Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Studded with gluten-free cookie dough bites, this no-churn Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream is summer indulgence in a bowl! This creamy homemade chocolate ice cream is naturally sweetened with maple syrup and made without sweetened condensed milk.

I don’t make ice cream often, but when I do… I make ice cream!

Sure, plain vanilla ice cream is glorious and can be used in so many different ways (like topping Blackberry Peach Pie for instance). But when I’m going to the effort of making homemade ice cream, I want it to be worth my time.

And friend, this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream is so worth the time it takes to make – and to say its name.

I’m not normally a massive fan of chocolate ice cream. I’m always drawn to coffee, citrus, cookie dough, or pistachio flavours over chocolate. But sometimes, you just need a big ol’ bowl of chocolate peanut butter indulgence, amiright?

This no-churn ice cream is so creamy and chocolatey. We’re using the good stuff here – only the best 70% or higher dark chocolate goes into this recipe. Using real chocolate instead of cacao powder makes all the difference to the flavour.

Of course, you could leave the cookie dough out and have a delicious chocolate ice cream on your hands. But who would choose that option?! For a cookie dough lover like me, the gluten-free pb dough bites are essential.

If you’re a cookie dough fan or peanut butter/chocolate combo fan, you are going to need this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream in your life this summer! You won’t be disappointed.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• This peanut butter cookie dough ice cream is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, keeping it refined sugar free. It’s also gluten-free, thanks to the almond flour used to make the cookie dough bites.
• I won’t lie to you, this recipe takes a bit of time and love to prepare, but it’s not a complicated process. In fact, I would argue that it’s pretty easy to do! The hardest part is tempering the eggs with the hot milk mixture, but if you follow the recipe instructions, you’ll be fine.
• This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream is completely no-churn! Who has the room for an ice cream maker? I sure don’t.
• Unlike many other no-churn ice cream recipes out there, this recipe doesn’t use sweetened condensed milk!
• This recipe is small-batch, making only 1 1/2 pints of ice cream. Perfect for smaller households.

How to make no-churn ice cream without sweetened condensed milk

Sweetened condensed milk is used in no-churn ice cream recipes for three main reasons: to sweeten, to thicken, and to add a creamy element. But we can easily make ice cream that is super creamy, thick, and sweet without it.

The reason sweetened condensed milk is a popular sweetener choice is because it’s smooth, not granulated like regular refined sugar. However, by using a liquid sweetener like maple syrup, agave syrup, or honey, we can sweeten our custard base and skip the granules (and the condensed milk).

To make no-churn ice cream creamy, simply use heavy or double cream! For this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream recipe, I also chose to use whole milk in addition to the cream to create a super lush texture.

Finally, to thicken the ice cream, we’ll use egg yolks and heat. It’s the old school method and works perfectly well. Why fix it if it ain’t broke?

Ingredients in this cookie dough ice cream

• Double cream: This is key to creating a super creamy ice cream base.
• Whole milk: The higher cream content in full fat cow’s milk helps produce the best texture in this homemade ice cream recipe.
• Maple syrup: Our natural sweetener of choice for this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream. Feel free to substitute agave syrup.
• Vanilla extract: Essential for seasoning the custard.
• Egg yolks: Egg yolks are key to thickening our custard base.
• Dark chocolate: Creates the most chocolatey ice cream in all the land!
• Natural peanut butter: To make the cookie dough bites and to drizzle and swirl!
• Sea salt: Peanut butter’s best friend. Just a pinch makes all the difference in the cookie dough.
• Almond flour: To create the cookie dough and keep it gluten-free.

How to make chocolate peanut butter cookie dough ice cream

The prep work for this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream is a tad involved, but it’s really not that complicated. It’s mostly a lot of whisking and watching to make sure the custard doesn’t burn. After that, the freezer does most of the work! Here’s how to make it:

1. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl.
2. Add the wet ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a scalding point.
3. Temper the eggs with half the hot cream mixture.
4. Add the tempered eggs back to the pot with the chocolate and heat until thickened.
5. Decant into a freezer-proof container. Let come to room temperature.
6. Freeze.
7. Make the cookie dough bites.
8. Remove the ice cream. Add the cookie dough bites and stir well.
9. Freeze.

Tips for making this recipe perfectly

• Please use double (heavy) cream and full-fat milk. This is one recipe where you don’t want to make substitutions to the ingredients. Using a cream or milk with a lower fat content will result in a watered down ice cream and may not thicken right.
• Similarly, use a good quality dark chocolate. Preferably one with 70% or higher cocoa. This will ensure your Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream is rich and chocolatey.
• If you can’t get maple syrup, agave syrup or honey will also work.
• Stir the ice cream really well at the halfway point when you add in the cookie dough pieces. This will ensure a smooth and creamy ice cream.
• Make sure the container you’re using is airtight. The first time I made this ice cream, I froze it in a loaf pan with aluminum foil over the top, which resulted in an “icier” ice cream. Using an airtight container (I use one with suction and clips) will ensure your ice cream stays as creamy as possible.

Looking for more refined sugar free frozen desserts?

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Frozen Margarita Tart
No Bake Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars
No Bake Espresso Cheesecake
Watermelon Rosé Sorbet

If you make this recipe, let me know by snapping a picture and tagging me on Instagram @naturallysweet_kitchen. I love seeing your creations and sharing them in my Stories. Or let me know you love this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream by leaving a comment and rating below!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream

This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream is a creamy chocolate ice cream studded with gluten-free cookie dough bites and naturally sweetened with maple syrup.

Category Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate peanut butter cookie dough ice cream

Prep Time 35 minutes

Freeze 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 35 minutes

Serves 2 pints

Author Amanda | Naturally Sweet Kitchen

Ingredients

Ice Cream

• 3 large egg yolks
• 300 ml whole milk
• 300 ml double cream
• 125 ml pure maple syrup
• ½ tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 60 g good-quality dark chocolate roughly chopped

Cookie Dough

• 125 g smooth natural peanut butter
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 60 g almond flour
• 25 g dark chocolate chopped finely

Method

Ice Cream

1. Add the egg yolks to a large bowl and whisk lightly. Set aside.
2. Pour the milk, cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract into a saucepan and place over a medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a scalding point, whisking frequently.
3. Once the cream mixture reaches scalding, turn off the heat. Decant half of the cream mixture into a spouted measuring cup. Very slowly drizzle the hot liquid into the egg yolks, whisking continuously so they don’t curdle.
4. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the remaining cream mixture in the pan. Add the chopped chocolate. Whisk the custard over a medium-low heat until all the chocolate has melted and combined and the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. Pour the custard into a freezer safe, air-tight container and let cool to room temperature. Once it’s reached room temperature, cover and freeze for 3 hours while you make the cookie dough.

Cookie Dough

1. Line a baking tray with non-stick parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, beat together the peanut butter, maple syrup, and salt until emulsified.
3. Add the almond flour and stir until a rough ball of dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
4. Roll the dough into ½ teaspoon size balls and place them on the prepared baking tray. Freeze the dough balls while the ice cream undergoes its first freeze.

Assembly

1. Once the ice cream has frozen for 3 hours, take it out and remove the lid. Give it a good stir, being sure to scrape the sides into the middle and mash any large frozen bits.
2. Add the frozen cookie dough bites and stir them in well.
3. Cover and freeze for at least another 3 hours before serving.

Notes

This ice cream will keep for up to 3 months. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.