So, when I was craving some cookie dough ice cream last weekend, I came up with this quick solution. Using banana soft serve as the base, which doesn’t require an ice cream maker, it’s practically instant! The vegan cookie dough chunks are also easy to prepare, though you might want to make them in advance for a firmer texture. I chose to make this cookie dough date-based, to make a completely fruit-sweetened treat (minus the optional chocolate chips), though you could also use my Vegan Paleo Cookie Dough recipe if you prefer, depending on which ingredients are more convenient for you. All you need is a mini food processor to make this treat– I used it to make both the banana soft serve and the cookie dough, so you’ll only have one bowl to clean when you’re done. While it doesn’t taste exactly like the store-bought stuff, I hope you’ll enjoy this healthier version, too!
— Vegan Cookie Dough Ice Cream Serves 2-4 Ingredients: For the cookie dough: 1/2 cup walnuts (or other nut/seed) 3 soft Medjool dates, pitted 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol-free, if desired) Pinch of sea salt 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips (I used this brand) For the ice cream: 2-4 frozen bananas, cut into coins (1 banana per serving) 1-2 tablespoons of water, as needed for blending Directions: To prepare the cookie dough, process the walnuts in a mini food processor until they are finely ground. Add in the dates, vanilla, and sea salt and process again until a sticky dough is formed. Stir in one tablespoon of mini chocolate chips, then drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto a plate lined with parchment paper. (I got 8 dough balls from this batch.) Place the dough balls in the freezer, chilling them for at least an hour, or until firm.
To prepare the banana soft serve, place 1 or 2 frozen bananas, cut into coins, in the mini food processor, along with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help facilitate blending. Process until the a smooth and creamy “ice cream” texture is created, then crumble a couple of the frozen cookie dough chunks into the mix (I broke each dough ball into about 4 smaller pieces).
Stir well and serve immediately!
Notes: This recipe is easily adaptable to use any ingredients you have on hand, and can easily be modified to suit your tastes. My husband prefers my Peanut Butter Banana Soft Serve as the base, since it’s a little creamier than plain banana soft serve, and he also prefers peanut butter cookie dough– which I make by using 1/4 cup of peanut butter instead of the walnuts. (The dough is stickier when using nut butter instead of whole nuts, but it’s fine to work with after you freeze it.) If you make any substitutions with success, please let us all know in the comments below!
