I’m told summer doesn’t technically start until June 20th, but honestly, who is even following that calendar? If school’s out, the sun is shining, and brown sugar cookie dough and cone ice cream is in my freezer, we’re calling it summer. So today, grab your shades, your sunblocks, and your ice cream cones, because it’s officially time for a summer deep dive!

What’s your most favorite part of summer? The beach? Fishing? Popsicles around the clock? When I was growing up, summer meant fireflies and s’mores and hours of jumping into the pool with my best friends, but as I get older, I’m finding that June through July looks a heck of a lot different. As a work-from-home Mom, summer is less of a reprieve from the work of the school year and more of a shift in job description. Instead of chauffeuring to and from school, car rides are taken to day camps, the pool, and grandparents’ houses. Instead of packing lunchboxes, we’re packing picnics and snacks to eat at the ball field. Where we once nagged over homework and bedtimes, we’re now reapplying sunscreen, hosing sand off of stick little feet, and attempting to comb through salt-matted hair. Momming during the summer is hardly a vacation, but y’all, it is really good.

Brown Sugar Cookie Dough and Cone Ice Cream

Today marks the official first day of summer in our house. All of my kids are out of their normal school routine and we are officially commencing operation summer bucket list. For the next 82 days, I’ll be the ringleader to one small band of sun-tanned popsicle eaters, and I can report, at least as of day one, that I’m truly looking forward to it. So to get the summer game started on this site as well, we’re making a brown sugar cookie dough and cone ice cream, and guys, I think you’re really going to like it.

This brown sugar cookie dough and cone ice cream has a brown sugar ice cream base. It’s loaded with eggless cookie dough chunks and chocolate-coated waffle cone pieces. The end result is a frozen dessert absolutely brimming with flavor, texture, and, of course, chocolate. The ice cream base recipe is adapted from Joy the Baker; the cookie dough is the same one you might have seen in this coffee cookie dough ice cream. The cone pieces, though, are new and potentially one of my current favorite additions to ice cream. Big pieces of waffle cone coated in a dairy-free chocolate magic shell coating keeps swirl into the ice cream. Truly, they’re so yummy.

Making the Ice Cream

To make this brown sugar cookie dough and cone ice cream, we start by prepping the mix-ins. Butter, sugar, and flour come together with mini chocolate chips to make the little balls of cookie dough. I like to mix the dough just until it begins to come together into clumps, so as to cut back on any extra work it might take to roll individual balls. The chocolate waffle cone pieces are next. Use your hands to crush a few waffle cones into 1/2″-sized pieces and set aside. Next, melt semisweet chocolate chips and coconut oil together until the mixture is smooth and glassy. Toss in the cone pieces, being sure to coat them thoroughly, and then spread the chocolatey pieces out on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. You can speed up the process by popping them into the fridge to set. Finally, the cream cheese and brown sugar ice cream base comes together with a little half and half in an ice cream machine. Process the mixture until it has thickened to a frozen yogurt consistency and then stir in the mix-ins. Allow the ice cream to freeze until fully set.

I hope you guys are well on your way to an enjoyable summer and that you consider including this brown sugar cookie dough and cone ice cream in your dessert lineup in the coming weeks! In the meantime, happy Thursday, happy summer, and happy baking!

If you like this recipe you should try:

No-Churn Coffee Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Oatmeal Cookie Chunk Ice Cream
No-Churn Peanut Butter Caramel Ice Cream
Turtle Ice Cream
No-Churn Sugar Cookie Ice Cream

Brown Sugar Cookie Dough and Cone Ice Cream

Print Recipe

This brown sugar ice cream is loaded with cookie dough chunks and chocolate dipped waffle cone pieces!

• Author: Kate Wood
• Prep Time: 20
• Total Time: 360
• Yield: 1 Quart
• Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cookie dough:

• ½ cup (113 gm) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup (130 gm) brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (65 gm) sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup (100 gm) flour
• 1 cup (150 gm) mini chocolate chips

For the chocolate-covered cone pieces:

• ¼ cup semisweet chocolate (chips or chopped)
• ½ teaspoon coconut oil
• ¾ cup waffle or sugar cones pieces (about ½” size)

For the brown sugar cream cheese ice cream, adapted from “Homemade Decadence” by Joy Wilson

• 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese at room temp
• 2 1/2 cups of cold half-and-half
• 1 cup pack light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tablespoons bourbon (Optional)

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Instructions

To prepare the cookie dough:

1. Beat the butter on medium speed in a medium sized bowl until smooth. Add the brown sugar and sugar and continue beating on medium to cream together, about 1 minute. Add the salt, vanilla, and flour and beat on low just until all of the ingredients are combined. Add the chocolate chips and beat to combine. Place the cookie dough in the fridge to cool if desired. Once chilled, the dough should easily crumble into 1/8” dough balls. Set aside in the fridge while you make the ice cream

To prepare the cone pieces:

1. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil gently in the microwave in 20 seconds intervals until they can be stirred and combined to smooth. Toss in the cone pieces and stir to coat completely. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper and allow to cool completely prior to using. 

To prepare the ice cream base:

1. Combine the cream cheese, brown sugar, and salt in a stand mixer. Once combined, add the half-and-half and bourbon. Blend on high speed until smooth.
2. Transfer ice cream mixture to an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream is done churning, add the cookie dough and cone pieces and stir to combine. Spread into a metal loaf pan or freezer-safe Tupperware and freeze until firm, about 6 hours or overnight.