This cookie dough ice cream cake turned out to be the birthday cake of my DREAMS and I’m so excited to share this recipe with you!! It’s creamy chocolate and vanilla ice creams swirled together with chunks of cookie dough in every bite, set on a delicious Oreo cookie crust and topped with chocolate ganache. Every element here is homemade and easy to whip up. The two ice cream flavors are no-churn (meaning you won’t need an ice cream maker), and they set into the perfect sliceable texture. The Oreo crust and chocolate ganache each involve two ingredients. And the cookie dough chunks are made with a pretty standard cookie dough recipe, only you’ll heat treat the flour so it’s safe to eat. All together, this was THE BEST birthday cake yet and I can’t stop thinking about when I can make it again!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake Components
There are four components that make up this chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cake. I’ll talk about each one in detail in the next sections!
- No-Churn Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream. The two ice cream flavors here are made from one batch of easy no-churn ice cream. If you’d rather keep it even simpler, you could keep the whole batch vanilla-flavored or use store-bought chocolate and vanilla ice creams in place of homemade.
- Cookie Dough Chunks. I used my edible chocolate chip cookie dough recipe to create the chunks of cookie dough, and one batch was the perfect amount for adding to the ice cream and decorating on top.
- Oreo Cookie Crust. The base of the ice cream cake is a simple Oreo cookie crust that you’ll press into the bottom of a springform pan. I initially thought of maybe doing a cookie dough crust but I love the addition of the Oreo flavor here! It’s also much easier to slice than a slab of frozen cookie dough.
- Chocolate Ganache. I topped the cake with chocolate ganache because I thought it would be visually stunning (it is!) but it actually added the perfect rich chocolatey note to this cake. It’s optional as a topping, but if you love chocolate I highly recommend it!
The Perfect Oreo Cookie Crust
This recipe starts with making an easy, two-ingredient Oreo cookie crust. A food processor works best for crushing the Oreo cookies into fine crumbs, but if you don’t have one on hand you could add the cookies into a large Ziploc bag and crush them into crumbs. The finer the better. The Oreo crumbs are combined with melted butter, then the mixture is pressed into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. You’ll want to firmly pack it down with a jar or by pressing it in tightly with your hands. This will guarantee that it stays perfectly together after you top it with ice cream filling, freeze it, and then slice the ice cream cake.
No-Churn Chocolate & Vanilla Ice Cream
If you’ve never made no-churn ice cream before, this recipe might make you a little bit obsessed. I love this method so much that I can’t stop making all sorts of flavors! There are just four ingredients involved: heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla extract. It comes together so easily and magically sets into the perfect creamy yet slice-able (and scoop-able) consistency.
To create the two different flavors from one batch of no-churn ice cream, you’ll divide the sweetened condensed milk into two separate bowls. You’ll whisk vanilla extract into the first bowl to create the vanilla flavor and melted (cooled) chocolate chips into the second bowl to create the chocolate flavor. Then, you’ll whip the heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks and fold it together with the two different sweetened condensed milk flavors. It will look thick and creamy at this point (kind of like melted ice cream) but after refrigerating overnight it sets into the ideal texture! I folded cookie dough chunks and mini chocolate chips into both flavors before piling them on top of the Oreo cookie crust.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Chunks
There are chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough in every bite of this ice cream cake and I wouldn’t have it any other way! I used my favorite edible cookie dough recipe and it made the perfect amount for folding into the ice cream and decorating the top. The most tedious part was rolling it into little balls – I used a teaspoon to measure out and form the balls, but I did end up halving some of them to make them even smaller. I will say, they are very hard to resist during this process!
To make this cookie dough safe to eat, there aren’t any eggs in it + the flour is heat-treated to kill any potential bacteria. This means baking the flour at a high heat to burn off any germs while keeping the integrity of the flour intact. I heat-treat mine by spreading it onto a parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer, then baking at 350ºF (177ºC) for 5 minutes, or until the flour reaches 160ºF (71ºC) when probed with a thermometer. Other than the heat-treating, this is a really straightforward cookie dough recipe and ends up absolutely delicious!
How to Assemble a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake
Step 1: Make the Oreo Cookie Crust. Combine Oreo cookie crumbs and melted butter, then press the mixture tightly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Freeze while you make the cookie dough chunks and ice cream.
Step 2: Make the Cookie Dough Chunks. First, heat-treat the flour by baking at 350ºF (177ºC) for 5 minutes, or until the flour reaches 160ºF (71ºC). After it cools, you’ll cream together softened butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar, add some vanilla extract, whole milk, and salt, then mix in the heat-treated flour followed by the mini chocolate chips.
Once you have the cookie dough ready, use a teaspoon or ½ teaspoon (depending on how big you want the chunks) to measure out the dough and roll it into balls.
Step 3: Make the No-Churn Ice Creams. Begin by melting some chocolate chips and then cooling them for 10-15 minutes. Then, divide one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk between two medium bowls. Whisk the melted chocolate into one bowl and whisk vanilla extract into the other.
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks. Then, divide the whipped cream between the two bowls and fold each bowl together. Finally, fold in about ⅓ of the cookie dough chunks and about ¼ Cup of mini chocolate chips into each ice cream flavor.
Step 4: Assemble and Freeze. Add both of the ice cream flavors into the springform pan on top of the Oreo cookie crust. I added a few spoonfuls of each flavor at a time to create a marbled look when you cut into the final ice cream cake.
When all of the ice cream is added, smooth the top with an angled icing spatula, cover with aluminum foil, and freeze for at least 6 hours (overnight is best).
