ICE CREAM is the secret ingredient in these irresistible blueberry cookies! Blueberry Ice Cream Cookies are fluffy, delicious and packed with intense blueberry flavor.
My boys are at camp this week and I’m a bit of a mess about it. The house is so quiet. And lonely. Distraction has been key. After wandering around my house aimlessly for hours yesterday, I decided that I needed to bake. Yes, baking was the answer. A brilliant idea popped into my brain. Ice cream! Cookies made using ice cream! I didn’t know how they’d turn out and was very happy to learn that my experiment worked. These Blueberry Ice Cream Cookies are so bold and flavorful and yummy.
Part of the reason I thought of adding melted ice cream to cookie batter is because we constantly have half-eaten containers of ice cream hanging out in our freezer. I see them every time I open it up and promise myself that I’ll eat it soon. Turns out, vanilla ice cream adds incredible flavor to cookies. I’m going to experiment more with this little trick!
Using freeze-dried blueberries is a great way to infuse baked goods with intense fruit flavor. You can use a coffee grinder or food processor to turn it into a powder, or just throw them into a ziploc bag and pound with a heavy spoon.
Enjoy these delicious little morsels of blueberry heaven. I’m off to distract myself with more work! Have a wonderful week!
Blueberry Ice Cream Cookies
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 1/2 cup butter softened (1 stick)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zested (2 Tbsp)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup vanilla ice cream melted
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
GLAZE
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried blueberries ground into a powder
- 6 tbsp. milk
TOPPING
- 44 fresh blueberries
Instructions
MAKE THE COOKIES
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), combine the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until creamy and free of lumps. Add the lemon zest and beat on low speed until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Gradually add to the butter-sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined. Add the melted ice cream and mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop the dough by 1 1/2 tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Let cool.
MAKE THE GLAZE
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), combine the confectioner’s sugar, blueberry powder and milk. Beat on medium speed until moist. Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary. Beat on medium-high speed for 30 seconds.
ASSEMBLE THE COOKIES
- Spread the glaze over the top of each cooled cookie. Top each with 1 blueberry.
These look so delicious and I love your idea of using up the half empty cartons of ice cream in the freezer. I’m going to try this trick for sure.
Good luck with your empty nest! Isn’t it just so sad when they’re gone? I have a teenage boy and he’s gone a lot these days either working or hanging out with buddies. Time flies! Enjoy them.
I bet he’d bring his buddies around for some cookies! But yes, agreed, time IS flying and it’s good to slow down and enjoy time with them as we can. Have a great summer!