Cookie dough ice cream – Swedish Christmas style

Like many kids, I was much more fond of the tasty cookie dough than the actual baked cookies. But cookie dough is also a great addition to ice cream – and given the season, we’ll use some classic Swedish gingerbread cookie dough!

– “Why so few cookies?” Because Santa put most of the dough into his ice cream!

Making the ice cream … and the dough

The legendary ice cream makers Ben & Jerry are often credited as the inventors of what probably is the most famous commercial line of cookie dough ice cream – as the story goes, they created their first batch in 1984, following a suggestion by an anonymous fan.

Luckily, making cookie dough ice cream is very simple: make a base and add pieces of cookie dough.

While you can choose any favourite ice cream base you like, I went with a very easy-to-make Philadelphia (or American) style one: no cooking required – if you can mix fresh milk, cream and sugar, you’re basically there!

The ice cream base should only take about a couple of minutes to prepare!

Touched by the approaching Xmas spirit, I decided to go for gingerbread cookie dough.  For those who don’t already have their own favourite recipe, I’ll share the one I used below (or go out and buy some ready-made dough if you can’t be bothered to make the dough yourself).

Worried about eating cookie dough with “raw” flour? In many countries, this is no particular problem but better safe than sorry: in order to get rid of any possible EHEC bacteria, simply put the flour in a bowl and micro-wave it for about 1 1/2 minute (if you have no micro, spread the wheat on a baking tray and put it in the oven for 5 or so minutes at about 175° C/350° F): Stir, and the wheat should now be perfectly safe for use in your “raw” dough:-)

The cookie dough should preferably chill in your refrigerator a few hours or over night before being added to your ice cream, so let’s begin here: The Swedish recipe I used is traditional and straightforward with just one modification – I doubled the amount of spices since cold generally dampens flavours.

Mmm … home-made gingerbread cookie dough!

The dough requires a few ingredients, notably wheat flour, butter, light syrup, some cream, a touch of bicarbonate and some ground cinnamon, ginger and clove. Optionally, you can also add an egg – just be aware of the potential health hazards (freezing the dough – unlike baking it in the oven – unfortunately does not kill salmonella bacteria).

Start by mixing all the dry ingredients and then add the liquid ones. Work the dough well until reasonably firm and even. Put aside to chill in your refrigerator for a few hours or over night: the dough will also be easier to work (and turn into pieces)

The recipe (see below) will net you about 550-600 gram: enough for about 2 batches of ice cream … or for 1 batch of ice cream and some extra gingerbread cookies baked on the side 😉

Putting the dough into the ice cream

With the dough ready, mix together the ice cream base.

Start churning: towards the end, when the ice cream has begun to firm up, start to add pieces of the cookie dough. Little by little, add all the cookie dough and let the churning finish.

Perfectionists may strive to add pieces of cookie dough of a uniform size. But should you find it difficult, don’t fret too much about it: the ice cream is quite forgiving unless you make your pieces too big or much too small 😉

Just churned cookie dough ice cream. While the cookie dough also could be added just after the churning, I think it probably is easier to mix in the pieces during the final phase of the churning.

Just churned cookie dough ice cream – nice, but added freezing will make it even better!

Put the ice cream in a freezer-safe container and let firm up for at least a couple of hours in your freezer.

Cookie dough ice cream – better than cookies!

Pleasantly frozen – note the irregularly shaped pieces of dough which I think gives the ice cream a pleasantly playful look 🙂

Cookie dough ice cream is not only easy to make – it is a real crowd pleaser, since most people appear to keep a special place in their hearts for tasty cookie dough. The ice cream base may be simple but is well suited for framing the tasty dough. And the gingerbread dough provides all the pleasant and Christmas-spicy flair one can ask for. 

If you love ice cream, if you love cookie dough or if you feel a bit bored by ordinary gingerbread cookies, this is the answer!