Cookie Dough Ice Cream

This chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream combines creamy vanilla ice cream with lashings of delectable cookie dough and melt in your mouth chocolate chips.

This homemade cookie dough ice cream takes your favorite ice cream shop flavor and turns it into a fabulous ice cream you can make at home. Made with edible cookie dough with no eggs and heat-treated flour so it's safe to eat without baking. And a simple egg-free Philadelphia-style vanilla ice cream to let the cookie dough shine! Whip it up in your ice cream machine or follow my tips below to make a no-churn version.

Looking for more fabulous chocolate chip ice creams? Why not try making my popular mint choc chip ice cream with fresh garden mint, or clean and classic chocolate chip ice cream. Delicious!

Or if you're in the mood for more delectable ice cream check out my full collection of Cuisinart ice cream maker recipes (that work well in other brands ice cream makers too!).

Recipe tips and frequently asked questions

Who invented cookie dough ice cream?

This hugely popular ice cream flavor was invited in 1984. Someone suggested Ben and Jerry's Scoop Shop in Burlington, VT add pieces of cookie dough to their vanilla ice cream. And the rest, as they say, is history!

What is the cookie dough in ice cream?

The cookie dough used in the ice cream has a few key differences from regular cookie dough to make it safe to eat. The cookie dough is therefore not suitable to be baked into actual cookies.

Is cookie dough ice cream safe to eat?

Yes, provided a couple of precautions are taken:

• Skip the eggs: Raw eggs can have contaminants that can make you unwell. In regular cookies, the cookie dough is heated up enough when baking to make it safe to eat. However, when added to ice cream the cookie dough is added raw, so for safety reasons cookie dough that is going to be added to ice cream is made without eggs.
• Heat the flour: Likewise, uncooked flour may also have contaminants that can make you unwell. As the cookie dough won't be baked the solution is to heat treat the flour Before adding it to the dough, thus making it safe to eat.

What's the best type of chocolate chips to use?

The short answer is homemade chocolate chips with a little refined coconut oil. This gives softer, more melty chocolate chips that eat better once frozen. You can read more about why in my chocolate chip ice cream recipe. If you are short on time you can use regular chocolate chips, I recommend mini ones.

Can I just eat the cookie dough bites without adding them to the ice cream?

You sure can. The cookie dough bites can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to two months for a quick and easy sweet treat.

Can I make this without chocolate chips?

You can do it, but honestly, why would you want to? But yes, if you really must you can make this without chocolate chips, just skip that step in the recipe.

Is cookie dough ice cream gluten-free?

Not usually. The ice cream itself may be gluten-free however the cookie dough is usually made with flour that contains gluten and therefore is not gluten-free. You could try making the cookie dough with your preferred gluten-free flour but I haven't tested this.

Can I make this without an ice cream churner?

You sure can. To make this without an ice cream machine make the base as per the recipe until you get to the churning part. Put the ice cream into your chilled container and freeze for one hour. Working quickly remove the ice cream from the freezer and whisk it, taking care to scrape the edges which will start to freeze first.

Return to the freezer for another hour. Remove and whisk again. Repeat for another two to three times or until the ice cream resembles soft-serve ice cream. Add the chilled cookie dough pieces and gently fold through. Then allow it to continue freezing until firm.

Alternatively, you could add the cookie dough pieces to my no churn three ingredient ice cream instead.

Ingredients

For the ice cream

Thickened cream: I use thickened cream which has a fat content of about 34%. You could also use heavy cream or heavy whipping or whipping cream which is similar.

Milk: this recipe uses full-fat milk with a fat content of about 3.5%.

White sugar: white sugar is best in this recipe. You could use castor sugar if you prefer or experiment with brown sugar to give the ice cream some caramel notes.

Vanilla extract: sometimes also called vanilla essence, depending on where you live. You can use either, or imitation vanilla essence, depending on your preference and budget.

Tapioca starch: is a natural and accessible way of both thickening and stabilizing the ice cream. If you can't get tapioca starch you can use arrowroot powder or cornflour in the same volume.

Glucose syrup: also called confectioner’s glucose. You can get in from specialty baking shops, online, and some supermarkets. A small amount of glucose syrup helps lower the freezer point of ice cream and improves the texture and scoopability of the ice cream.

You can substitute with the same amount of light corn syrup or powdered dextrose. Measure carefully, preferably using a digital kitchen scale, and don't add too much or your ice cream will melt in a red hot minute!

For the edible cookie dough

Semi-sweet chocolate: I find gives the best balance of flavor and contrasts the sweetness of the surrounding vanilla ice cream. Look for one with about 45% cocoa. You could also try using white, milk, or dark chocolate but each will make the ice cream sweeter or a little less sweet.

