September 3, 2015

Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream

Are you ready to bid farewell to summer?  Where did the time go!  I'm sure we're all a bit reluctant to see Labor Day popping up on our calendars but there's also much to look forward to.  I figure we'll just embrace the next season and all the new patterns and adventures that come with it.  
Before summer '15 unofficially closes out, I thought I'd sneak in another ice cream post.  I really put my little ice cream maker to work this summer!  And while I definitely eat, and make, ice cream all year round, it won't be "ice cream season" anymore soon and the "activity" of going out for ice cream will no longer be such a given.  So let's toast the summer with a few more scoops of ice cream - chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, to be exact!
I made this batch of ice cream for my husband (though the little guy probably ate more than his dad).  It dawned on me recently that as much as my husband likes cookie dough ice cream, I hadn't tried my hand at making it for him yet.  And since I really wanted to, it was time to get cranking!

So I started with the chocolate chip cookie dough, following David Lebovitz's recipe from The Perfect Scoop (though I was a little less generous on the portion).  Melted butter, brown sugar, a little bit of flour and lots of chocolate chips make for a dark dough studded with chocolate that you cut up into bite size pieces once it firms up. Are you a raw cookie dough eater?  As much as I love to bake and eat cookies, I've never been tempted by cookie dough or cake/brownie batter!  I guess that might explain why I hadn't made this ice cream flavor before.
As for the base, I used Ciao Bella's gelato recipe.  It's a creamy custard base that calls for 4 egg yolks, 2 cups of whole milk, and 1 cup of cream.  After cooking, I stirred in some vanilla extract in this case.  This base recipe is one I use often; it's not too rich or heavy, and it's a great foundation on which to feature other add-ins and flavors.  I had some particularly bright orange egg yolks in this batch of ice cream so the base turned out quite yellow!

Honestly, it's amazing (and a little scary) how quickly these batches of homemade ice cream have been vanishing from the freezer this summer!  This one was no exception and my hubby thoroughly appreciated it.  I think I'm going to have to stop this ice cream frenzy soon but even as I write this, I have to confess that I'm taking the remaining cup of cream in my pint to make a batch of cookies 'n cream tomorrow!


Have a wonderful - relaxing, refreshing - Labor Day weekend!


Recipe:
  
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Chocolate chip cookie dough from The Perfect Scoop
Custard base adapted from The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato and Sorbetto

- Makes about 1 quart - 

For chocolate chip cookie dough (this makes a generous 2 cups; adjust amount to your preference, which is easy to do with a kitchen scale; I started with 3 tablespoons of butter and adjusted the other ingredients accordingly):

5 tablespoons (70g) salted butter, melted (or use unsalted and add a pinch of salt)
1/3 cup (70g) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (35g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (120g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (if using larger, flat chips, you might want to coarsely chop them)
Optional: 1/2 cup (50g) toasted nuts, coarsely chopped

For ice cream/gelato base:
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make chocolate chip cookie dough:  In a medium-size mixing bowl, stir the butter and sugar together until smooth (give it some time and make sure it fully incorporates into a thick, smooth paste).  Stir in the flour, then vanilla and chocolate chips (also nuts, if using).  

Form the dough into a disk about 1/2 inch thick (if the dough is very soft at first, chill it in the refrigerator for a few minutes), wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerator until firm.  Once chilled and firm, unwrap disk and chop dough into bite-size pieces.  Store in the freezer until ready to use in the ice cream.  You can make this ahead, storing the tightly wrapped dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 2 months.

Make ice cream/gelato base:  In a large saucepan, heat milk and cream over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbles begin to form at the edges.

In a medium size heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks together.  Then, whisk the sugar into the yolks until the mixture thickens and looks pale yellow in color.  Temper the egg yolks by slowly adding some of hot cream and milk mixture into the yolks while whisking continuously.  Scrape the custard into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.  It should reach a temperature near 185 degrees.

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.  Stir in vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight or until the custard is very cold. 

Churn the custard in the ice cream maker as per manufacturer's instructions.  Fold in the pieces of chocolate chip cookie dough as you remove it from the machine.  Freeze ice cream a few hours, preferably overnight, before serving. 

