Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

So, I don’t want to jinx things but it seems like maybe, just maybe, spring weather is finally arriving around here (despite the fact that it snowed a bit earlier this week). It’s been in the sixties the past few days and forecasted for the 70s next week. Can’t complain about that! Hopefully, it just stays this way and the heat doesn’t come and slap us across the face right away.

But in case it does, I have this ice cream in my arsenal to help cool us off. And now you all do too!

Joel’s favorite ice cream is cookie dough and I have made it for him several times (please forgive me for the pictures, it was in my early days). But when I saw this, I knew it was all over. Why just make plain old vanilla ice cream and add cookie dough when you could make cookie dough flavored ice cream with cookie dough chunks mixed in. And so much cookie dough that it is literally bursting full and difficult to mix in. Now that’s what Joel’s dreams are made of…brown sugar, browned butter, chocolate chip-y goodness.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
recipe from Annie’s Eats

For the cookie dough:
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

For the ice cream:
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
4 large egg yolks
Pinch of coarse salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup mini chocolate chips

1. For the cookie dough: stir together the butter, salt and brown sugar in a small bowl. Once combined, mix in the flour, vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread the dough out onto a piece of saran wrap and tightly cover. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

2. For the ice cream, melt the butter over medium high heat. Stir constantly and continue cooking until the butter begins to brown and smell nutty. Whisk in the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. While waiting for the cream to simmer, whisk together the egg yolks and brown sugar until thickened and pale. Slowly stream in a bit of the warm cream into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Once combined, stir in the rest of the cream then pour it back into the pan. Stir in the salt then cook until thickened and the mixture reaches 170-175 degrees F. Remove the mixture from the heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a large, clean mixing bowl. Stir in the vanilla and milk. Cover, place in the refrigerator and chill for at least a few hours.

3. Once chilled, freeze your ice cream according to your manufacturers instructions. Meanwhile, cut the cookie dough into small, bite-size chunks. During the last five minutes of freezing, slowly add in the cookie dough and chocolate chips so that they can mix in thoroughly. If your ice cream maker doesn’t allow this, wait until the freezing is done then quickly mix in the dough and chocolate chips. Freeze until firm or enjoy immediately.

4 Ingredient Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt {No Machine Required}

I don’t know about you but I could eat ice cream every single day of the week, even on our coldest Minnesota days. I restrain from doing so but now that I have this recipe in my pocket it is much more tempting. It’s simple to throw together with ingredients that I almost always have on hand. It’s a cool, creamy, seasonal treat that’s healthy to boot. Plus, it’s really fun to give a big bowl full to your toddler and watch him go at it (while still knowing it’s good for him). Warning: you are about to be bombarded with silly, goofy pictures of my little man!

Now, I don’t want to fool you all….the real deal pumpkin ice cream is much better to my taste buds but this is much better for my waistline.

4 Ingredient Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt
recipe from The Family Kitchen

1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (I used Splenda)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl until completely combined. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker for a few minutes until it is a smooth, cool consistency. Alternatively, place the bowl in the freezer and stir mixture every half hour until it reaches desired consistency.

Strawberry Lemon Sorbet

If you are looking for a light, refreshing alternative to ice cream this month I have the recipe for you. When I say light, I don’t necessarily mean healthy, it does have 2 cups of sugar (or more)…it’s just not heavy and custardy like a traditional ice cream.

I love strawberry lemonade so when I was making ice cream for a gathering recently I thought it would be a nice combination. I looked around and found this recipe which uses a whole lemon. I had never heard of using a whole lemon in a recipe until I made Whole Lemon Blueberry Walnut Muffins and I was amazed by the lemon flavor it imparted in the muffins. For the sorbet though, I think the rind may have made the sorbet just a touch bitter so when I make this again I will add more sugar to balance it out. My strawberries may not have been sweet enough too. I’m not really sure which it was but it just needed a bit more sweetness for me. I think maybe 1/4-1/2 cup more sugar would have done it for me. If you like a really tart lemonade, then it’s probably just perfect the way it’s written.

