earlier in the week, odin and i were enjoying a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and i wondered how it could be possible, after years of posting ice cream recipes, that i’ve never made a batch!

so here’s my first attempt – it uses my tried and true vanilla custard base that i posted with the peaches and cream ice cream recipe which is similar to the new york times’ “master ice cream recipe”. theirs is just slightly less eggy than “mine” ( which is actually straight out of my kitchen aid ice cream maker recipe book ) and will be a little less luscious since it uses whole milk instead of half and half. the recipe for the eggless chocolate chip cookie dough comes from the brown eyed baker’s recipe which was from the ”the cookie dough lover’s cookbook”.

if you love chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, then you’ll love this. and if you don’t love chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, i don’t think we can’t be friends ( just kidding. sort of. 🙂 ).

it get’s two very enthusiastic thumbs-up from odin which is all the approval i need.

ingredients

ice cream
2 1/2 cups organic valley half-and-half
8 organic valley egg yolks ( or eggs from backyard chickens if you’re lucky to be able to get them )
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups organic valley heavy whipping cream
4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8th teaspoon salt

cookie dough
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

directions

prepare ice cream base

in a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat half-and-half until very hot, but not boiling, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.

in a mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended and slightly thickened.

very gradually add half-and-half to egg yolks and sugar and mix until blended.

return half-and-half mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat until small bubbles form around edge and mixture is steamy, stirring constantly. do not boil.

transfer half-and-half mixture into large bowl. stir in whipping cream, vanilla and salt.

cover and chill thoroughly, at least 8 hours.

prepare cookie dough

combine the butter and both sugars mix 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.

prior to churning the ice cream, create ½-teaspoon to 1 teaspoon-sized balls of cookie dough and put in freezer on parchment-lined baking sheet while starting to churn the ice cream.

churn ice cream

assemble ice cream maker according to directions.

start up ice cream maker and add mixture slowly.

churn for about 20 minutes until thick, soft-serve consistency is reached. add the cookie dough chunks after about 15 minutes of churning.

put in a freezer safe container and store in the freezer.

enjoy!