Refined coconut oil - sometimes also called expeller-pressed coconut oil. Using refined coconut oil is important because the refining process removed the coconut flavor and smell, resulting in neutral oil.

Brown sugar: a little brown sugar helps add some caramel notes to the cookie dough and keep it nice and soft.

White sugar: white sugar is best in this recipe. You could use castor sugar if you prefer or experiment with brown sugar to give the ice cream some caramel notes.

Vanilla extract: sometimes also called vanilla essence, depending on where you live. You can use either, or imitation vanilla essence, depending on your preference and budget.

Unsalted Butter: because butter makes most things taste better. In this recipe, it binds and sets the cookie dough.

Plain Flour is best in this recipe. You can also use all-purpose flour. As the cookie dough will be eaten raw there's no need for rising agents. It's important to heat treat the flour before adding it to make it safe to eat so do not skip this step.

Cream or milk (not pictured): a dash helps keep the cookie dough soft and scoopable.

How to make cookie dough ice cream

See the full recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient amounts and instructions.

First, make your vanilla ice cream base. Measure the tapioca starch into a small bowl. Measure out the milk, then add a couple of tablespoons of the milk into the bowl with the tapioca starch. Mix well to form a slurry and get out all the lumps.

Add the milk, cream, sugar, and glucose syrup to a small pot on the stove. When measuring the glucose syrup ideally use a digital kitchen scale, otherwise, make sure it's a flat half a tablespoon. Heat on medium and stir well until all the sugar is dissolved.

Add tapioca starch slurry and stir well for a few minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Add vanilla essence and stir well. Transfer the mix to a heat-proof container and chill in the fridge for at least four hours, ideally overnight.

While the base is chilling make your chocolate chips and cookie dough. Start by making your chocolate chips (if you are using ready-made chocolate chips you can skip this step).

Line a tray with foil or baking paper. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave or a double boiler. Add the coconut oil to the chocolate chips and mix well.

Spread the chocolate out on the foil or baking paper and put it in the fridge to set. Once set chop into chocolate chip-sized pieces and set aside in the fridge until needed, then start on the rest of the cookie dough.

Heat treat the flour by spreading it on a microwave-proof plate and heat in the microwave in thirty-second to one-minute bursts. Use a cooking thermometer to check the flour has reached 165°F (76°C).

Alternatively, you can heat treat the flour by spreading it on a baking tray and baking it for about five minutes at 350°F (175°C, do not use fan force if possible, as your flour may get pushed around your oven).

Hot tip: It's important to heat the flour up to this temperature to ensure it's safe to eat raw in the cookie dough. It's also important to not overheat the flour or you will scorch it and make the flour, and therefore dough, taste bad.

Melt the butter and coconut oil for the dough in a microwave-proof bowl in the microwave. Add the white and brown sugar and beat well until combined. Add the salt, vanilla, and cream for the cookie dough and beat well.

Sift in the heat-treated flour and salt and beat until combined. The cookie dough should be soft and scoopable at this point but if it's a little dry add a little more cream until it softens up.

Allow the dough to cool to room temperature then fold through half the chocolate chips.

Hot tip: do no skip allowing your dough to cool or you will melt your homemade chocolate chips!

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Use two teaspoons to scoop bite-size cookie dough pieces into the tray. I like my cookie dough on the chunky side, but you can make smaller ones if you prefer. Once all the dough is scooped out, put the tray in the freezer for about thirty minutes to freeze. Once frozen transfer the cookie dough bites to an airtight container in the freezer until you are ready to add them to your ice cream.

Now that you have made your edible cookie dough bites you can churn and assemble the ice cream.

Put your ice cream storage container in the freezer to chill. If using a self-churning machine, turn it on about ten minutes before you churn your ice cream. Otherwise, take the churning bowl out of the freezer right before churning.

Pour the mix into the ice cream churner and churn. When the ice cream has nearly finished churning add the other half of the chocolate chips. The ice cream should be nice and thick but still moving around. Don't add the chips too soon or they will stick in the machine and your ice cream won't churn properly.

Add some chilled cookie dough pieces to the bottom of the chilled ice cream container. Layer the churned ice cream and cookie dough pieces until done, then cover and freeze until firm.

How to serve

To serve this cookie dough vanilla ice cream remove it from the freezer, scoop, and enjoy! Delicious!

How to store

You can store this vanilla ice cream with cookie dough in an air-tight container in the freezer for two to weeks for the best texture. It will still taste good after this but may become icier over time.

Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on Instagram so I can see your delicious creations! @keep_calm_and_eat_icecream

Looking for more yummy ice cream recipes?

Why not try making

• Pistachio Ice Cream
• Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
• Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream
• Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• Ice Cream Sundae

Follow me on Facebook or Pinterest for many more delicious recipes.