It was a gorgeous color and really refreshing in the heat. Definitely a delicious treat to cool off with this summer!

Strawberry Lemon Sorbet
recipe from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

1 lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar (or more if your strawberries aren’t very sweet or you don’t like it super tart)
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons

1. Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Puree the strawberries in a food processor, and add to the lemon mixture, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more juice as desired. The lemon flavor should be intense but should not overpower the strawberries. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.

Recipe linked to Cast Party Wednesday and Full Plate Thursday.

Coffee Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans

I’m bringing you another ice cream recipe today and this time it’s one of Joel’s favorites, Coffee Ice Cream. I am not a coffee drinker…I just can’t stand the taste of it but this ice cream, well, I can get on board with it. It has a subtle coffee flavor that is smooth and not overpowering. I made it for friends and they really enjoyed it too.

I decided to mix in some chocolate covered espresso beans to kick up the coffee flavor and add some texture. I wasn’t a huge fan of the beans and would have preferred chocolate chips but the coffee drinkers really enjoyed them.

I think I will try some kind of flavored coffee beans next time to see what kind of flavor they impart on the ice cream. If you want to go to bed after enjoying this ice cream, you might want to use decaffeinated coffee beans.

Coffee Ice Cream
recipe from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book

3/4 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
3/4 cup whole coffee beans
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 oz. bag chocolate covered espresso beans, chopped (optional)

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the egg yolks until they are thickened and pale yellow. Beat in the flour and salt. Set aside.

2. Combine the milk and coffee beans in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm for 20 minutes.

3. Remove the coffee beans with a skimmer or slotted spoon. Slowly beat the warm milk into the eggs and sugar. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the hot coffee custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.

4. Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in 1 or 2 batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Five minutes before it’s completed, dump in the chopped espresso beans. When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.

Raspberry Swirl Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

When I came across this recipe I knew I would have to make it for my dad immediately. He loves the combination of raspberry and chocolate, especially in ice cream, so I knew it would be a hit with him. When we were visiting, I mentioned the recipe to him and he ensured that we had all the required ingredients so that I could make it happen.

I never really cared for raspberries but since starting my blog I gave them a second chance and have fallen in love with them. I’m just a bit addicted to Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Squares. But that’s for another time.

I love that this recipe uses coconut milk because in my opinion, coconut makes everything better. It only slightly imparts a coconut flavor but it’s enough to notice and it enhances the creaminess of the ice cream without adding as much calories as the traditional cream would. I am in no way stating this is healthy because it still does have heavy cream in the recipe, it just uses other milks make it a little better for you. But really, who wants healthy and ice cream in the same sentence? I certainly don’t. It’s an indulgence so it should be rich and creamy and totally delicious. If there are any of you that want healthy ice cream it has raspberries therefore it is good for you. Like my logic? Just go with it.

Raspberry Swirl Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
recipe from Pastry Affair
Yields 1 quart

1 1/2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks

1. In a medium saucepan, boil the raspberries, sugar, and water for 10-12 minutes, or until the raspberries release all their juices and the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and refrigerate the syrup until cold.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes.

3. Put the cream mixture in ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacture’s instructions.

4. Fold in the chocolate chunks. Very carefully drizzle the cooled raspberry syrup into the ice cream and fold just a few times. This will swirl the raspberry sauce into the ice cream. Do not overmix or you will not achieve the swirled effect!

5. Freeze the ice cream for at least 2-3 hours to solidfy before indulging.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Did you know that July is National Ice Cream month? July brings my birthday and Noah’s the day after so I didn’t think it could get any better but it totally just did. Although, pretty much every month is National Ice Cream month in my mind! So to honor this special month, I will be bringing lots of ice cream recipes to help you cool off this summer.