* If cookie dough isn't your thing, how about Cookies 'n Cream ice cream?  For that, make the ice cream base above, omitting the vanilla extract.  Coarsely chop about a dozen Oreo cookies.  As you layer the churned ice cream into a storage container, scatter cookies in between in alternating layers, starting and ending with ice cream.
Update...Here's the cookies 'n cream ice cream!

26 comments:

  1. Summer is long gone over here :-(( This weekend the temp. will drop to 15C and at night it's just 2C..that's great looking ice cream. The addition of choco. cookie dough is just brilliant.

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    1. Oh, that is coming our way for sure...only a matter of time. Must be strange hearing many of us talking about summer and Labor Day! : )

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  2. This looks awesome! I'm burning up in my no AC dorm, and this looks like the perfect way to cool down :)

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    1. The AC is working hard this summer! That's for sure!

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  3. Okay, i OBVIOUSLY need to make this before summer is officially over! Not that that will stop me from eating it well into fall. This is my favorite flavor!

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    1. So many people's favorite flavor! : ) Let's not stop the ice cream celebration, ever!

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  4. First, cookie dough is one of my favorite ice cream flavors! And yet I've never made it! I need to try this out soon... then again, I'll eat ice cream all year long! :)

    I'm definitely a cookie dough eater ... my mom used to let us lick brownie batter when we were kids so it never scared me! haha

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    1. Isn't it funny how that is...you have plenty of time to enjoy plenty of ice cream, Ashley. ; )
      I never grew up baking/being tempted by cake batter so the idea has always been kind of foreign to me. I better not try in case there's no going back!

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  5. Yum!! David Lebovitz's ice creams are always killer. The summer isn't over yet, so please do make more ice cream while the weather is still hot! (: Cookies n' cream sounds delicious.

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    1. So, so true! Love DL! : )
      Cookies n' cream ready to be scooped this afternoon, my friend.

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  6. We love ice cream all year long but it's always such a nice treat when the weather is warm :) It's still really hot here so I am definitely craving another batch. My husband and son love cookie dough ice cream so I seriously need to try making this for them soon. It looks perfect for this long weekend! Hope you guys have a great one!

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    1. Kelly - it has been a dry, HOT summer. I'm not complaining but that might be one of my excuses for so much ice cream making this year! Hope you are enjoying this coming long weekend! Talk soon!

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  7. Hi Monica, I know I just can't believe that this summer is almost over.......and this is the perfect way to celebrate. Though I am one of those people that love ice cream in the rain.

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    1. Ice cream in the rain! That sounds so romantic! : ) Honestly, great idea...some ice cream and a book on a rainy afternoon...

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  8. The ice cream looks so delicious! I had never had this flavor until I came to the states and it was very interesting that the dough is in the ice cream! I love homemade ice cream. I missed making it this summer, but plan to make ice cream when the kitchen is done to make up for it. :)

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    1. I think of it as a quintessential American ice cream flavor, too. : ) Hope your kitchen is up and running soon. You will be doing a whirlwind of cooking and baking for sure! It'll be lovely.

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  9. Wow! This chocolate chip cookie dough ice-cream looks so dreamy creamy. No matter what is the weather I would have to have ice-cream throughout the year. Drooling! :)

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    1. Lots of ice cream going on here. Have a great weekend!

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  10. OMG, those cookie dough chunks! Swoon-worthy! CCCD ice cream might be my favourite ice cream flavour ever, so I am totally hopping on this bandwagon. Yum!

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    1. I'm happy to hop on any ice cream bandwagons, too! Thanks, Amanda.

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  11. Monica this is the perfect timing because we're going into Spring right now and before we know it, it will be Summer! :D

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    1. So much to look forward to for us all...the change in season gives us the motivation to eat differently and it's all good! ; )

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  12. What a way to go! Love this recipe and the cookie dough chunks and the photos are wonderful! Hope you had a great Labor Day. We just got home from a more than two weeks traveling. I can't wait to get back in the kitchen and pop open a can of pumpkin! Woohoo - have a great week Monica

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    1. LOL! I understand the feeling. Welcome back and enjoy pottering around and making delicious things back in your kitchen! I'll be on the look-out. ; )

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  13. We are on a crazy heat wave this week, it's just too much. We ate cold stuff all the time. I need this icecream in our mix. Looks amazing Monica. The kids would love the chunks in it, just like their mumma. Love making icecream, looks so good.

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    1. We're finally getting a break in this heat! Can't complain. Thanks for stopping by!

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