Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
As a kid, our family and we did our fair share of frequenting the custard stand in our neighborhood. It was the place to be after little league games and just about any other hot summer night. We actually don’t remember eating too much traditional ice cream as a kid, aside from the requisite cartons that would accompany a birthday cake. As we got older, though, we started to dabble in ice cream and couldn’t get enough of any variety that had big chunks of “stuff” in it. This is where our love of cookies and cream came from, and then eventually, chocolate chip cookie dough. When we were a teenager and way into our 20’s, one of our favorite parts of going to the beach was devouring as many waffle cones with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream as possible. In fact, we just enjoyed a cone of it a few weeks ago on one of our incredibly disgusting near-100-degree days. After having that cone last month, we couldn’t stop thinking about how good it was and how much we missed that flavor. It then dawned on us that chocolate chip cookie dough is one of our all-time favorite ice cream flavors, and somehow we had never made it at home! Talk about a tragedy! Let us tell you, it didn’t take us long to remedy the situation.
Now, of course the most traditional chocolate chip cookie dough ice creams start with a base of vanilla ice cream. When we mentioned that we were going to whip up one of our favorite ice creams of all time, our Chief Culinary Consultant suggested that we use chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla. Um, whaaaaaaaat? We're not going to lie. We totally gave him the suspicious side-eye for a good, long while… and then finally decided that maybe trying something different wouldn’t kill us. Alright, that is a lie. We thought it just might. You know us and change (see: our life inside a bubble). For as much as we love chocolate under pretty much every conceivable circumstance, for some reason, we have always preferred vanilla ice cream to chocolate. Some sort of faulty foodie wiring, we presume.
As it turns out, the idea wasn’t crazy at all… it was rich. Big-time kudos to our Chief Culinary Consultant! Creamy chocolate ice cream loaded (and we mean, loaded) with chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough. If you are a chocoholic and/or of the notion that there can absolutely, positively never be too many chocolate chips in a chocolate chip cookie, then this ice cream was made for you! We may have resisted the idea initially, but there’s no way we're forking over our spoon!
One year ago: From-scratch Peanut Butter Cups
Two years ago: Fall-Themed Wedding Shower Cake
Three years ago: Brown Sugar-Bacon Buttermilk Waffles
Four years ago: Fettuccine Alfredo with Fresh Pasta
Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Yield: 1 quarts From-scratch double chocolate ice cream!For the Chocolate Ice Cream:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1½ cups (357 ml) heavy cream
- 1½ cups (366 ml) whole milk
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ¾ cup (93.75 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (90 g) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
- Prepare the Ice Cream Custard: Combine the chocolate and cream in a large, heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted, then remove the bowl from the saucepan. Set it aside with a mesh strainer over the top.
- Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
- Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula (it should reach 170-175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer into the chocolate mixture and stir in the vanilla extract. Place the bowl in an ice bath and stir occasionally until the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- Make the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: Combine the butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream, vanilla and salt, and mix for another minute or so, until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour, mixing just until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days.
- Churn the Ice Cream: Just before churning the ice cream, scoop the cookie dough into ½-teaspoon to 1 teaspoon-sized balls and place on a plate or parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer. Churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer's instructions. When finished churning, fold in the chunks of cookie dough and transfer to an airtight container. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
Notes
Note: If you prefer a vanilla ice cream base for your chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, just use the same method as outlined above, substituting our favorite vanilla ice cream for the chocolate. Nutritional values are based on the whole recipe
- Yield: 1 quarts
- Prep: 40 minutes
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Ice Cream:
- 8 ounces ( 226.8 g ) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1½ cups ( 357 ml ) heavy cream
- 1½ cups ( 366 ml ) whole milk
- ¾ cup ( 150 g ) granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup ( 113.5 g ) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup ( 110 g ) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup ( 50 g ) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) salt
- ¾ cup ( 93.75 g ) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup ( 90 g ) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Method
- Prepare the Ice Cream Custard: Combine the chocolate and cream in a large, heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted, then remove the bowl from the saucepan. Set it aside with a mesh strainer over the top.
- Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
- Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula (it should reach 170-175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer into the chocolate mixture and stir in the vanilla extract. Place the bowl in an ice bath and stir occasionally until the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- Make the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: Combine the butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream, vanilla and salt, and mix for another minute or so, until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour, mixing just until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days.
- Churn the Ice Cream: Just before churning the ice cream, scoop the cookie dough into ½-teaspoon to 1 teaspoon-sized balls and place on a plate or parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer. Churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer's instructions. When finished churning, fold in the chunks of cookie dough and transfer to an airtight container. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
