Cookie Butter Ice Cream
This cookie butter ice cream is a must for anyone who can’t keep a spoon out of a jar of Biscoff, speculoos spread or cookie butter!
Behold, the first homemade ice cream that I’ve churned in TWO YEARS. Say what?!
I’m truly not sure how I went so long without stocking my freezer with homemade ice cream, but I’m chalking it up to last summer being the time that I was sort of adjusting to our new normal with an infant and was just in survival mode. Needless to say, this ice cream was way, way overdue! Thanks to all of you who gave me some suggestions for flavors you’d like to see this summer – cookie butter ice cream was far and away the most requested, so I hope you enjoy!
So, what is cookie butter? Quite simply, it’s a paste made from speculoos cookies (European spiced shortbread cookies) – they are churned until they reach the consistency of peanut butter. Biscofff is a popular brand of cookie butter, and from what I hear, Trader Joe’s house cookie butter is pretty amazing, too.
I made this ice cream based on the same recipe I used for my peanut butter lover’s ice cream a few years ago – some cookie butter mixed into the custard base and then more melted cookie butter used for a swirl throughout the ice cream. In addition, I also threw in some roughly chopped speculoos cookies towards the end of churning for a little crunch and even more of that characteristic flavor.
This ice cream turned out to be a HUGE success. I am so pleased with the flavor – the sweetness of the ice cream is perfectly balanced with the slight spice of the speculoos cookies and spread.
Put it in a cone, in a bowl, or stand at the kitchen counter and eat it with a spoon. You’ll be so happy that you made this!
One year ago: Salted Peanut Butter-Butterscotch Chip Cookies
Five years ago: Cream Cheese Brownies
Seven years ago: The Signature Salad
Eight years ago: Black-and-White Banana Loaf
Cookie Butter Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the Ice Cream:
- 1 cup (244 ml) whole milk
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118.29 g) cookie butter
- 2 cups (476 ml) heavy cream, divided
- Pinch of salt
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup (4 g) coarsely chopped speculoos cookies, about 12 cookies
For the Cookie Butter Swirl:
- ½ cup (118.29 g) cookie butter, melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
- Warm the milk, sugar, cookie butter, 1 cup of the heavy cream and the salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the cookie butter has melted. Continue cooking until the mixture comes to a slight simmer, bubbling around the edges of the pan.
- Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and place a fine-mesh sieve on top. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly pour the warmed milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly with a rubber spatula, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula, a few minutes. The mixture should register 170 to 175 degrees F on an instant-read digital thermometer.
- Pour the custard through the fine-mesh sieve and stir it into the cream. Stir in the vanilla extract and place the bowl over an ice bath. Stir occasionally, until the mixture is cool. Cover and transfer the custard to the refrigerator until completely chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, adding the chopped speculoos cookies during the last minute of churning. As you remove the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, drop dollops of the melted cookie butter over each layer of ice cream. Once all of the ice cream and cookie butter has been placed in the container, use a butter knife to gently swirl the mixture. Store the ice cream in the freezer.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I niticed someone asked you about candy onion ice cream recipe from Pittsburgh newspapers.
I found their is a onion cultivar that is commonly known as a ‘candy onion’.
Correct name is Allium cepa.
Can i use 4-5 egg yolks only?Â
Hi Kaye, I think you could? It probably wouldn’t thicken quite as much if you cut the egg yolks.
How much does this recipe make??
I may have missed it above & if so, my apologies in advance!!
Making this tecioebthis week…one of my favorites!! 💕
Never mind, I found the answer to my question!!
Thanks bunches!! 😃
Thanks for the recipe! I made this last week and it was delicious!
Hi! What is cookie butter?
Hi Becca, I actually wrote a paragraph about it in the post above…
So, what is cookie butter? Quite simply, it’s a paste made from speculoos cookies (European spiced shortbread cookies) – they are churned until they reach the consistency of peanut butter. Biscofff is a popular brand of cookie butter, and from what I hear, Trader Joe’s house cookie butter is pretty amazing, too.
Hi Michelle!! Can Biscoff cookies and the Biscoff cookie spread be used in the recipe? Is it the same as what the recipe calls for? Thanks!!
Hi Shirley, Yes, absolutely!!
Hi Michelle! What a great recipe, it sounds like a fantastic reason to buy a jar of cookie butter and give it a try. Just wondering what you think of your KitchenAid attachment ice cream maker. I’ve been debating between that or a dedicated ice cream machine. The KitchenAid one is tempting to me but has mixed reviews on Amazon…are you happy with yours? :-). Thanks!
