Cookie dough flavored ice cream filled with cookie dough pieces and mini chocolate chips. The ice cream itself actually tastes like cookie dough! No ice cream maker needed.
Are you wondering why I call this the “ultimate” chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream? That’s because we have cookie dough flavored ice cream with cookie dough chunks mixed into it. Yes, the ice cream itself actually tastes like cookie dough!
This recipe is for those of you that only eat cookie dough ice cream in order to pick out the chunks of cookie dough (ahem). No need to pick out the good stuff here… it’s all the good stuff.
Recipe overview
Cookie dough pieces: start by making a small batch of (egg-free) chocolate chip cookie dough. Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator to firm up while you continue with the ice cream base.
Cookie dough flavored ice cream: a combination of browned butter, brown sugar, sweetend condensed milk, vanilla, and whipped cream make this dreamy ice cream base.
Assembly: layer the ice cream base, mini chocolate chips, and pieces of cookie dough into a freezer safe container (I use a loaf pan) and place it in the freezer overnight.
What makes the ice cream taste like cookie dough?
Several things: a combination of browned butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips. These ingredients flavor the ice cream base giving it a deeper, richer flavor than plain vanilla ice cream (which you typically see in cookie dough ice cream).
Recipe tips
- This ice cream is best if it has had a chance to freeze overnight. You can eat it within about 10 hours of freezing it, but it will be on the softer side.
- Be sure to make your cookie dough pieces fairly small so that they can be evenly distributed through the ice cream.
- Use mini chocolate chips instead of regular sized chocolate chips.
More Chocolate Chip Recipes:
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Chip Scones
- Chocolate Chip Icebox Cake
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Recipe updated August 2020 – I changed the recipe to be “no-churn” so that it can be made without an ice cream maker. Here is the original recipe (which does require an ice cream maker), if you’d prefer that version.
Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Ingredients
Cookie dough pieces:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
Ice cream:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 scant cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (see note)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups chilled heavy cream
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
Cookie dough:
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, butter and sugars for 1 minute, until creamy and well combined. Beat in milk and vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator to firm up while you prepare the ice cream.
Ice cream:
- In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Cook the butter until it is light brown and smells nutty, stirring occasionally, and being careful not to let it burn. If you've never browned butter before, see this tutorial. Transfer the browned butter (and the browned bits) into a medium-sized bowl and cool to room temperature (about 15 minutes or so).
- Once the butter has cooled, add the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, and vanilla to the butter. Whisk until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add half of the browned butter mixture to the whipped cream and carefully fold it in. Add the remaining browned butter mixture to the cream and fold it in. Fold in most of the chocolate chips, reserving a few to sprinkle on top, if desired.
- Transfer half of the ice cream into a freezer-safe container (I use a loaf pan). Top with half of the cookie dough (pinching it off into small bite sized pieces). Top with the remaining ice cream and then the remaining cookie dough pieces and reserved chocolate chips. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
Notes
Nutrition
Elaine says
Really tasty! I used light cream instead of half and half and 1% instead of whole milk since that’s what I had on hand and it still turned out very well. Thanks!
Celebrating Sweets says
Perfect! Thanks for sharing your adaptations, and thank you for stopping by.
Olivia says
I’m so excited to try this for a small party we’re going to this weekend. I want to use the chocolate morsels instead of the mini chocolate chips..will that mess the ice cream maker up? Or do you think it will work ok?
Celebrating Sweets says
Are you referring to regular sized chocolate chips? That should be fine. Enjoy!
Olivia says
I was thinking of mixing in ghirardelli’s semi-sweet chocolate morsels which are a little bigger than the regular sized ones.
Jae says
What size Ice cream maker do you use? I’d like to make this in a 4 qt so I think I need to double it, correct?
Celebrating Sweets says
Yes, mine is a 2 quart.
Chris says
How long will this store in the freezer?
Celebrating Sweets says
It’s best within a week or two.
Karen Jakab says
How much ice cream does this make? It says 10 servings but since there is no total amount, I’m not sure how much ice cream equals a serving. Thank you.
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Karen. I don’t have a volume measurement. So, one serving would be approximately 1/10th of the total amount of ice cream.
Bobbie says
Hello. This recipe sounds so yum! Does the cookie dough stay soft after freezing? I tried a different one a while back and the cookie dough balls were nearly frozen solid. Thanks for your time and sharing a great recipe.
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Bobbie. The cookie dough is not rock-hard, but they are definitely much firmer than they are when at room temp. I’ve served this ice cream to many people and never heard a complaint. 🙂
Jam says
Sorry but what’s a half and half?
Celebrating Sweets says
Half and half is half milk and half cream. You should be able to find it in any US based grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can make your own by combining equal parts cream and milk.
Rachel says
I liked the flavor and it really tasted like cookie dough. The butter froze into little specks of butter though and gave it not so great consistency though.
Glen says
Thank you! This recipe is what I’m going to use today. I’m surprised that there aren’t a lot of other people who want to make cookie dough flavored ice cream. I don’t understand why the big ice cream companies always use vanilla as the base for their chocolate chip cookie dough ice creams. Thanks again.
Celebrating Sweets says
Enjoy!