Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
TASTE: Slightly spiced with that caramelized, balanced sweetness we all love in a Biscoff / Speculoos cookie.
TEXTURE: I dream about the texture of this ice cream. Crushed bits of Biscoff cookie with a dipped-in-milk texture coupled with swirls of rich cookie butter… It’s honestly indescribably delectable.
EASE: There’s nothing difficult from a technical standpoint; it’s simply a matter of patience during the chilling/freezing times.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: I’m confident that this will become one of your family’s new favorite ice cream recipes.
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Whenever I’ve served this Cookie Butter Ice Cream, I can see people are slightly skeptical. Some don’t know what cookie butter is, others have never thought to add it to ice cream. And some assume this ice cream will be way too sweet.
But without fail, every single person who’s tasted it has quickly proclaimed it to be one of their all-time favorite ice cream flavors!
So let me be clear: this 100% deserves to be the next dessert you make. It cannot wait, it’s THAT good. It’s got so much crave-worthy texture and perfectly balanced sweetness with just a hint of spice.
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This Biscoff ice cream recipe is fantastic on its own, incredible inside ice cream sandwiches, and an over-the-top ecstasy served over apple pie or apple galette.
It was inspired by Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Ice Cream, which I’ve loved for years, but would secretly scoop up all the bits loaded with the most Speculoos / Biscoff cookies + cookie butter for myself. It was an act of pure selfishness, and to atone for such a dessert crime, I knew I had to create a recipe where every. single. scoop is fully loaded with texture and flavor.
If you’re intimidated by making homemade ice cream, not to worry. I’ve included simple tips for success just below (as someone who’s published several ice cream recipes online and written an entire cookbook on homemade ice cream + ice cream sandwiches).
Sprinkle of Science
Cookie Butter Ice Cream Recipe Tips
What is cookie butter?
Cookie butter is a sweet creamy spread made of ground-up speculoos (Biscoff) cookies. It has a texture similar to peanut butter. It’s sold under the Biscoff brand name at many grocery stores (Target, Walmart) next to other spreads like Nutella. Trader Joe’s also has its own version called Speculoos Butter. You can also find it on Amazon here.
This recipe has been successfully tested with both the Biscoff and Trader Joe’s brands.
My Favorite Ice Cream Maker
I’ve owned and enjoyed my Cuisinart ice cream machine for over ten years and have used it to develop over 50 ice cream recipes, so it’s truly been put to the test.
If you’re using a similar machine, make 100% sure that the freezer bowl is COMPLETELY frozen before churning. There should be no liquid sloshing in it before churning. Your ice cream base should also be well chilled before adding it to the machine. If things aren’t cold enough, you may end up with soup instead of ice cream.
How long does ice cream take to churn?
This will depend on your ice cream maker. It can take as little as 12 minutes or up to 25 minutes. Follow your machine’s instructions. You’ll hear the sound of the churning change tone once it begins to thicken. Homemade ice cream is ready when a spoonful stays on your spoon and doesn’t melt or slide off immediately.
Can I make this recipe without an ice cream maker?
An ice cream maker will create the creamiest texture, but if you don’t have one, you can use Methods #2, #3, or #4 from my How to Make Ice Cream Without a Machine article instead.
How to properly store homemade ice cream:
Store in an airtight container where your freezer maintains a consistent temperature, like in the back (not in the door). To prevent freezer burn, press plastic wrap directly against the top of the ice cream. Do not store in the ice cream maker bowl.
How to serve cookie butter ice cream:
To make homemade ice cream easy to scoop, place the container in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.
Placing it out at room temperature instead before serving results in uneven thawing, where the ice cream near the edges becomes melty while the center is still hard. This is my favorite ice cream scoop.
More ice cream recipes you’ll love:
Cookie Butter Ice Cream
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Ingredients
- Scant 1 cup (215 grams) cookie butter spread, such as Biscoff, divided
- 1 1/4 cups (296 grams) whole milk, cold
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (474 grams) heavy cream, cold
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 12 Speculoos (Biscoff) cookies (96 grams), chopped into small chunks, plus more for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Place a heaping 1/2 cup (143 grams) of the cookie butter in a heat-safe bowl and microwave until just melted. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment to whisk the cookie butter, milk, and sugar on medium-high speed until the sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, vanilla, and salt until combined. Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator until well chilled, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
- Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. In the last few moments of churning, gradually add in the Speculoos cookie chunks and continue churning until incorporated.
- Slightly melt the remaining 1/4 cup (72 grams) cookie butter spread in the microwave. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container in batches, spooning the Speculoos spread in between layers of ice cream in a swirled pattern. Sprinkle with additional crushed cookies, if desired. Cover the ice cream surface with plastic wrap and freeze until the ice cream is firm and flavor is ripened, at least 3 hours, before serving.
- Store for up to 2 weeks. If the ice cream has become too hard to scoop, place in the fridge for 30 minutes before scooping and serving.
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This recipe was originally published in 2015 and recently updated with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Jess Gaertner.
What took me so long to try this?! Maybe because I don’t have a standalone ice cream maker, but I do have the ice cream bowl attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer. I made sure the clean bowl was in the deep freezer for a couple of days before pulling it out to churn the ice cream. And I chilled all of the ingredients in the refrigerator for about 22 hours — almost three times as long as the recommended eight hours in the KitchenAid manual. The entire churning process only took 12 minutes because everything was so cold. Yay! So glad I made it — this is a delicious upscale ice cream, IMO. The hardest part is waiting for a few hours before eating it while it firms up in the freezer. All the rest is magical fun!
Wow! I thought your Death by Chocolate ice cream was my favorite, but now I’m choosing Cookie Butter! I had never heard of Cookie Butter or Speculoos cookies, but the ice cream was AMAZING!! Keep the ice cream recipes coming please!
This is a family favorite now! Fantastic!
Hooray! So excited to hear that, Curtis!
OH. MY. GOSH. Tessa, your cookie butter ice cream is out of this world. I followed every ingredient quantity and recipe step exactly, used my ice cream maker, and sooo enjoyed eating this treat! Thanks for another great recipe!
YAY!! I’m so happy you loved it!
My second attempt at homemade ice cream and I wanted to make something rich and creamy. This recipe hit the nail on the head, it was deliciious. The Biscoff cookie spread and cookies were not overpowering, more like caramel flavor with a hint of cinnamon. I may try slightly less sugar next time, only for my own preference, the sweet tooth’s in my family thought it was perfect. I will definitely be making this again and again. Thanks for the great recipe!
This ice cream recipe is AMAZING. My kids and I made it today and our family went bonkers after trying it. We’ve been making the basic ice creams for the last few weeks in our new (for quarantine) ice cream maker, but this one is THE hands down favorite. YUM. Wouldn’t alter one thing about this recipe!!