National Ice Cream Month: Chocolate Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Posted by Caroline Mills

For the chocoholic in all of us, a slight twist on a classic ice cream flavor: Chocolate Cookie Dough Ice Cream.

Lindsay Landis’ egg-free cookie dough recipe means you can chow down on the dough itself to your heart’s content… so you might want to make a little extra.

Chocolate Cookie Dough Ice Cream

From The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook by Lindsay Landis

Some say that chocolate makes everything better. And if you thought regular cookie dough ice cream was the best thing ever, you only have to try this choco-fied version to know this claim is true.

MAKES: 1 ½ quarts

ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 12 to 24 hours

For Ice Cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream, divided

• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

• 1 cup whole milk

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 4 egg yolks

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Cookie Dough:

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• ½ cup light brown sugar, packed

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons milk or cream

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour

• ½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

To make the ice cream, pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into a medium heatproof bowl and nest inside a larger bowl of ice water; set aside. (This ice bath will be used later to cool the ice cream base.)

Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat the remaining 1 cup heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to steam. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let stand 30 seconds. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Pour melted chocolate back into saucepan along with milk, sugar, and salt. Cook gently over medium heat, stirring regularly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture just starts to steam. Remove from heat.

• In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks. Slowly whisk in some of the warm cream mixture, 1/3 cup at a time, until about half of the cream mixture has been incorporated and egg mixture is warm to the touch.

Pour egg mixture back into the saucepan and return to medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spatula, about 5 to 7 minutes, or until it reaches approximately 165°F to 170°F. Do not let it boil. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the nested bowl of cold cream, discarding any solids left behind. Add vanilla and stir until mixture is cool.

Cover mixture with plastic wrap, carefully pressing it onto the surface of the cream mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.

To prepare the cookie dough, combine butter and sugars in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt, vanilla, and milk; mix well. Slowly add flour and mix until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until firm enough to handle.

Just before churning ice cream, drop cookie dough by the ½ teaspoonful onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or waxed paper. Freeze until ready to use.

Churn ice cream in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. When ice cream is the consistency of soft-serve, quickly transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Stir in frozen cookie dough chunks until they’re evenly distributed, and freeze until firm.

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