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scoop of homemade mocha cookie crunch ice cream

Mocha Cookie Crunch Ice Cream

Brookside Kitchen
This smooth and creamy ice cream is the perfect blend of chocolate and coffee flavors. The chocolate cookie crunchies swirled throughout send it to the next level. You'll want to save this one.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chilling & Churning 10 hours
Course Dessert
Yield 1 quart

Equipment

  • Ice Cream Machine

Ingredients
  

Cookie Crunch Pieces:

Wafer Cookies

  • 3 tbsp (43 g) butter, melted
  • ¼ cup (46 g) sugar
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • a pinch baking soda
  • a pinch salt
  • ¼ cup + 1 tbsp (38 g) flour
  • 2 tbsp (13 g) dutch-process cocoa powder

Magic Shell Topping

  • ¼ cup (45 g) dark chocolate
  • 2 tsp (9 g) refined coconut oil

Ice Cream:

  • 4 egg yolks
  • ¾ cup (160 g) sugar
  • 1 ½ cups (390 g) whole milk
  • 1 ½ cups (380 g) heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp espresso powder (I use King Arthur brand)
  • 3 tbsp (20 g) dutch-process cocoa powder

Instructions
 

Prepare the Ice Cream Base:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Set aside.
  • Add milk, cream, vanilla, salt, espresso powder and cocoa powder to a pot. Place over medium heat, stirring frequently, until warm and beginning to steam.
  • Slowly pour some of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, while whisking constantly to temper the egg yolks. Continue until all of the milk has been added.
  • Pour the mixture back into the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
  • Pour the mixture into a heat-safe container. Cover and let cool slightly at room temperature for 20 minutes. Then, place in the fridge and chill overnight, or until completely cold.

Prepare the Wafer Cookies:

  • Preheat oven to 350℉.
  • Add melted butter and sugar to a bowl. Mix until combined.
  • Add salt, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
  • Mix in cocoa powder until combined. Mix in flour until combined.
  • Form dough into a log about 3 inches long. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.
  • Once the dough is chilled, slice the dough into ⅛ inch thick slices.
  • Transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cookies appear slightly deflated and the kitchen smells of chocolate*.
  • Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Churn the Ice Cream:

  • Churn ice cream according to manufacturer's instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency (about 20 minutes). Meanwhile, prepare the magic shell topping and cookie crunchies.

Prepare the Magic Shell Topping:

  • Add coconut oil to a bowl and microwave until fully melted.
  • Add chocolate and stir until smooth. You may have to place back in the microwave for 10 second bursts, stirring well in between, to get chocolate to fully melt into the coconut oil.

Prepare the Cookie Crunchies:

  • When the wafer cookies are completely cooled, break into small crumbles, similar in size to the crumbles used between layers of an ice cream cake.
  • Pour the magic shell topping over the cookie crumbles and mix well to fully coat.

Finishing the Ice Cream:

  • Once the ice cream has reached soft-serve consistency, transfer to a freezer-safe container, alternating between ice cream and cookie crunchies, so the crunchies are evenly distributed throughout the ice cream.
  • Freeze for 2-4 hours until firm and scoopable.

Notes

Prepare Your Ice Cream Machine - If your ice cream machine has a bowl that needs to be frozen, remember to freeze it in advance so it's ready when you need it. I like to freeze it for at least 24 hours to ensure it's fully frozen before using.
Tempering the Egg Yolks - This step is important because it allows the eggs to heat up slowly, so they don't curdle and cause little egg lumps in your ice cream mixture.
Cooking the Ice Cream - When cooking the ice cream, you'll know it's done when it coats the back of a spoon. If you want to use a thermometer, it should reach this point around 170℉.
Chilling the Mixture - I prefer to chill the ice cream base overnight to ensure it's fully cold and allow everything to meld together. If you don't want to wait that long to churn your ice cream, you can move on to the churning step once the ice cream base is fully cold.
Wafer Cookie Bake Time - Bake time for the wafer cookies will vary depending on how thick you've cut the cookies and your specific oven. Because the cookies are very dark in color, it can be a bit difficult to know when they're done cooking.
About 5 minutes into baking the cookies will puff up ever so slightly. They will then begin to bubble on the surface as they cook. The bubbles will eventually slow down and the cookie will deflate slightly. This is when you'll notice your kitchen begins to smell of chocolate. At this point, the cookies are ready.
Serving - If the ice cream has been in the freezer for an extended period of time, you may want to let it sit out on the counter for a few minutes to allow it to soften slightly before scooping.