Gingerbread cookie dough ice cream combines spicy, edible cookie dough with creamy homemade ice cream. It's an unusual ice cream flavor that just might become your new favorite!
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Homemade ice cream is a summertime favorite, but that doesn't mean we can't also enjoy some traditionally winter flavors in there too.
This gingerbread cookie dough ice cream was born out of my love for edible cookie dough. It's soft, sugary, and bursting with cinnamon and ginger flavor.
While homemade ice cream can be a little time consuming, a lot of it is just waiting. If you're feeling intimidated - don't be! It's really pretty easy, and definitely worth the effort.
Ingredients
- Whole milk
- Cornstarch
- Heavy cream
- Light brown sugar
- Dark brown sugar
- Cream cheese
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter
- Molasses
- Flour
- Ground ginger
- Cinnamon
- Ground cloves
How to make gingerbread cookie dough ice cream
- In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup whole milk with cornstarch to create a slurry. Set aside.
- In a heavy 4 quart saucepan, combine remaining milk, cream, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, and allow to boil for 4 minutes. Watch carefully and adjust heat as necessary to avoid boil over.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the slurry. Return to the heat and bring to a boil once again. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.
- Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and slowly whisk in the hot milk mixture. Continue to whisk until completely incorporated and smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a one gallon resealable plastic bag and seal. Submerge the bag in a bowl of ice water, kneading the bag every ten minutes or so and adding more ice as necessary, until chilled, about 30 minutes.
- While the base is chilling, combine butter and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl.
- Add the molasses and thoroughly combine.
- Add flour, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves and stir until almost incorporated.
- Add the heavy cream and thoroughly combine.
- Pour the milk mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Pour half the churned ice cream into a one quart storage container with a tight fitting lid, then crumble the cookie dough over the top. Pour in remaining ice cream and smooth the top. Seal the top of the container and place in the coldest part of the freezer until firm, at least 4 hours. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping and serving.
Top tips
How to heat treat flour
Raw flour can contain bacteria that might make you sick. To make the dough safe to eat, toast the flour before using. You can do this by baking it at 350ºF on a parchment lined baking sheet for 5 minutes.
Chilling the ice cream base
In the recipe, I recommend chilling the ice cream base by placing it in a zip top bag and submerging it in ice water. This is the fastest way to get an even chill on the mixture.
However, if you would rather not do it this way you can transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover it, and refrigerate until chilled, probably 2 hours.
The best ice cream maker for homemade ice cream
I used to use this KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment (affiliate link), but the bowl started leaking the freezing fluid. It worked great until then, but now I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker that I like much better.
Tips for customizing gingerbread cookie dough ice cream
- Use vegan butter and coconut cream in the cookie dough and add it to my vegan cookie dough ice cream to make this vegan
- Adjust the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to taste
- Sprinkle servings with orange zest
- Garnish with gingerbread cookies
FAQ
This recipe doesn't use raw eggs and we're heat treating the flour to kill any bacteria, which makes this cookie dough 100% safe to eat.
This recipe calls for both light brown sugar and dark brown sugar. If you only have one kind you are welcome to use that for both the ice cream base and the cookie dough. It will just result in a slightly different flavor.
More ice cream recipes
- Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream
- Peach Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Bites
- Butter Pecan Ice Cream
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
- Cherry Crisp Ice Cream
- Salted Caramel Ice Cream
- Goat Cheese and Honey Ice Cream
- Grape Nut Ice Cream
- Pistachio Ice Cream
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Gingerbread Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base
- 2 cups whole milk
- 5 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup whole milk with cornstarch to create a slurry. Set aside.
- In a heavy 4 quart saucepan, combine remaining milk, cream, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, and allow to boil for 4 minutes. Watch carefully and adjust heat as necessary to avoid boil over.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the slurry.
- Return to the heat and bring to a boil once again. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.
- Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and slowly whisk in the hot milk mixture. Continue to whisk until completely incorporated and smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a one gallon resealable plastic bag and seal. Submerge the bag in a bowl of ice water, kneading the bag every ten minutes or so and adding more ice as necessary, until chilled, about 30 minutes.
- While the base is chilling, combine butter and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl.
- Add the molasses and thoroughly combine.
- Add flour, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves and stir until almost incorporated.
- Add the heavy cream and thoroughly combine. Set aside.
- Pour the ice cream base mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Pour half the churned ice cream into a one quart storage container with a tight fitting lid, then crumble the cookie dough over the top. Pour in remaining ice cream and smooth the top. Seal the top of the container and place in the coldest part of the freezer until firm, at least 4 hours. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping and serving.
Alyssa says
This ice cream looks so good, I can't wait to try it!
Lindsay Moe says
Thanks Alyssa!
Beth @ The First Year says
My mouth is watering! The flavors sound so delicious together, I could definitely find a spot for this at my thanksgiving table!
Lindsay Moe says
I definitely recommend it!
Lynn @ Order in the Kitchen says
I'm obsessed with this ice cream!! Makes me want to eat a huge scoop OUTSIDE and it's freezing lol!
Lindsay Moe says
That's exactly what I did!
Christie - Food Done Light says
Gingerbread in ice cream? What could be better? I would adore this.
Karishma says
Ah, this looks so good! Definitely pinning.
Lindsay Moe says
Thanks Karishma!
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says
We usually go the spinach-dip-in-a-bread-bowl or block-of-cream-cheese-and-jam-with-crackers approach to our pre-Thanksgiving eats, but I think I need to lay those sad, sorry appetizers to rest and we can all eat this amazeballs ice cream this year. Because what better day to eat ice cream before dinner than on the day of feasting, amiright?? 😉
Lindsay Moe says
If there's cookie dough in the ice cream I'm pretty sure it counts as a meal. The perfect pre-feast snack!
Jessica says
Hi! I am planning on making this for this years Thanksgiving! Can the base be made the day before and chilled like a regular ice cream base or is the resealable plastic bag, submersion in bowl of ice water and occasional kneading necessary to the technique? TIA!
Lindsay Moe says
You will love it! What a great way to celebrate. You can definitely make and chill a day before. The plastic bag method is a way to speed up the chilling so you can get to ice cream faster.