Malted Cookie Dough Ice Cream

A rich and creamy brown sugar vanilla ice cream loaded with malted cookie dough and malted chocolate fudge swirled throughout makes this cookie dough ice cream tough to beat.

Fun fact – my wife and I love ice cream. Another fun fact – we met in Portland and went many times to Salt and Straw, a local ice creamery that has gained notoriety for its unique take on flavor and has since expanded to other cities.

So to our surprise, Tasty recently partnered with Salt and Straw and shared a recipe of one of their flavors, salted, malted cookie dough ice cream. Now Salt and Straw rotates flavors quite a bit, so it happens to be one we never got to try when we lived in Portland but once Lauren saw the video, she immediately texted me saying we had to make this.

As I mentioned before, I love ice cream so I gladly said yes. One thing I didn’t mention is chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream happens to be my favorite so I was pretty excited once I saw it. What makes this unique is the malt powder that is in the cookie dough and chocolate fudge. It is very subtle, but just enough flavor you know it is there.

Now like any recipe I find on the internet, I adapted this into my own version, so if you want to make Salt and Straw’s version I’d go to Tasty. But if I must say so myself, this is the best cookie dough ice cream out there.

When I make homemade ice cream these days, it is at the top of the list as well as graham cracker ice cream, strawberry ice cream and vanilla bean ice cream.

So if you love ice cream and are looking for a new recipe to make at home, I wouldn’t waste any time and try this one immediately. And if you want it it cake form, look no further than this cookie dough ice cream cake.

Jump to:

• Recipe Ingredients
• How to Make Cookie Dough Ice Cream
• What Ice Cream Maker Do You Use?
• Why Use Xanthan Gum in Ice Cream?
• Is Raw Cookie Dough Safe?
• Why Use Malt Powder?
• Can You Make Ice Cream with Half-and-Half Instead of Heavy Cream?
• Homemade Ice Cream Tips
• Other Ice Cream Recipes
• Malted Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Recipe Ingredients

• All-purpose flour – the base for the cookie dough.
• Unsalted butter – flavor for the cookie dough and thins out the fudge.
• Light brown sugar and granulated sugar – adds sweetness to the ice cream and cookie dough.
• Salt – enhances the flavor.
• Heavy cream – creates the creamy texture you expect.
• Whole milk – using a good ratio of cream to milk is important.
• Light corn syrup – adds sweetness and prevents ice crystals.
• Vanilla extract – enhances the flavor.
• Malt powder – where the malt flavor comes from.
• Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips – mini chocolate chips is important for the cookie dough.
• Dark chocolate – can use your favorite chocolate for the fudge.
• Dark cocoa powder – natural cocoa powder works as well.
• Milk powder – absorbs excess water and givers a milkier, creamier flavor.
• Xanthan gum – helps prevent ice crystals from forming.

How to Make Cookie Dough Ice Cream

1. First prepare the malted cookie dough. Toast the flour on a baking sheet at 350°F for 10 minutes. This is done to kill any bacteria.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugars and salt with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the heavy cream, corn syrup and vanilla extract stir until smooth.
4. Sift in the flour and malt powder and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Spread the cookie dough evenly about 1/2″ thick on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour.
6. Once frozen, cut into 1/2″ cubes and freeze to be used when ready.
7. Now prepare the malted chocolate fudge. In a small pot, add water, malt powder, corn syrup and butter and bring to boil
8. Remove from heat and stir in chopped chocolate and dark cocoa powder. Place in fridge until ready to use.

9. Finally, make the brown sugar vanilla ice cream. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, milk powder, salt and xanthan gum.
10. Add milk and corn syrup to a pot and heat over medium heat.
11. Whisk in sugar mixture and cook until sugar is dissolve, about 2-3 minutes. Add cream and vanilla extract. Cover and place in fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
12. Pour ice cream mixture into ice cream maker.
13. Churn ice cream until you reach desired consistency. My ice cream maker usually takes about 20 minutes Be careful to not overchurn.
14. Fold in malted  cookie dough cubes.
15. Alternate spooning layers of ice cream with dallops of malted chocolate fudge in a loaf pan.
16. Cover and place in freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.

What Ice Cream Maker Do You Use?

It may be the cheapest one available, but the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker is super simple to use and makes the best ice cream at home.

Why Use Xanthan Gum in Ice Cream?

So this was actually something new I learned by watching the Tasty video. Xanthan gum helps stabilize the ice cream and prevents ice crystals from forming. The usual problem with homemade ice cream is it will only lasts a couple of days before ice crystals form. But the xanthan gum helps battle this.

Is Raw Cookie Dough Safe?

This cookie dough is safe because there are no eggs and you toast the flour which would kill any bacteria.

Why Use Malt Powder?

Malted milk shakes are still popular, even today so it’s just a unique flavor that you only typically find in a milkshake but not ice cream. However you don’t have to use malt powder if you don’t want to.

Can You Make Ice Cream with Half-and-Half Instead of Heavy Cream?

You can although I highly recommend trying to use whole milk and heavy cream as the high fat content creates the creamy texture when the ice cream is cooled. Nearly any type of milk will work, and you can substitute half-and-half for the cream. But just keep in mind, it won’t be as creamy and could get icy.

Homemade Ice Cream Tips

• Use the Best Ingredients – when making ice cream you want to use the best ingredients possible so use free-range eggs and organic milk and cream. Also use high quality products when it comes to added flavorings like vanilla or chocolate. Never use imitation vanilla.
• Don’t Cut the Fat and Calories – ice cream is not the dessert that you should be cutting the fat. It depends on the high-fat content to create a creamy texture. If you go lower fat, it will cause an icy ice cream. If you’re on a diet, just have a smaller scoop!
• Add Extract at Right Time – if you add an extract or alcohol while the custard is too hot, you won’t get the actual flavor as it will cook out slightly. Just wait until right before you pour the custard into the ice cream maker to add it.
• Chill the Custard – you don’t necessarily need to chill the custard overnight, but you want to chill until it is as cold as possible.
• Use Frozen Bowl – make sure your ice cream bowl has been frozen for at least 24 hours, otherwise you aren’t giving the ice cream a great chance of freeze.
• Start Ice Cream Motor First – do not pour the custard in the frozen bowl before starting the ice cream maker. It will start freezing upon contact. You want the motor running and slowly pour the custard in.
• Add Mix-Ins at the End – never add your mix-ins at the beginning of the process. You want to add them when it looks like there is about a minute left in the churning process.
• Don’t Overchurn – always error on the side of caution when it comes to churning your ice cream. You do not want it to be hard. Remember it will continue to freeze once you place in the freezer.
• Keep It Creamy – homemade ice cream can turn hard as we don’t add preservatives, however Xanthan gum or a couple tbsp of vodka will help keep it creamy.

Other Ice Cream Recipes

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
• S’mores Ice Cream
• Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
• Cookies ‘n’ Cream Ice Cream
• Peppermint Ice Cream

If you’ve tried this malted cookie dough ice cream or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.