burgers anyway with these bite size wonders? 

2. Ice cream sandwich from the Geographic Club in Madrid
The Geographic Club brings flavours from all around the world to take diners on a journey through flavour, smell, and tastes. All I know is that every single one of my senses wants to engorge on this sandwich. There's only one downside to this drippy, shiny, mouthwatering, tempting... sorry, the downside? Well there isn’t one. Except that you might not be able to eat this sandwich without a fork. You could give it a go, but I’m warning you – it won’t go well.

1. Elvis Presley Sandwich from Foxlow, Clerkenwell. 
The legacy that is Elvis Presley is residing in London! In the form of a gooey, delicious sandwich to completely dispel those Suspicious Minds who still believe that a sandwich is made of bread. This Devil in Disguise is made of banana and ice cream, topped with peanut butter and salted caramel, blanketed by two pieces of fried brioche. If that doesn't sound seductive enough, you have the option to sprinkle it with candied bacon!

By Katie Pathiaki