Attention chocolate chip cookie dough fans! This recipe is for those who sneak bites of it while baking or love eating it in ice cream. I count myself among the latter group, with cookie dough ice cream being in the top 5. Blue Bell was always my favorite, but my aging taste buds have been finding it a little too sweet, so I started making my own.
Golden Vanilla Cookie Dough Flavored Base
This version uses a custard-style base made with egg yolks for a richer flavor and deeper color reminiscent of traditional cookie dough ice cream. White sugar, a touch of golden syrup, and a vanilla provide the background flavors in a custard packed with bits of cookie dough and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. I originally used xanthan gum and vodka as well, but I think I was scaring people away with those ingredients, so this can be made without them -- the egg yolks and milk powder are enough.
Safe Cookie Dough for Ice Cream
Now, about the cookie dough. Any edible cookie dough will work, but in a moment of nostalgia (and a dollar off coupon), I went with Pillsbury. It is safe to eat raw, and has been since 2020, but I just now realized that. Normally, homemade dough would be my go-to, but the texture of the packaged version turned out to be just right: slightly crumbly, easy to mix in, and no prep required. Feel free to use your favorite edible dough-store-bought or homemade.
Meltable Chocolate Chunks
In addition to the chunks of cookie dough, I drizzled in a mixture of melted dark chocolate and coconut oil so that there's be melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chunks in the mix. I made the meltable chocolate chunks while the ice cream custard was chilling. That just entailed melting chocolate in the microwave with a little coconut oil, pouring it onto a plate and freezing.
Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup nonfat dry milk powder (see note)
- 2 tablespoon golden syrup (or honey or corn syrup)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
Cookie Dough and Chocolate Chunks
- ¼ roll packaged Pillsbury cookie dough, cut into chunks
- 3 oz Hershey's dark chocolate chips (½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
- In a heavy saucepan, whisk the heavy cream, whole milk, milk powder, sugar, syrup, and salt until smooth.
- Whisk yolks in a separate bowl. Heat the dairy mixture to a simmer, temper yolks with a little hot dairy, then return to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until 170-175°F and thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Set bowl over an ice bath, stirring until cold.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours (overnight is best) to fully hydrate milk solids.
- Churn according to your ice cream maker directions.
- Remove dasher and stir in chunks of cookie dough and broken chocolate pieces.
Melting Chocolate
- Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil using 50% power in the microwave.
- Spread on a small tray or plate lined with parchment and freeze until solid.
- Break or chop into small chunks
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