For the best chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, you need to make it yourself! This custard-based recipe yields the most rich and flavorful ice cream, and there’s plenty of tasty cookie dough chunks!
Don’t worry, there are no raw eggs in either the ice cream base or the cookie dough.
My kids adore cookie dough ice cream, but truth be told, I never loved it until now. Either it didn’t have enough cookie dough, or the cookie dough had a weird texture or chemical taste.
I don’t know why I didn’t try homemade before, it’s a game changer! The homemade cookie dough makes a huge difference, and now I’m a big fan!
What makes this cookie dough ice cream the best!!
- A bit of brown sugar adds a great cookie dough flavor to the ice cream base.
- Egg yolks make the most rich and creamy ice cream ever, and they help prevent ice crystals from forming.
- No corn syrup, cellulose gum, or other fillers that store-bought ice cream relies on. You get to use only the good stuff!
- A little bit of pudding mix in the cookie dough gives it great flavor and texture. Try not to eat it all before adding it to the ice cream!
- It’s loaded with heavenly chunks of cookie dough, so you get some in every delicious bite.
Can you put raw cookie dough in ice cream?
To be extra safe, if you want to put cookie dough in ice cream, you either need to use pasteurized eggs in the dough, or use a cookie dough recipe that doesn’t call for eggs.
And if you are worried about using raw wheat flour, you can always bake the flour for a few minutes first.
How to make homemade cookie dough ice cream
- VANILLA BASE – Whisk together the egg yolks, sugars, salt, 1 cup of the cream, and the milk in a pot or large saucepan.
Cook and stir over medium low heat until the mixture barely comes to a boil. Pour through a wire mesh strainer to remove lumps. Stir in the last cup of cream and the vanilla.
Chill in an airtight container for 4-6 hours. (overnight is fine) - EDIBLE COOKIE DOUGH RECIPE – Cook the butter over medium heat in a skillet or saucepan until it foams and turns light brown. Pour into a medium bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, then the pudding mix, vanilla, and cream. Add the flour and salt; stir well.
Fold in the chocolate chips. Break off small pieces of cookie dough and place them on a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze.
- CHURN – Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream machine. (I have this Cuisinart ice cream maker and love it!) Churn for 25-30 minutes or until soft serve consistency.
- RIPEN – In an ice cream container or loaf pan, layer the ice cream and frozen dough chunks, then swirl.
Freeze for 3-4 hours, or until firm enough to scoop with an ice cream scoop.
Move over Ben & Jerry’s, this ice cream is just as tasty, and you can make it for a fraction of the cost. It’s a perfect sweet treat on a hot summer day!
PRO TIPS:
- For best results, use mini chocolate chips. They make for a much more pleasant texture in the final product. Regular sized chocolate chips are so hard to chew when frozen!
- Use caution when cooking the custard. Don’t be tempted to speed up the process by turning up the heat. You don’t want to end up with scrambled eggs!
- In my 50+ years, I have never had an issue with raw flour, but if you are concerned, check out my recipe for edible chocolate chip cookie dough for instructions on heating flour.
VARIATIONS:
- If desired, you can stir chocolate chips or chocolate chunks into the churned ice cream before layering.
- For added crunch, stir some chopped pecans or walnuts into the cookie dough and/or the ice cream base. Toast them first for best flavor.
MORE HOMEMADE ICE CREAM:
- Peach Ice Cream Recipe
- Almond Joy Ice Cream
- Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Recipe
- Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Recipe
- Reese’s Ice Cream Cake
- Peach Milkshake Recipe
- Biscoff Ice Cream Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Vanilla Ice Cream Base:
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups heavy cream divided
- 1 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Cookie Dough:
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp instant vanilla pudding mix
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the yolks, sugars, salt, 1 cup of the cream, and the milk. Heat over medium-low heat just until the mixture barely comes to a boil, whisking constantly.
- Pour the hot mixture through a metal mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Add the remaining cup of cream and the vanilla.
- Chill for 4-6 hours, or overnight.
- While the mixture chills, make the cookie dough.
- Cook the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it foams and turns light brown. Pour into a medium bowl. Stir in the brown sugar.
- Add the dry pudding mix, vanilla, and cream. Stir until well combined. Mix in the flour and salt, then the chocolate chips.
- Drop dough by small spoonfuls onto a plate or cookie sheet. (Or roll into tiny balls.) Freeze.
- To make ice cream, pour the cold ice cream base into your ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Layer the ice cream and frozen cookie dough chunks in a freezer safe container. Let freeze for 2-3 hours, or until firm enough to scoop.
Notes
- Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.
- Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat on your custard. If the mixture gets too hot, your eggs will cook!
- If you use an insulated ice cream container, the ice cream will last up to two months. In a regular container, it will last 2-3 weeks.
Nutrition
This recipe beats anything you can buy at the grocery store or even a fancy ice cream shop. It’s the best chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream I’ve ever tasted!
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