Mint chocolate chip is my absolute favorite flavor of ice cream. My favorite brand has always been Breyers but it always bothered me that it was white instead of green. It just seems wrong. Does anybody else feel the same way or am I just a little odd? Maybe you shouldn’t answer that….

Well anyway, this ice cream is super creamy and rich with loads of chocolate chips throughout the mix. And it’s lots of fun to make with sweet little helpers! My nieces were super excited to help make and eat this ice cream during our visit over Memorial Day weekend. They loved watching it churn, churn, churn.

I will be bringing Joel’s favorite ice cream flavor to you later this month which they also helped me make. They are just too darn cute! And they loved chowing down on the ice cream!

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
recipe from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book

3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. peppermint extract
6 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the eggs until thickened and pale yellow. Beat in the cornstarch and set aside.

2. Bring the half and half to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Slowly beat the hot half and half into the eggs and sugar. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the hot custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the cream, peppermint extract and food coloring. Cover and refirgerate until cold or overnight.

3. Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in 1 or 2 batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When ice cream is semi-frozen, dump in the chocolate chips and allow to mix into the ice cream. When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.

Brown Butter Ice Cream with Pralined Almonds

It’s time again to break out the ice cream machine! That little fact pretty much makes my entire week. I have a thing for ice cream in a really bad way. It doesn’t really matter how full I am, I can still manage to find room for ice cream. I inherited this love of ice cream from my dad so whenever I visit my parents I try to whip up a little something for us.

When I came across this recipe, I knew it was one I would have to try out on my dad. We both love butter pecan ice cream and this recipe looks very similar to it but with almonds instead…even better in my opinion. I’m sure I say this every time I make homemade ice cream but this was one of my best attempts yet! It is super rich and creamy and the pralined almonds throughout add such a delicious, sugary crunch.

Brown Butter Ice Cream with Pralined Almonds
recipe from Portuguese Girl Cooks

For the Custard:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Pralined Almonds:
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup whole almonds, unblanched and untested
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt, preferably fleur de sel

For the almonds:

1. In a large skillet, combine the water, sugar, and almonds. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat, stir constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid comes to a boil.

2. Decrease the heat to medium and continue stirring for a few minutes, until the liquid has crystallized and becomes sandy. The crystallized sugar will begin to liquify, stir the dark syrup at the bottom of the pan, and begin to coat the nuts with it. Continue to stir and glaze the nuts with the syrup, until the almonds are glazed and become glossy and shiny.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle with the salt. Pour the almonds onto an ungreased baking sheet and allow to cool completely. Once cool, break up any almond clusters that have formed. Chop up the almonds into small pieces and any sugar. Set aside.

For the ice cream base:

1. In a small frypan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Cook the butter until it is a dark amber. Stir occasionally and watch the butter closely to avoid burning, about 6 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl.

2. In a large saucepan, bring  heavy cream and milk to a simmer. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, both sugars, and salt until well blended and mixture is thick. Whisk in the brown butter. Slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon and temperature reaches 170 degrees F. This takes approximately 5 minutes. Strain the custard into a large bowl. Refrigerate until cold. Stir in the vanilla.

3. Process custard in ice-cream maker according to manufacturers directions. Transfer to an airtight container and stir in the pralined almonds. Freeze until firm.

Recipe linked to Mangia Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Cast Party Wednesday.

Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

 

Ice cream truly is the one food I cannot resist. It doesn’t matter how much food I’ve eaten, if ice cream is mentioned my ears perk up and my belly says yes. It almost always makes me sick to my stomach but I do it every time…and it’s always worth it.

Joel and I were craving ice cream but wanted to try something unique that we hadn’t eaten before. We just happened to have an abundance of blueberries so I searched around some blogs and came across this recipe. It was definitely unique! I had never heard of putting sour cream in ice cream so I just had to try it. The finished product doesn’t have a sour cream taste but it had quite a tanginess. The blueberries give the ice cream a sweetness and a beautiful purple color. I would have prefered a stronger blueberry flavor so next time I may experiment by adding more blueberries and maybe decreasing the amount of sour cream slightly.

