This chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is the best! It's made with creamy, vanilla cookie-flavored ice cream, lots of tasty cookie dough pieces, and mini chocolate chips. Make it in your ice cream maker or use our no-churn method – it's an incredible treat both ways.

If you love homemade ice cream as much as we do, also try our strawberry ice cream and fresh mint ice cream recipes!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream with an ice cream scoop and three cookies.

This recipe was originally published way back in 2012. We've updated the recipe slightly so that it is even easier to make. But the ice cream is just as delicious as always.

Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream

This is the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream that we've been making for years. The ice cream is incredibly rich and creamy with a distinct cookie flavor thanks to a generous amount of vanilla. It really is the best ice cream.

And what makes this ice cream the best? Answer: egg yolks. (Read on to find out why you NEED them when making real homemade ice cream.)

While it's possible to make ice cream without egg yolks, why would you want to? The fat and protein in the yolks make the ice cream creamier, give it more body, make it last longer in the freezer without becoming icy, and adds flavor. If you're craving REAL ice cream then egg yolks are a must.

How to make cookie dough ice cream

Luckily, making cookie dough ice cream is easy. If you can whisk a few ingredients in a pot and stir together dough in a bowl, you can make this.

  1. Start by adding milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, salt, and egg yolks to a pot. Now heat it slowly over medium heat (whisking a few times) until the cream begins to steam and a few simmering bubbles appear. Take the pot off the heat and let it cool completely.
  2. While the ice cream base is cooling, make the cookie dough. This is as simple as using an electric mixer to combine the ingredients then stirring in some chocolate chips. If you want to bake a few cookies to serve with the ice cream, add the optional baking soda.
  3. Now make little balls of cookie dough. Don't get fussy about this – just take bite-sized pieces of the dough and put them onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and put them into your freezer.
  4. When the ice cream is cool, pour it into your ice cream maker. When it has nearly finished churning, add the cookie dough and chocolate chips. (You can also make this without an ice cream maker – instructions are in the recipe.)

Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below.

Cookie Dough Ice Cream in an ice cream maker.

Ingredients in chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream

Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is made in two parts – the ice cream and the cookie dough.

The ice cream

  • Whole milk – Don't use lower-fat milk or your ice cream will be icy.
  • Heavy cream – Again, don't try to skip the fat; you need it for creamy ice cream.
  • Granulated sugar – You can also use brown sugar for a more malty flavor. Note that it will darken the color of the ice cream.
  • Vanilla – Use real vanilla extract or vanilla paste for the best flavor.
  • Sea salt – Gives flavor to the ice cream. Don't substitute with table salt as the flavor will overwhelm the ice cream.
  • Egg yolks – These are a must if you want deliciously creamy ice cream.

The cookie dough

  • All-purpose flour – We've used almond flour with success for gluten-free chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. You can heat treat it (instructions in the recipe) if you are concerned with eating raw flour.
  • Butter – Always salted.
  • Brown sugar – Gives the best flavor and texture to the frozen raw cookie dough.
  • Sour cream – This replaces the eggs (just like in our best chocolate chip cookies recipe). You can also use plain yogurt.
  • Chocolate chips – Mini chocolate chips work the best in this recipe.
  • Baking soda – Adding this lets you bake a few cookies to serve with the ice cream.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream in a glass container with an ice cream scoop and cookies.
Is cookie dough ice cream safe to eat?

Yes! We make the raw cookie dough without eggs so that it is safe to eat. (The egg yolks in the ice cream and cooked.)

Do I need to heat treat the flour?

Flour is raw food. And just like other raw foods (like vegetables), there is a chance that it was contaminated by harmful bacteria while it was growing. If you need to be cautious and avoid eating raw foods, heat-treating the flour is the way to go. Simply put the flour into a small baking dish in your oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature every 2 minutes. It is safe to eat once it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to cool it completely before using it in this recipe.

Can I bake some of the cookie dough?

Yes! If you want to bake some of the dough, add the optional baking soda. Bake small cookies for 6-7 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do I need to add egg yolks to ice cream?

Making ice cream without egg yolks is more like making frozen milk than ice cream. Egg yolks contain fat and protein which makes the ice cream creamier, gives it more body, makes it last longer in the freezer without becoming icy, and adds flavor.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream in a white bowl with a spoon and 2 cookies.
Chocolate Chips Cookie Dough Ice Cream with an ice cream scoop and three cookies.

Cookie Dough Ice Cream Recipe

Yield: 8 ½ cup servings
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Chill and Churn: 2 hrs 20 mins
This chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is the best! It's made with creamy, vanilla cookie-flavored ice cream, lots of tasty cookie dough pieces, and mini chocolate chips. Make it in your ice cream maker or use our no-churn method – it's an incredible treat both ways.
5 stars (5 ratings)
Print Recipe Rate Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Ice Cream

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • ½ cup mini chocolate chips

Cookie Dough

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, see notes
  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda, optional, see notes
  • ½ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions 

  • Add all the ice cream ingredients to a medium-sized pot and whisk well. Place the pot on medium heat (medium-low if your stove runs hot) and slowly warm the cream, whisking a few times. When a few simmering bubbles appear, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool completely in your fridge.
    2 cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 4 large egg yolks
  • Add the flour, butter, sugar, sour cream, vanilla, salt, and if using, the baking soda to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until a soft dough forms. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into small, bite-sized pieces and put them on the baking sheet. Put the baking sheet into your freezer until you're ready to use them in the ice cream.

Ice Cream Maker

  • When the ice cream is cold in your fridge, pour it into your ice cream maker and let it churn until it is soft-set – usually about 20 minutes.
  • Add the frozen cookie dough pieces and the mini chocolate chips and let your ice cream maker mix them into the ice cream.
    ½ cup mini chocolate chips
  • Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-proof container and let it freeze for at least an hour before digging in.

No Churn Method

  • Pour the cold ice cream into a shallow baking dish and put it into your freezer. After half an hour, mix the ice cream around. Continue to freeze it then mix it every half an hour until it is frozen. (Use a fork to scrape the ice cream once it really starts to freeze.)
  • Once the ice cream is frozen, stir in the frozen cookie dough pieces and the mini chocolate chips.
    ½ cup mini chocolate chips

Notes

All-purpose flour: If you're uncomfortable eating raw flour, you can reheat it. Simply put the flour into a small baking dish in your oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature every 2 minutes. It is safe to eat once it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to cool it completely before using it in this recipe. 
For gluten-free cookie dough ice cream, use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour. 
Baking soda: If you want to bake some of the dough, add the optional baking soda. Bake small cookies for 6-7 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
 
Serving: 1g, Calories: 483kcal, Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 146mg, Sodium: 400mg, Potassium: 175mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 50g, Vitamin A: 753IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 160mg, Iron: 1mg
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream with an ice cream scoop and three cookies and the recipe title on top of the picture.