📋 Recipe

Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Author: Sarah Brooks

This chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream combines creamy vanilla ice cream with lashings of delectable cookie dough and melt in your mouth chocolate chips.

5 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Chilling time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 8 serves (⅔ cup each)

Calories 616 kcal

Equipment

• ice cream machine/churner
• cooking thermemeter (to heat treat flour)

Ingredients

For the ice cream base

• 2 teaspoons (5gms) tapioca starch
• 1 cup (250mls) full cream milk
• 2 cups (500mls) thickened cream
• ½ cup (110gms) white sugar
• 1 & ¼ teaspoons (10gms) glucose syrup
• 2 teaspoons (10mls) vanilla essence or extract

For the homemade chocoalte chips

• ½ cup (100gms) semi-sweet chocolate
• 2 teaspoons (8gms) refined coconut oil

For the homemade cookie dough bites

• ¾ cup (115gms) plain flour
• ½ cup (½ stick/60gms) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon (4 gms) refined coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons (40gms) white sugar
• 2 tablespoons (40gms) brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 large pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons thickened cream

Instructions

 

To make the ice cream base

• Put the tapioca starch into a small bowl. Measure the milk. Add a couple of tablespoons of milk into the bowl with the tapioca starch and mix well to form a slurry.
• Add remaining milk, cream, sugar and glucose syrup to a small saucepan.
• Heat on medium, stirring well until all the sugar is dissolved.
• Add tapioca starch slurry and mix well for a few minutes.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
• Add vanilla extract and mix well.
• Transfer mix to a heatproof container, cover and chill in the fridge for at least four hours, preferably overnight.

To make the edible cookie dough bites

• While the base is chilling make the chocolate chips and cookie dough bites
• To make the chocolate chips line a large tray with foil or baking paper.
• Chop up the chocolate and add it to a microwave-proof bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30-second bursts until nearly melted. Add 1 teaspoon (4gms) of coconut oil and heat for another 30 seconds.
• Mix until all the coconut oil is mixed in and the chocolate is smooth. Spread the chocolate out on the lined tray and put in the fridge to set.
• Once the chocolate is set peel back the foil and chop into chip-sized pieces and store in the fridge until needed.
• Heat treat the flour by spreading it on a microwave-proof plate and heat in the microwave in thirty-second to one-minute bursts. Use a cooking thermometer to check the flour has reached 165°F (76°C).
• Melt the butter and 1 teaspoon (4gms) coconut oil in a microwave-proof bowl in the microwave. Add the white and brown sugar and beat well until combined. Add the salt, vanilla and cream for the cookie dough and beat well.
• Sift in the heat-treated flour and salt and beat until combined. The cookie dough should be soft and scoopable at this point but if it's a little dry add a little more cream until it softens up.
• Allow the dough to cool to room temperature then fold through half the chocolate chips.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper. Use two teaspoons to scoop bite-size cookie dough pieces into the tray. Once all the dough is scooped out put the tray in the freezer for about thirty minutes then transfer bites to an airtight container and keep in the freezer until you are ready to add it to your ice cream.

To assemble the ice cream

• Put the ice cream storage container into freezer to chill.
• If using a self-churning machine turn it on ten minutes before churning to cool. Otherwise remove the bowl from the freezer just before churning.
• Churn the ice cream. When the ice cream has nearly finished churning add the chocolate chips.
• Add some chilled cookie dough pieces to the bottom of the chilled ice cream container. Layer the churned ice cream and cookie dough pieces until done.
• Freeze for at least four hours or until firm.
• To serve remove from the freezer, scoop and enjoy!  Great on its own, with some extra chocolate chips sprinkled over the top or some chocolate fudge sauce from my chocolate sundae drizzled over the top. Delicious!

Notes

• Do not skip heat treating your flour.  Raw flour can make you unwell, its important not to skip this step.

• You can substitute tapioca starch with the same amount of corn flour/corn starch.  If substituting, add the slurry with the sugars at the start of the cooking because the corn flour/starch needs to cook for longer to activate it.  Corn flour/starch doesn't freezer as well, so your ice cream maybe a little icier, but will still taste delicious!

• If you don't use glucose syrup your ice cream may freeze a little firm.  Put it in the fridge for about ten minutes to make it soft enough to scoop (this is better than leaving it on the bench because it will soften uniformly).  

• Homemade chocolate chips make this ice cream a joy to eat, but if you are short on time you can use ready-made chocolate chips instead, I recommend mini ones.  
• Like wise you could use edible cookie dough that's safe to eat raw instead of making your own.

Nutrition

Calories: 616kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 6gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 27gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 39mgPotassium: 223mgFiber: 2gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 1350IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 97mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.

Keywords: edible cookie dough

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