Double Dough Ice Cream

I always seem to have a few ice cream recipes bookmarked, so I took the opportunity to make this one from Take a Megabite for my son's second birthday party. The flavor profile of cookie dough seemed like it would be a pretty good crowd pleaser rather than some of the more unique ice cream flavors I want to try (like sweet corn).

This is the first time I've used the cornstarch and cream cheese method. It's a bit icy if you don't let it thaw a bit, but a little thawing yields a smooth, creamy ice cream. It's not my all-time favorite, but it was good. I'm not a big fan of this type of cookie dough where everything melts together, but it worked for this ice cream.

Double Dough Ice Cream
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 oz. cream cheese, softened
Pinch fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, split 
Cookie Dough
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, or chunks

Mix about 2 Tbsp. of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese and salt until smooth.

Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla bean in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese mixture until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill ice cream base for a few hours or overnight.

Meanwhile make cookie dough. In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, salt and sugar until smooth. Stir in the flour, vanilla and chocolate chips. Pour the “dough” onto wax paper or plastic wrap and cover with more paper/plastic wrap. Pat into a round about 1/2-inch thick, and chill until firm. Once chilled, unwrap and chop the dough into bite-sized pieces. Store the pieces in the freezer until ready to use.

When ready to churn, remove vanilla bean, and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once fully churned, layer in a one-quart container with the cookie dough pieces. Top ice cream with plastic wrap and an airtight lid. Freeze for at least 4 hours. Makes about 1 quart of ice cream.