Packed with the spicy flavours and crunch of Speculoos Cookies, this creamy homemade Biscoff Ice Cream is a dream dessert for all Cookie Butter lovers!
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Why we love this recipe
Biscoff, biscoff, biscoff... when this unique cookie meets your favourite homemade Ice Cream, you get the most delicious and decadent Summer treat ever!
Combining a churned Biscoff Ice Cream with a Cookie Butter Swirl and crunchy Lotus Biscoff Cookies crumbs, this frozen treat is packed with spicy and sweet flavours. This original cookie butter ice cream is delicious on its own or served on top of Biscoff Brownies.
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Ingredients
To make Biscoff Ice Cream, you will need 7 ingredients (scroll down to recipe card below for all quantities):
- Milk + Cream: use Full Cream Milk (or Whole Milk - about 3% milkfat) and Thickened / Heavy Cream (minimum 30% fat). Do not use skim milk or light cream - the fat is required to give the creamy texture to the ice cream.
- Egg Yolks: the classic ingredient used to make the ice cream custard base and give this dessert a thick, creamy and velvety texture. An egg substitute will not work here.
- Brown Sugar: you can substitute with white sugar but the brown sugar adds a delicious caramelised flavor to the dessert.
- Biscoff Spread: or cookie butter spread / speculoos spread. It is used both in the biscoff custard base and for the swirl.
- Speculoos Spices: (optional) the spice mix used to make the classic Belgian Speculoos Cookies. See FAQs section below for more information and substitution.
- Lotus Biscoff Cookies: or any Speculoos Cookies. They are used in addition to the cookie butter swirl to add a delicious crunch to the frozen treat!
Optional Addition: you can also add a little bit of salt (just a pinch) to balance the sweet flavours of the ice cream, as well as some Vanilla Extract.
How to make Cookie Butter Ice Cream
Follow these step-by-step instructions to make this delicious ice cream recipe.
The first step of this recipe is to prepare a custard base that will be churned in the ice cream maker. It is a classic ice cream custard ("crème anglaise") base with the addition of lotus biscoff cookie butter and some speculoos spices (optional).
Unless using a compressor ice cream maker, it is recommended to put the bowl of your machine in the freezer at least 12 hours (preferably 24 hours) before churning the ice cream. Always follow the manufacturing instructions of your specific machine.
- Photo 1: Place the Milk, Cream and Biscoff Spread / Cookie Butter Spread in a small saucepan. Turn on low heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk well so that the biscoff spread does not burn.
- Photo 2: In a separate heat-proof bowl, whisk together the Egg Yolks, Brown Sugar and Speculoos Spices (optional).
- Photo 3: Pour the warm milk mixture over the yolks while whisking. Whisk well to combine; this will allow to temper the egg yolks and insure they don't cook too quickly which would make them curdle.
- Photo 4: Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan.
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- Photo 5: Cook the mixture on low to medium low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it starts to slightly thicken. Make sure to keep whisking so that it does not burn.
There are two ways to check if the custard is cooked and ready to chill:
- Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the custard. It is cooked when it reaches 82 to 84 degree Celsius (180 to 183 degree Fahrenheit).
- Dip the back of a spoon in the mixture. Carefully draw a line through the custard (it will be hot) then tip the spoon down. If the custard is liquid and it runs over the line, it is not ready. If the line stays clear and the consistency of the custard appears to be lightly thick, it's ready.
- Pour the mixture into a clean bowl or large shallow container such as a brownie pan or large loaf pan (it will help the mixture cool down more quickly). Cover the custard with plastic wrap touching its surface and chill for at least 3 hours - preferably overnight.
Note that if using a compressor ice cream maker, the ice cream can be churned straight away.
- Photo 6: Take the bowl of your ice cream machine out of the freezer and fit it in the ice cream maker. Pour the cool custard mixture into the bowl and turn it on.
I use this Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker for all of my ice cream recipes.
- Photo 7: Churn for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it resembles the consistency of a thick whipped cream. You might notice small ice crystals - that's normal.
This ice cream churns more quickly than others because of the high fat content contained in the biscoff spread that will harden quickly. If you over-churn it, the ice cream will look very thick and hard.
- Photo 8: Pour half of the ice cream in a large loaf pan. Drizzle half of he cookie butter (used to make the swirl) and half of the speculoos / biscoff crumbs. Top with the rest of the ice cream, then the second half of the biscoff spread and cookie crumbs. With a small knife, swirl all the ingredients together.
- Place back in the freezer for at least 3 to 4 hours - or until the ice cream is firm enough to scoop up. Optionally, drizzle with more melted cookie butter to serve.
Recipe FAQs
Unfortunately no, this is not a no-churn ice cream recipe and will not work without an ice cream maker.
It is the mix of spices used to make traditional Speculoos Cookies.
Although the exact spices can vary from brand to brand, Speculoos Spice usually contain Cinnamon, Coriander Seed, Nutmeg, Ginger, Caraway Seed and Cloves.
Both Mixed Spices and Pumpkin Pie Spice are relatively close to Speculoos spices so they could be used as a substitute here - or you could just discard the spices altogether.