It’s totally worth a try if you are looking for something creamy, tangy and unique!

Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream
recipe from Laura’s Recipe Collection
makes 1 quart

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thaw and drain before using)
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
grated zest and juice of 1/4 lemon
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream

1. In a medium sauce pan bring the blueberries, sugar, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice to a boil. When the mixture is boiling and the berries burst, about 3 minutes, remove from heat.

2. Pour the mixture into a blender and puree until relatively smooth (it will never be completely smooth). Pour the heavy cream and sour cream into the blender and mix until combined.

3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and chill completely in the refrigerator.

4. Pour into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacture instructions. Freeze in an air tight container.

Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I have never been a fan of plain vanilla ice cream. It lacks that something special that I need in ice cream. But if said vanilla ice cream is speckled with beautiful little vanilla beans then I’m totally down. After making these yummy Apple Hand Pies, I knew a fresh vanilla bean ice cream would be the perfect accompaniment. After a quick search I came up with some tasty looking recipes but for some reason, I felt I needed to continue my quest. Shortly after, I came across this cinnamon vanilla bean ice cream recipe. I don’t know what could be more perfect to go with apple pie!

I love cinnamon anything but I have never tried cinnamon ice cream. After trying this, I don’t know why I waited so long. The combination of vanilla and cinnamon is sweet and slightly spicy. It was truly the perfect compliment to the cinnamon-y apple pies.

Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
recipe from Smells Like Home

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream, divided
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
10 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, broken up
5 large egg yolks

1. Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream, and salt in a medium  saucepan.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the warm milk and  add the bean into the warm milk as well.  Add in the broken-up cinnamon sticks.  Cover,  remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Over  medium low heat, rewarm the milk mixture.  With a slotted spoon, remove  the cinnamon stick pieces and discard.  Pour the remaining 1 cup cream  into a large bowl and set a mesh  strainer on top.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the  egg  yolks.  Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks (you can also  use a large ladle here to reduce the mess of pouring), whisking  constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
4. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof  spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and  coats the spatula.  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it  into the cream.  Stir until cool over an ice bath.
5. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (overnight is best).  When ready to  churn, freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to  the manufacturer’s instructions.

This recipe is linked to:
Sweet as Sugar Cookies
A Well-Seasoned Life

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

When I asked my husband what kind of dessert he wanted for Father’s Day he immediately responded with cookie dough ice cream.  I think he must have been thinking about this for awhile.  I made it once last summer and he has been talking about it ever since.  I use the pure and simple vanilla ice cream recipe from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book and stir in chocolate chip cookie dough to create my husband’s favorite flavor.

I know many people are worried about raw eggs, me included, but the thought doesn’t even cross my husband’s mind.  I researched and found a recipe for cookie dough that was eggless for ice cream but he simply scoffed.  He had his heart set on good ‘ole Nestle Tollhouse cookie dough found in the refrigerated section.  I then scoffed but decided to oblige since it’s was Father’s Day and all.  But if you all are interested in the eggless version, check it out here.

I am known for my inability to resist ice cream so the egg really didn’t stop me from indulging.  The vanilla is so pure tasting and is totally tasty on its own but the addition of cookie dough puts it over the top!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
recipe adapted from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book

2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 2/3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 -1 cup chocolate chip cookie dough

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the eggs until thickened and pale yellow. Beat in flour and salt. Set aside.
2. Bring the milk to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Slowly beat the hot milk into the eggs and sugar.  Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a wire whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble.
3. Remove from the heat and pour the hot custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl.
4. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.
5. Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Meaniwhile, cut the cookie dough into small chunks then place them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes (otherwise it would turn into a cookie dough swirl rather than having chunks of cookie dough). During the last few minutes of churning, dump in the cookie dough. You can also stir it in once the ice cream is done churning. Enjoy right away or place in a freezer safe container.

This recipe is linked to Sweet as Sugar Cookies!