Fall in love with your new favorite ice cream flavor, fellow cookie lovers — this Biscoff ice cream! Made with a brown sugar-cinnamon custard base and studded with crushed Biscoff cookies, every bite of this rich and creamy ice cream is full of scrumptious Biscoff flavor. This is one decadent frozen treat you’ll want to enjoy all summer long. Let’s make some ice cream.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Tastes like Biscoff cookies in ice cream form: In addition to the crumbled cookies, the brown sugar and cinnamon give it even more Biscoff flavor than a simple vanilla ice cream base that other recipes use. Let’s maximize that Biscoff flavor you love.
The creamiest, dreamiest texture: Thanks to a combination of whole milk, heavy cream and lots of egg yolks, this is the most luscious ice cream.
Make ahead for easy entertaining: When it comes to hosting, any kind of make-ahead recipe makes life much smoother. You can make this ice cream well in advance of serving, so you’re not running all over the kitchen trying to prepare a dessert at the last minute.
Bonus: In case you're looking for more Biscoff desserts, try these Biscoff truffles.
Ingredients
Let’s chat about a few ingredient notes to ensure you make the best Biscoff ice cream.
Biscoff cookies: The star of the show, Biscoff cookies are what make this ice cream so special. If you can’t find these little treats in the cookie aisle, check the bakery section of your grocery store. That’s where my local grocery store stocks these cookies.
Whole milk: Make sure you use whole milk, not a lower-fat variety. This recipe is specifically tested with whole milk for the most decadent texture and flavor.
Heavy cream: Again, we want heavy cream, not something lighter, such as half and half.
Dark brown sugar: I prefer dark brown sugar over light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar has more molasses for a richer flavor. That said, you can substitute light brown sugar if need be.
Egg yolks: We only need egg yolks, not the egg whites for this recipe. Save the egg whites for a breakfast scramble.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: We begin by adding the heavy whipping cream, whole milk, dark brown sugar and a pinch of salt to a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, we bring the mixture to a simmer (photo 1).
Step 2: While the cream mixture heats, we whisk the egg yolks with vanilla extract and cinnamon until it starts to thicken (photo 2). I always whisk by hand for three minutes, and it takes care of the job nicely.
Step 3: Once the cream mixture reaches a simmer, we’re ready to temper the eggs. For this step, we add a scoop of the warm cream to the egg yolks and immediately whisk (photo 3). We repeat the process several times. This helps gently cook the eggs.
Step 4: After tempering the yolks, we’re ready to add the egg mixture to the saucepan with the rest of the cream. We cook the mixture until it thickens enough to coat a wooden spoon like so (photo 4).
Step 5: Now we pour the custard base into a large mixing bowl and directly cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming (photo 5). From here, we refrigerate the ice cream base until it’s fully chilled. I like to give it overnight to ensure it’s properly cold.
Step 6: And now we’re ready to churn. Go by the directions according to your ice cream maker manufacturer’s directions. In the last few minutes, add the crushed Biscoff cookies (photo 6).
Step 7: For our final step, we spread the ice cream into an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze for several hours (photo 7). After churning, the ice cream will be more of a soft-serve texture, but a few hours of freezing will firm it up.
I like to garnish with a Biscoff cookie, but that’s completely optional. Now scoop into dessert cups and enjoy every decadent spoonful.
Related: For more homemade ice cream recipes, check out my Oreo ice cream, chocolate-amaretto ice cream, s’mores ice cream and Baileys ice cream!
Recipe FAQs
The Biscoff cookies from Lotus Bakeries show off brown sugar and caramel notes with warm spices, such as cinnamon and ginger. While this ice cream is perfect for the summer months, I also think it works beautifully as a holiday ice cream because of that spice kick. If you’re familiar with cookie butter, these cookies serve as the foundation of that delicious dessert spread.
Air is the enemy of ice cream, so we want to make sure we keep it in a freezer-safe, airtight container. As long as the ice cream is stored properly, it should last about two weeks, though I’d be shocked if you don’t devour it well before then.
No-churn ice cream may be popular because of its simplicity and lack of necessary equipment, but no-churn ice cream is not nearly as creamy and richly flavored as real churned ice cream. With no-churn ice cream, no egg yolks are used, and it’s flavored with sweetened condensed milk rather than sugar. That sweetened condensed milk can dominate a bit too much, and we lose the velvety texture the egg yolks add.