Step 5: Top with Chocolate Ganache (Optional) and Decorate. Whip up ½ batch of chocolate ganache (if using) and let it cool for about 10-15 minutes. Remove the collar from the springform pan and pour the ganache all over the top of the ice cream cake. Smooth it with an angled spatula until it drips over the edges, then decorate with the remaining cookie dough chunks.
At this point you’re ready to serve this delicious chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cake! Or, you can keep freezing it (for up to 2 months!) until you’re ready to serve it. If you’re making it ahead, I recommend letting the ganache freeze first, then covering with a few layers of plastic wrap to keep it fresh.
I can’t believe how gorgeous this ice cream cake turned out and I can confidently say it tastes EVEN BETTER than it looks! Every bite is chocolatey cookie dough heaven. The homemade ice cream is velvety and creamy yet slice-able, and the flavors taste complex and balanced even though they’re made with just a few ingredients. The cookie dough is perfectly chewy and well-distributed so you never feel like you’re lacking. And the Oreo crust and chocolate ganache add so much dimension! I’m obsessed.
More Ice Cream Cake Recipes You’ll Love
If you’re a fan of ice cream cakes, I have a growing collection of recipes on my blog you’ll want to add to your baking list:
- S’mores Ice Cream Cake
- Birthday Ice Cream Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
- Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake
I hope you love this chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cake as much as I do! It was such a hit for my birthday and I can’t stop thinking about it. If you make it, let me know in the comments below (don’t forget to rate the recipe!) and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Oreo Cookie Crust
- 22 (250g) Oreo cookies
- 5 Tbsp (72g) unsalted butter, melted
Cookie Dough Chunks
- 2 Cups (265g) all-purpose flour heat-treating instructions below
- 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 Cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 Cup (133g) packed brown sugar light or dark
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 Cup (60ml) whole milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Cup (180g) mini chocolate chips
No-Churn Chocolate & Vanilla Ice Cream
- 1 Cup (180g) mini chocolate chips, divided
- 2 Cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 14 Oz sweetened condensed milk, divided
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache Topping (Optional)
- 1/2 Cup (92g) semi-sweet chocolate chips mini or regular sized
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Make the Oreo Cookie Crust
- Using a food processor, grind the Oreo cookies into a fine crumb. Add the cookie crumbs into a medium bowl and pour the melted butter on top. Mix until uniform, then press the mixture into the bottom and part-way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Use a round glass or jar to pack the crust as tightly as possible (this helps keep it together when you cut the ice cream cake slices later). Freeze the Oreo cookie crust in the pan for while you prepare the cookie dough chunks and ice cream filling.
Make the Cookie Dough Chunks
- Heat treat the flour: Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Add the flour on top of the parchment in an even layer, then bake for 5 minutes. Using a digital food thermometer, check to see that the temperature of the flour has reached 160ºF (71ºC). If it hasn't, stir the flour around and continue baking in one minute intervals until it reaches this temperature.
- Transfer the heat treated flour into a medium bowl and set it aside to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), add the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Cream together on medium-high speed until uniform and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle and add the vanilla, milk, and salt. Continue mixing on medium speed until combined.
- Add the (cooled) heat treated flour, then mix on low speed until combined. Then, mix in the mini chocolate chips.
- Use a teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon to measure out the cookie dough and roll it into balls, placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet as you go. You can keep them at room temperature if you're immediately moving on to making the no-churn ice cream, or refrigerate in an airtight container until you're ready to add them to the ice cream.
Make the No-Churn Ice Cream
- Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring after each one until the chocolate chips are fully melted. Allow to cool completely to room temperature (or slightly above), about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, place a large metal bowl or the metal bowl of a stand mixer into the refrigerator to chill until the chocolate has cooled.
- Add the heavy whipping cream into the chilled bowl, then use the whisk attachment on your stand mixer (or a hand mixer) to whip it on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
- Divide the sweetened condensed milk between two medium bowls. To one bowl, whisk in 2 tsp pure vanilla extract. To the second bowl, whisk in the melted (cooled!) chocolate. Divide the whipped cream between the two bowls. Fold each sweetened condensed milk mixture together with the divided whipped cream to create chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice cream. Gently fold 1/4 cup of the mini chocolate chips and about ⅓ of the cookie dough balls into each flavor of ice cream.
Assembly
- Remove the Oreo cookie crust from the freezer and top it with large spoonfuls of each ice cream mixture, gently marbling them together as you go. Smooth the top with an angled spatula and cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil. Freeze the ice cream cake for at least 6 hours (overnight is best), then remove the springform collar and top with chocolate ganache (if using, recipe is below) and the rest of the cookie dough balls.
- Make the Chocolate Ganache (Optional): When the ice cream cake is set (but still in the freezer), make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate chips into a glass or metal bowl and set aside. Place the heavy whipping cream into a small saucepan set over medium heat, whisking frequently until it begins to simmer. Immediately pour the simmering cream into the bowl of chocolate and whisk together until uniform and smooth. Let the ganache cool for about 10 minutes, until just slightly above room temperature, before pouring over the ice cream cake and using an angled spatula to push it over the edges.
Notes
- Oreo Cookie Crust: After making and freezing the crust, it can be covered and stored in the refrigerator until you add the ice cream filling (1-2 days ahead is best for the freshest flavor).
- Cookie Dough: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks (balled or not), or form into balls and freeze for up to 1 month.
- No-Churn Ice Cream: Cannot be made ahead, so wait until you’re ready to assembly the ice cream cake before making it.
- Chocolate Ganache Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it as a drip, microwave it in 10 second increments, stirring after every interval until your ganache is room temperature and uniform in consistency.
- Assembled Ice Cream Cake or Leftovers: Store in the freezer, wrapped well in plastic wrap or in an airtight container, for up to 2 months.
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