I don't recommend using just Cinnamon as a replacement because Speculoos Spices have a much deeper, more complex flavour.
Speculoos are classic Belgian spiced cookies, traditionally eaten around Christmas Time (or St Nicholas Day in Belgium and the Netherlands).
Biscoff was a branded name given to Speculoos Cookies by the Belgian company Lotus when they started to sell Speculoos cookies outside of Europe.
Biscoff Spread and Cookie Butter are both made from crushed Speculoos Cookie Crumbs mixed with fat, flour and sugar. Although the exact recipes can slightly vary from brand to brand, you can generally interchange biscoff spread and cookie butter to bake with.
Tips for Success
- If you find the biscoff custard base to be lumpy, you might have cooked it too much or at a too high temperature, turning the eggs into scrambled eggs. You can try to pour it through a thin mesh sieve to remove any bits of cooked eggs if needed.
- To know that the custard base is properly cooked, either use a kitchen thermometer (it should reach 82'c or 180'f) or check its consistency with a spoon. It should coat the back of a spoon without dripping.
- Make sure the custard mixture is very cold before churning it. I like to refrigerate it overnight then put it in the freezer for 30 minutes just before pouring it into the ice cream machine.
- Note that this recipe churns a bit more quickly than most homemade ice cream because the fat contained in the biscoff spread will solidify quickly. If over-churned, the ice cream will look very thick and hard. It might also have a slightly greasy consistency as the cream will have started to turn into butter.
Storing
This cookie butter ice cream is best eaten fresh within a few days (up to a week). It will obviously stay fresh and safe to eat for a long time in the freezer, but its consistency will change overtime.
The longer it stays in the freezer, the more rough and icy it will get.
More Biscoff Recipes
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Recipe
Biscoff Cookie Butter Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
Biscoff Ice Cream
- 360 ml (1 1/2 cup) Full Cream / Whole Milk
- 240 ml (1 cup) Heavy / Thickened Cream
- 60 gr (1/4 cup) Biscoff Spread, or cookie butter spread
- 4 Egg Yolks, medium, at room temperature
- 50 gr (1/4 cup) Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Speculoos Spices (optional), (see notes below for substitute)
Crunchy Biscoff Swirl
- 120 gr (1/2 cup) Biscoff Spread, or cookie butter spread
- 6 Biscoff Cookies, or to taste
Instructions
- Unless using a compressor ice cream maker, it is recommended to put the bowl of your machine in the freezer at least 12 hours (preferably 24 hours) before churning the ice cream. Always follow the manufacturing instructions of your specific machine.
Biscoff Ice Cream
- Place the Milk, Cream and Biscoff Spread in a small saucepan. Turn on low heat and bring to a simmer, occasionally whisking to avoid burning the spread.
- While it is heating up, whisk together the Egg Yolks, Brown Sugar and Speculoos Spices (optional) in a separate heat-proof bowl.
- When it starts to simmer, pour the warm mixture over the yolks/ sugar while whisking. Whisk well to combine until no lumps remain (see note 1).
- Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook on low to medium low heat for 5 to 10 minutes while stirring, or until it starts to slightly thicken (see note 2).
- Transfer the mixture into a clean bowl or large shallow container (see note 3) and cover with plastic wrap touching its surface. Chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours - preferably overnight.
- Take the bowl of your ice cream machine out of the freezer and fit it in the ice cream maker. Pour the cool custard mixture into the bowl and churn for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it resembles the consistency of a thick whipped cream (see note 4).
Crunchy Biscoff Swirl
- Place about half of the ice cream in a large clean loaf pan. Drizzle with half of the melted cookie butter and half biscoff cookie crumbs. Top with the rest of the ice cream then the rest of the biscoff spread and crumbs. With a small knife, swirl all the ingredients together.
- Place back in the freezer for at least 3 to 4 hours - or until the ice cream is firm enough to scoop up.
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Notes
- Speculoos Spices: the mix of spices used to make traditional Belgian Speculoos Cookies - usually a mix of Cinnamon, Coriander Seed, Nutmeg, Ginger, Caraway Seed and Cloves. Both Mixed Spices and Pumpkin Pie Spice are relatively close to Speculoos spices so they could be used as a substitute here - or you could just discard the spices altogether.
- This step will help to temper the egg yolks and insure they don't cook too quickly, which would make them curdle.
- There are two ways to check if the custard is cooked: (1) Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the custard. It is cooked with it reaches 82 to 84 degree Celsius (180 to 183 degree Fahrenheit). (2) Dip the back of a spoon in the mixture. Carefully draw a line through the custard (it will be hot) then tip the spoon down. If the custard is liquid and it runs over the line, it is not ready. If the line stays clear and the consistency of the custard appears to be lightly thick, it's ready.
- Use a shallow pan such as a brownie pan or large loaf pan to help the mixture cool down more quickly and more evenly.
- This ice cream churns more quickly than others because of the high fat content contained in the biscoff spread that will harden quickly. If you over-churn it, the ice cream will look very thick and hard.
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