Let’s be honest — if no-churn ice cream were superior in flavor and texture, that would be the standard way to make it. There’s a reason we take the time to make a proper custard and then churn it. For the highest-quality ice cream, we absolutely need to churn it with traditional custard ingredients.
If you want to make homemade ice cream, I highly recommend investing in an ice cream maker. I’ve used this Cuisinart ice cream maker for more than a decade, and it works like a dream. Everything is electric, so you don’t have to mess with salt and ice — the process couldn’t be easier.
Expert Tips
Do not skip the tempering step: As mentioned, this gently cooks the eggs. If you pour the eggs directly into the warm cream, you risk scrambling the eggs.
Make sure the ice cream base is fully chilled before churning: If the ice cream is still warm, it won’t set up properly during the churning process. I prefer to chill it overnight, but if you need the base sooner, chill it in an ice bath before refrigerating until it reaches 40 degrees F.
Read your ice cream maker manufacturer’s directions well ahead of time: New to making homemade ice cream? Many ice cream bowls need to freeze for 24 hours before churning. Otherwise, it won’t be cold enough. If you have the space, I recommend permanently keeping the ice cream bowl in the freezer, so it’s always ready to go.
Keep the ice cream base at a simmer: Milk can separate if it boils. We only need the cream mixture to simmer, so keep an eye on it.
Perfect Pairing
You will love a rich barley wine with this homemade Biscoff ice cream recipe. This dessert beer features sweet, caramel-like malt notes that wonderfully complement the brown sugar.
Prefer a wine? You can’t go wrong with a tawny port. Similar to the barley wine, a tawny port features caramel and dried fruit notes with a touch of spice. The two pair together beautifully.
If you’re a cocktail fan, my chai old fashioned is great here. This cocktail uses a brown sugar-chai simple syrup, which is an obvious match to the ice cream’s primary flavors, and that warm bourbon complements the Biscoff cookies nicely.
To satisfy the cookie lover in you, I hope you try this Biscoff ice cream. You’ll love every spoonful.
Cheers!
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📖 Recipe
Biscoff Ice Cream
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Plastic wrap
- Ice cream maker
- Freezer safe, airtight container
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 7 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup crushed Biscoff cookies
Instructions
- Whisk together the heavy cream, whole milk, dark brown sugar and pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to whisk periodically to help dissolve the sugar. Once it simmers, turn off heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Do not bring to a boil as this can cause the milk to separate.
- Whisk egg yolks, vanilla and cinnamon until it thickens for about three minutes.
- Temper the yolks by adding about ¼ to ½ cup of warm cream mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Repeat this step a few times.
- Add tempered egg-cream mixture back to the pot. Whisk constantly over medium heat and bring back to a simmer. Again, do not boil. Cook until mixture thickens and covers the back of a wooden spoon. Turn off heat.
- Pour into a large bowl, and then directly cover the top of the custard's surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least four hours to ensure proper churning (see notes), though I recommend overnight if possible.
- Pour custard in an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's directions. In the last couple minutes of churning, add the crushed Biscoff cookies to the ice cream machine.
- Pour the churned ice cream into an airtight, freezer-safe container. Freeze until firm for several hours before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you don't have time to refrigerate the ice cream base overnight, you may want to first chill it in an ice bath before refrigerating. It should be 40 degrees F before churning.
- Do not skip the tempering step. This gently cooks the eggs. If you pour the eggs directly into the warm cream, you risk scrambling the eggs.
- Do not ever let the ice cream base boil. Keep it at a simmer. If it boils, the milk can separate.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Jessica K says
I fell in love with the most delicious biscoff cupcakes months ago and have been trying a variety of biscoff recipes. I made this ice cream over the weekend when it was super hot outside. It was heavenly! Really reminded me of those cupcakes.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I'm so glad you loved it!
Ann says
I am one of these cookie lovers you speak of and wow! I loved how much Biscoff flavor you get. Such a good ice cream.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Right?! New favorite ice cream flavor, for sure!
Luke says
We love Biscoff in our home, and when we made this ice cream, it didn't last long it was lush 🙂