The Secret To Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream With The Perfect Texture

Most of us can't turn down a bowl of homemade ice cream, especially when it includes extra toppings or mix-ins. Besides the rare, unexpected ingredients you can turn into ice cream, like garlic and lobster, you can also make homemade ice cream with an all-time favorite: chocolate chip cookies. Sure enough, there's a simple and effective way to mix your favorite chewy coconut chocolate chip cookies into a delicious container of homemade ice cream.

Chowhound spoke exclusively with Executive Pastry Chef of Hive Hospitality, Yoonjung Oh, for some tips on how to perfect this combination. According to Oh, the key to a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookie ice cream is to "add the cookies during the final minutes of churning, once the ice cream has thickened but isn't fully frozen. That way, they distribute evenly without disintegrating." Once your ice cream is almost finished churning, and the cookie pieces added, continue to mix for only an additional minute or two. Doing so prevents your cookie crumbs from becoming overly saturated and soggy from the combined cream, milk, and sugar.

To better preserve the consistency of your ice cream, you may want to take a few additional steps in the preparation process. If you plan to make ice cream with homemade cookies, Yoonjung Oh advises to "slightly underbake the cookies so they stay soft when frozen." She then goes on to add, "You can also chop and freeze them before mixing in, which helps preserve their texture."

Preparing ice cream with slightly under-baked, frozen cookies ensures your finished product strikes the perfect balance between smooth, icy cream and soft and chewy cookies. Though keep in mind, if you want larger cookie chunks in your recipe, stir them in by hand at the end of the mixing process. This helps retain their overall shape. 

When it comes to combining cookies, ice cream, and other mix-ins, Yoonjung advises, "If you want a swirl effect, crumble them and mix them with a bit of fudge or caramel before folding into the ice cream." For a super low-effort option, you can also make traditional vanilla ice cream and cover your next simplistic bowl in chocolate sauce and crushed cookie crumbs. Try adding some homemade or store-bought chocolate sauce, or better yet, make the easiest caramel of your life with canned, sweetened condensed milk. Your taste buds will love you for this delicious combination of cookies and cream.