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I think ice cream is one of my favorite recipes to create. It’s honestly such a flexible dessert and super easy to customize. For this recipe, I experimented with sweetening the ice cream with pure maple syrup (whereas I usually use coconut sugar). My reasoning for this was to create whiter ice cream base. I find that coconut sugar makes ice cream more on the brown side (but still tastes AMAZING), and I wanted this to be more of a cream color since it’s a cookie dough ice cream. And let me tell you – this is my new favorite way to make ice cream! If you haven’t homemade ice cream with maple syrup as the sweetener yet, then you must give it a try. This Cookie Dough Ice Cream will be your new favorite treat.
Nutritional benefits of this recipe
This isn’t all the benefits, but a few of my favorite!
- I always recommend buying grass-fed milk and cream. This ensures you are getting a healthier product (from healthier cows) and you are supporting a more regenerative farm. I love buying from a local farmer or from healthy brands like Kalona Supernatural or Mill-King that are low-heat pasteurized instead of ultra-pasteurized. The lower temps helps preserve many of the enzymes in the milk, which makes it easier to digest.
- Maple syrup is a natural sweetener (from the sap of maple trees) so it’s healthy and also rich in antioxidants and minerals such as manganese, riboflavin, and copper.
Is making ice cream difficult?
Not at all! It may seem daunting at first, but it’s way easier than you think. Most of the time for the ice cream is just chilling it, so you are only spending about 45 minutes or so actively working on it.
What tools are needed to homemake ice cream?
An ice cream maker – I use the Ice-70 by Cuisinart. I have no complaints about it whatsoever!
A large bowl – I prefer using one with a spout on the side to make it easier to pour.
An electric mixer with a whisk attachment
An ice cream container for storage. This helps significantly to keep the ice cream the proper texture. You can use a regular freezer-friendly Tupperware, but the ice cream may harden more.
Ingredients for Cookie Dough Ice Cream
For the ice cream:
Grass-fed heavy cream
Grass-fed whole milk
Pure maple syrup
Vanilla extract
Egg yolks – this makes the ice cream extra creamy – it’s essential in my opinion!
Salt
For the cookie dough:
Flour
Grass-fed butter
Vanilla extract
Salt
How to always make the best homemade ice cream
- Be sure to follow the directions on the recipe card to a T for the best turnout.
- Freeze the ice cream bowl for several days, or at least 24 hours before making the ice cream.
- Use an ice cream container for storage. This keeps it a much better texture than using another container that’s not designed for ice cream.
- Place the ice cream container in the freezer several days before, or at least 24 hours before making the ice cream to create a better environment for the ice cream.
- Use egg yolks if you like a thick, creamy ice cream. If you prefer a lighter ice cream, then omit the egg yolks.
- Keep in mind, the ice cream is more of a soft-serve after it is done churning – this is totally normal. You can eat it this way if you would like, but you can also place it in the ice cream container and put it in the freezer for at least 6 hours or overnight for it to harden to true ice cream texture.
Other ice cream recipes I’ve posted:
Chocolate Cherry Almond Ice Cream
Peach Ice Cream with Maple Caramel Sauce
I hope you love this Cookie Dough Ice Cream! Please be sure to leave a comment and rating below. I would love to know if you plan to make it, and how it turns out for you!
PrintCookie Dough Ice Cream (naturally sweetened)
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Chill time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 45 minutes
Ingredients
Ice cream base:
2 cups heavy cream (16oz)
1 1/2 cups whole milk (12oz)
2/3 cup maple syrup (230g)
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
Cookie dough:
1/3 cup coconut sugar (65g)
6 Tbsp salted butter (85g), softened/room temperature NOT melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cups (96g) white flour, I use non-GMO & unbleached by Sunrise Flour Mill
1/3 cup finely chopped / slivered chocolate
Instructions
***Make sure your ice cream bowl has been frozen for at least 24 hours (this is for the Cuisinart ICE-70 Series). You can also pre-freeze the container you plan to put the ice cream in if you want. I use this ice cream container and it’s the best! It helps keep a perfect ice cream texture, rather than freezing too hard.***
Ice cream:
- In a large saucepan, mix together the milk and cream. Heat over medium heat, stirring with a whisk often, until steaming. Do NOT let it boil – just bring it to a steam.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt until it lightens in color.
- Once the cream/milk mixture is steaming, pour 1/3 of the hot mixture into the maple syrup bowl and mix together. Then add another 1/3 of the hot mixture and mix again. Then, pour everything back into the saucepan and place over LOW heat on the stove. Stir constantly on low heat for 2 minutes, then pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Let it cool to room temperature for an hour then place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Make the cookie dough:
- With an electric mixer, beat together the coconut sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and salt until light and fluffy. Slowly sprinkle in the flour while continuing to mix it. Beat until everything is combined into cookie dough texture. Fold in the slivered / finely chopped chocolate.
- Put parchment paper on a large baking sheet. Use a 1/4 tsp measurer to measure cookie dough, but then break it into two pieces and roll between your fingers to make two little cookie dough balls (each cookie dough ball should be 1/8 tsp of cookie dough). It may seem small, but you’ll be surprised by how big it is in the ice cream! Place on the parchment paper. Repeat over and over, making 1/8 tsp balls with the cookie dough until it’s gone.
- Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden separate from each other, then put all the cookie dough balls in a freezer-friendly container (to prevent freezer burn) and store in the freezer until you’re ready to put it in the ice cream.
Churning the ice cream:
- Press Ice Cream and then Start/Stop. Pour the mixture through the spout and then cover with the cap. Let mix until thickened. I like to mix mine for 25-30 minutes. Remove the mixer from the ice cream bowl, dump the cookie dough pieces into the ice cream, and mix it together with a spatula.
- You can serve as soft-serve, or transfer the ice cream to an ice cream container and place in the freezer for 3-5 hours to harden.
