Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Sweet, warmly spiced cookie butter is the star of this homemade cookie butter ice cream recipe.

Cookie Butter Ice Cream is a simple Philadelphia-style ice cream recipe, which means that you don’t need to cook the ice cream base before adding it to your ice cream maker, and there are no eggs included either.

Milk and cream blend perfectly with sugar, cookie butter, and crushed Biscoff cookies to make this irresistible and unique ice cream.

Are you one of the many who are obsessed with the Speculoos Cookie Butter Ice Cream Trader Joe’s sells?

I’ve tried it, and it’s very, very good! So I figured out how to make it at home, for a fraction of the cost, and in a much larger volume than the little pints they sell at the store.

Plus, the homemade version of Trader Joe’s cookie butter ice cream tastes better! If you need a gluten free option, you can make cookie butter out of gluten-free sugar cookies.

Cookie Butter ice cream is rich and creamy, with swirls of spiced cookie butter and speculaas cookie crumbles, in a sweet vanilla cinnamon ice cream base. Serve a scoop on top of this chocolate crepe cake for a divine treat.

And who doesn’t love ice cream with cookies in it? A favorite at my house is this fun Cookie Monster ice cream recipe with a blue vanilla base and two kinds of cookies mixed in.

If you’d like something a bit more traditional, try making Cookie Dough ice cream, or Cookies and Cream ice cream from scratch with our easy recipes.

Why You’re Going to Love this Cookie Butter Ice Cream Recipe

It combines two favorites: Ice cream and cookie butter! If you aren’t familiar with cookie butter yet, it’s a spread made with crushed speculoos or speculaas cookies. The cookies are slightly sweet and warmly spiced, and when made into cookie butter they are just extra decadent.

The international standard for cookie butter is Lotus’ Biscoff, but you can also find similar products at Trader Joe’s or other stores.

A copycat ice cream recipe will save you money. Why buy a pint of cookie butter ice cream at the store when you can make a whole batch of it in your ice cream maker for about the same price?

This ice cream recipe is super easy. There’s no cooking involved in making Philadelphia-style ice cream recipes – just mix up all of the ingredients and let the ice cream machine to the work! I’ll share instructions for making no-churn cookie butter ice cream too.

Ingredients in Homemade Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Heavy Cream – Heavy cream is what makes our ice cream base rich and creamy!

Whole Milk – Making ice cream with both heavy cream and whole milk is what gives us the best creamy texture.

Granulated Sugar – For sweetness and amazing ice cream texture, plain, white, granulated sugar is a perfect choice.

Cookie Butter – We’ll stir half a cup of cookie batter right into the ice cream base so that every bite is packed with that unique cookie butter flavor.

Vanilla Extract – Vanilla elevates the simple flavors of milk, sugar, and cream.

Cinnamon – This spice mimics the flavors in the cookie butter and cookies.

Kosher Salt – Just a bit of salt balances the sweetness of the cookie butter and sugar.

Biscoff Cookies – Crushed speculaas cookies or Biscoff biscuits add a bit of crunch to our homemade ice cream. Break them into various-sized pieces for interest and texture.

How to Make Cookie Butter Ice Cream from Scratch

Start the day before by making sure that the bowl for your ice cream maker has at least 24 hours to freeze solid. When you shake the bowl, you shouldn’t hear anything sloshing around inside.

1. In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, granulated sugar, cookie butter, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and kosher salt. 
2. Whisk for 2-3 minutes, or until the sugar is fully dissolved into the mixture. If you rub the mixture between your fingers, you may feel grit from the cookie butter, but you shouldn’t feel any grains of sugar.
3. Chill the ice cream mixture for at least 1 hour, or until it is very cold.
4. Add the chilled ice cream base to your ice cream maker.
5. Churn, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until the ice cream is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
6. In the last two minutes of the churning process, add the finely crushed cookies.
7. Spoon the cookie butter ice cream into a shallow container or loaf pan. Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream, and freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid.
8. Before serving, let the ice cream sit out at room temperature for 5 minutes so that it softens enough to scoop.

These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.

How to Store Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Store this homemade Cookie Butter Ice Cream in the freezer in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper pressed on top for up to one month.

Without this covering, homemade ice cream will be quick to freezer burn, so be sure to replace the paper after scooping yourself a serving.

Tips for Making This Cookie Butter Ice Cream Recipe

Use quality ingredients – When making homemade ice cream, you’ll want to make sure you are using high-quality ingredients for the best outcome.

Use Chilled Ingredients – If possible, always start with chilled ingredients. This is important for homemade no-churn ice cream recipes and ice cream maker recipes.

Chill the Ice Cream Base – It’s also very important that you chill the ice cream base before churning. I don’t always chill my Philadelphia-style ice cream bases, but because the cookie butter makes the base thicker, chilling is ideal.

Don’t skimp on the fat – High-fat milk and cream are essential when making homemade ice cream. Opting for a low-fat option often leads to icy ice creams and inconsistency in the texture.

Don’t go crazy with the add-ins – If you’re adding in additional ingredients, pick one or two and make sure they are chopped into pieces no larger than a blueberry or pea.

Don’t skimp on the sugar – Sugar not only adds sweetness to homemade ice creams, but it also helps with the texture. Sugar is essential for the creamy texture of ice cream.

No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream Directions

First, chill a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer.

Mix the ice cream base ingredients, saving the crushed cookies for later. Be sure to fully dissolve the sugar into the milk.

Pour the ice cream mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for 3-4 hours. Stir the ice cream every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours to help add air. This will help create a creamy, smooth texture.

Stir in the crushed cookies toward the end of this two-hour period.

Cookie Butter Ice Cream Add-Ins

This ice cream is completely perfect as is! Cookie butter is very good at standing alone since it’s a rich, interesting flavor already.

That said, there are some flavors that pair really well with cookie butter, and would be an excellent addition to homemade cookie butter ice cream.

Try adding a sweet fruit component by swirling in strawberry jam, raspberry compote, or caramelized bananas.

Cookie butter cookies also make a great add-in option. You can also include chopped up Biscoff truffles, for an extra indulgent add-in.

Dark chocolate in the form of chips, chunks, or shavings, would also be delicious.

Who Makes Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Well, after reading this recipe, I hope that YOU do! My homemade version of cookie butter ice cream is much better than any others I’ve tried.

But if you’re looking to buy cookie butter ice cream, check for it at Trader Joe’s, or try versions from Friendly’s, Turkey Hill, or Blue Bunny.

Ben and Jerry’s is making a flavor called “Spectacular Speculoos Cookie Core” too!

More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

These Philadelphia-Style ice cream recipes are made without eggs and can be easier to make than our French-style custard ice cream recipes.

• Butter Brickle Ice Cream
• Eggnog Ice Cream
• Cannoli Ice Cream
• Frozen Yogurt
• Bananas Foster Ice Cream
• Pralines and Cream Ice Cream
• Custard Ice Cream

LET’S GET SOCIAL, you can follow us on Pinterest or leave a comment below if you have any questions.

Did you make this Homemade Cookie Butter Ice Cream Recipe? Leave a Comment Below letting us know what you thought and if you added any additional add-ins.