Hi Sarah, I am happy with mine! I’ve never used another type so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I think it churns out ice cream great!
This looks so good! I’m a huge fan of cookie butter. I’ve got to add an ice cream maker to my Christmas wishlist!
Where do you find the speculoos cookies, cookie butter and what a reader mentioned chocolate stracciatella in supermarkets? We have Stop N Shop and Big Y snd Shop Rite. And Biscoff? I had never heard of these things until recently.
The reader who wanted to use low fat ingredients might want to try fat free 1/2 & 1/2. I use it in Creme Brûlée, puddings, etc. I really find the taste is the same using as using regular 1/2 & 1/2 in cooked recipes. Haven’t tried it in ice cream but feel certain that it would work. The ice cream definitely will not be as rich but will be excellent nevertheless.
That candy onion ice cream sounds Interesting, but sounds like there is an onion candy????
Hi Maureen, My regular grocery store (it is a fairly large one, though!) carries speculoos cookies and cookie butter. I know for sure Trader Joe’s carries them, as well. The chocolate stracciatella would actually be something that you would make, not purchase.
You make stracciatella by melting 4oz of semisweet chocolate, and then drizzling it in as you put the ice cream in the container. It solidifies on contact, so you break it up!
Pam, I am single and have a Cuisinart 6 cup ice cream machine :) I highly recommend it to anyone who loves ice cream. BTW Michelle, this looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it out!
I never heard of cookie butter until about 6 months ago, in a Trader Joe’s ad. That store is 20+ miles away, so I don’t get there very often. But I was very curious! I don’t have an ice cream maker and as a single, I’m not likely to get one. But recently at the local supermarket, I saw pints of Ben & Jerry’s Speculoos Cookie Butter ice cream, and had to get one. Delicious! I only dare eat a couple of spoonfuls at a time, right out of the pint, but now I know what it tastes like. Your recipe looks & sounds every bit as good!
Really enjoy your site, Michelle! Keep up the good work! Now my problem… A long time ago I had a recipe for PA Candy Onion Ice cream. I found it in one of our Pittsburgh newspapers and now can’t find it. It might have been the old Pittsburgh Press. Thanks for any help.
Hi Lee, I’ve never heard of it, but if I can find the recipe I’ll let you know!
TWO YEARS?!?! We only jumped on this craze this year and have been churning new flavors every week! I can’t wait to try this, but instead of breaking of more speculoos cookies as a mix in, I’m going to use a chocolate stracciatella, per David Leibovitz. Everything needs some chocolate! Good to know you can just melt the cookie butter and swirl it in at the end. Super easy!
Reading this reminded me I promised I would let you know when our Joseph arrived– he joined our family on June 14th! You struck a cord with me saying you were adjusting to new normal and in survival mode, because at 7 weeks, we sure are still figuring out what the heck happened! Hahaha. Those first 5 weeks were brutal, but we are starting to get smiles and giggles so it makes it much easier now! I just have to say how impressed I am that you were able to not even skip a beat on the blog when Joseph was born. I’ve only been able to get 3 recipes up since he was born, and one of them was done before he got here! You’re a superwoman!
Congratulations Lynn! I’m so thrilled for you! And just be prepared… every time you think you have everything figured out and a good schedule, it will change… teething, sleep regression, dropped naps, etc. They like to keep us on our toes :) Oh, and I had made like 6-8 weeks worth of recipes for the blog before I had Joseph, so I definitely wasn’t doing all that cooking and baking right after he was born! This time around, since I’m due at the beginning of October, I’m trying to get everything done so I can just schedule through the end of the year and take a “maternity leave” through the holidays. Fingers crossed I can get it done!
*without the cream or whole milk
Hey really love your blog and biscoff ( I could eat a whole jar)!!! I was just wondering is there any way to make this wit hour the cream or whole milk as I’m allergic to high fat dairy products. Skimmed milk maybe and a substitute for the cream but I’m not sure what?
Thanks x
Hi Jen, What if you used something like soy or almond or coconut milk? I’m not sure if that would be a good substitute for your allergy, but it might work in the recipe.
I may be in the minority here but im not a fan of cookie butter.Nutella however is another story.Do u think this recipe can be modified for Nutella?
Hi Liz, I would think so! Let me know how it goes!