No Churn Sugar Cookie Chocolate Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

Think being dairy free means giving up ice cream? Think again! This sugar cookie chocolate ice cream is creamy, smooth, and full of sugar cookie dough chunks. I'm telling you, it is a game changer for dairy free ice cream lovers. Plus, no ice cream maker required!

Even though this ice cream is made with coconut milk, the flavour is all chocolate, no coconut (love me some coconut, but not in this dessert). The secret to making it smooth and creamy like real ice cream? COLLAGEN PROTEIN! Wierd, I know, but stick around and I'll explain.

Secret Ingredients

You see, dairy free ice cream made without an ice cream maker uses canned coconut milk, which freezes completely solid. Without the ingredients below, this ice cream would need to thaw for 1-1.5 hours before eating it (let's be real, no one plans their ice cream eating that far in advance).

Collagen Protein: This might sound intimidating but collagen is THE number one contributor to the creaminess of this ice cream. It has absolutely zero effect on the flavour but the greatest effect on the creaminess. Collagen also makes the ice cream thaw way quicker (15-20 minutes). This recipe is definitely not "healthy", but the collagen addition rose out of the necessity to make a creamier, softer dairy free ice cream.

As a bonus, collagen helps with hair and nail growth, skin health, and is an amazing source of protein. I honestly take collagen every day and it has changed my life. I use it instead of protein powder in smoothies, pancakes, muffins, you name it!

Vodka: I learned this trick from my friend Mikyla at Flax & Sugar (she uses it in her Black Sesame Ice Cream recipe). Essentially, vodka doesn't freeze, so adding vodka to the ice cream helps it to not freeze completely! There is such a small amount of vodka that it leaves no vodka taste in the ice cream.

Oat milk: Now, this one is less essential, but oat milk (you could also try cashew milk) is the creamiest of the non-dairy milks, so this also made the ice cream creamier than when I tested it with almond milk.

I tested this recipe with just vodka, just collagen, neither, and both. The flavour was identical in all of them, but the time it took to thaw and the creamy texture was most effected by these ingredients.

That being said, the vodka is optional. If you don't want to add it, just add collagen, and if you don't want to add either, the ice cream will still taste delicious, you will just have to wait a lot longer for it to thaw.

Ice Cream Base

The ice cream base for this sugar cookie ice cream is made with canned coconut milk. The coconut milk should be chilled in the refrigerator overnight in order to firm up and separate the liquid from the cream.

This base is essentially coconut whipped cream, so if you've made that before this process will be familiar. First, put your mixing bowl into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to chill it.

Remove the canned coconut milk from the fridge (don't shake it up) and scoop the hard coconut cream out into your mixing bowl, leaving behind the liquid (tip: freeze leftover liquid from the can for smoothies!).

Begin whipping the coconut cream on high speed until it stiffens and peaks start to form. It should be the consistency of whipped cream. Next, add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and collagen, scraping down the sides of the bowl every so often.

Finally, add in the vanilla, vodka, and milk and mix until combined. Fold in the sugar cookie dough and place the mixture into an ice cream container or other airtight container, then place in the freezer.

Freezing and Serving Sugar Cookie Chocolate Ice Cream

This ice cream will take around 7-8 hours to freeze completely. Before serving, let it thaw for between 15-20 minutes at room-temperature.

Confession: if you are omitting the vodka and collagen in this recipe, I have a little trick for you. During desperate times (hey, we've all been there), I've microwaved the ice cream for 10 seconds to soften it up immediately. But for best results, let it thaw naturally.

Sugar Cookie Dough

Now, this chocolate ice cream is creamy and delicious on its own, but is there anything that isn't made better with cookie dough?

The sugar cookie dough is super simple to make, and only has 4 ingredients. Mix together vegan butter, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and thats it! The dough will crumble a bit, and you can break it up a bit more, then stick it in the fridge while you make the ice cream.

I like to then fold half the cookie dough into the ice cream, then save the rest for crumbling on top!

Since the cookie dough has flour in it and won't be baked, make sure to heat treat your flour to kill any bacteria that could be in it! To do this, pour the flour on a baking sheet and bake it for about 5 minutes at 350F. Let it cool before you make the cookie dough!

Choosing the right Coconut Milk

It is super important to use the right kind of coconut milk to make this sugar cookie ice cream! You can find more tips on how to pick the right kind along with more helpful tricks for making the coconut whipped cream base here.

Vegan Option

To make this ice cream vegan, simply omit the collagen protein from the recipe. The ice cream will take longer to soften (around 30-40 minutes at room temperature) and will be slightly less creamy, but it will still be delicious!

More Recipes You'll Love:

• Wacky Chocolate Cake with Fudgy Buttercream (Vegan)
• Stuffed Cookies and Cream Cookies
• Strawberry Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

If you make this recipe, tag me on Instagram @cookiedoughdiaries so I can check it out! If you want to save this recipe for later, you can also pin it using the Pinterest button below.

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