The ultimate cinnamon roll ice cream! This luscious and creamy no churn cinnamon roll ice cream with a cinnamon swirl and edible cinnamon roll cookie dough bites is the perfect frozen treat for cinnamon roll lovers!
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Why you'll love this ice cream
- No churn ice cream recipe - you can't get easier than a no churn ice cream! This easy no churn cinnamon roll ice cream doesn't need any special equipment, ice cream makers or machines, for a rich and creamy frozen treat.
- Indulgent cinnamon sugar swirl - the classic brown sugar cinnamon filling from my best cinnamon rolls is rippled right into this creamy smooth vanilla ice cream, giving you all the flavour of your favorite brunch time bake, but now in ice cream form!
- Cinnamon roll cookie dough bites - if a cinnamon sugar swirled ice cream wasn't enough, this recipe includes a super cute, fun and flavorful extra: cinnamon roll cookie dough bites! After all, who doesn't love a bit of edible cookie dough in their ice cream. Follow my steps to make tiny bitesize cinnamon rolls out of edible cookie dough - the perfect add in or topping to this ice cream, or just to nibble on on their own!
Cinnamon Roll Cookie Dough Pieces
Ingredient Notes
For these edible cookie dough rolls, you'll need both ingredients for the dough:
- Heat treated flour - for edible cookie dough, you should not use raw flour. Heat treating this is a simple process which helps to ensure the flour is cooked prior to mixing into your dough.
- Butter - unsalted butter, softened at room temperature. You can use salted butter instead, however, this will add saltiness to the dough pieces. The butter here will be divided into two parts (some for the dough and some for the filling to the roll pieces).
- Sugar - granulated sugar or caster sugar work best here.
- Vanilla extract
- Milk - full fat or whole milk works best here, however, you can use 2% or semi-skimmed. I would not recommend using 1% or skimmed milk as this is very watery and may make the dough pieces less creamy.
- Ground cinnamon
- Light brown sugar - firmly packed measurement. You can substitute with dark brown sugar here, but this will give a stronger molasses flavour to the pieces.
Heat Treating Flour
Heat treating flour is essential when making any form of edible cookie dough involving flour. This is because flour is technically a raw ingredient and shouldn't be consumed without being cooked thoroughly.
You can heat treat flour in one of two ways: either with a microwave or in the oven. I detail both methods in my Edible Cookie Dough Cones.
You goal is thoroughly heated flour, which has reached a minimum temperature of 165ºF. I usually do this in the oven by spreading my flour on a lined baking tray and baking for about 15 minutes at 375ºF, stirring halfway through.
Once you have heated the flour, let it cool before adding to your cookie dough, otherwise it may melt the butter and make for a runny consistency.
Making the Dough
After heat treating the flour and letting this cool, you can make your dough, which will form the base of the mini edible rolls.
- Start my creaming together the sugar and butter until well blended. Then add the vanilla and stir to combine.
- Add the flour and stir until you have a dry crumbly mixture (images 1 and 2 below).
- Then add the milk, stirring until well mixed and smooth.
Milk can be used in this cookie dough to alter the consistency. Adding less, you'll have a stiffer and potentially crumblier edible dough. If you add too much, it risks becoming a bit soupy.
You're looking for a smooth consistency for this dough, soft and spreadable, a bit like a buttercream.
Assembling Cinnamon Roll Cookie Dough Bites
Once you've made the dough, you'll need to start the preparations for the rolls:
- Dollop of the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap (image 3 below) and place another piece of plastic wrap over the top. Depending on the size of the sheet of plastic wrap, you can fold this over the dough instead of using two pieces - the goal is to have plastic wrap on the bottom and top of the dough (image 4 below).
- Press and roll the dough between the sheets of plastic wrap until you have a roughly 12" by 5" rectangle of thinly spread dough (image 5 below).
- Place this in the refrigerator for about an hour to firm up.
- After an hour, remove the dough from the refrigerator and set on the counter. Carefully remove the plastic wrap covering the top of the dough, but leave the wrap on the bottom for now.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon, sugar and softened butter until you have a spreadable paste.
- Spread this over the surface of the dough (image 6 below) and then gently use the plastic wrap to help you nudge the dough into a tight log, rolling up from the bottom to the top, creating an approximately 12" long log (image 7 below).
- Once you have your log of spiralled dough, you can then reuse the plastic wrap to wrap this up and return to the refrigerator to firm up again.
- After about an hour, you can slice the log into small cinnamon roll cookie dough pieces, about half a centimetre thick (image 8 below). Place these in a single layer on a plastic wrap or parchment lined sheet and freeze until needed for the ice cream.
Making in Advance
These fun cinnamon roll cookie dough pieces are a little involved - the processes are quite straightforward, but they will take you a little extra time to prep. The good news here is that you can make them well in advance or in a couple of stages!
The dough, both before and after rolling into the filled log, can be kept in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight. Once frozen, the pieces will last for about 3 months.
Ingredient Notes for the No Churn Ice Cream Base
For ice cream base to this recipe, you'll need:
- Heavy cream - sometimes referred to as double cream. This should be kept chilled until needed for best results.
- Sweetened condensed milk - the secret to no churn ice creams is usually sweetened condensed milk. This makes for a smoother and creamier ice cream than using sugar or needing to make syrups!
- Vanilla bean paste - vanilla bean paste is key to adding the best vanilla flavour to the ice cream base, along with the little flecks of vanilla bean. You can use vanilla extract here instead, but you'll miss out on the little bits of vanilla bean in the cream.
- Salt - just a pinch of salt will help to enhance the flavour of this ice cream.
Ingredient Notes for the Cinnamon Swirl
To make a cinnamon roll filling style cinnamon swirl, you'll just need the classic ingredients:
- Light brown sugar - soft, light brown sugar, firmly packed. You can also use dark brown sugar here, but this will be a stronger, more molasses-y flavour, which you may find a bit overpowering.
- Ground cinnamon
- Butter - unsalted butter, melted. You can use salted butter here, but it will add overall saltiness to the recipe.
How to Make No Churn Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream
This easy homemade cinnamon roll ice cream is one of the simplest recipes. A few quick steps and some time in the freezer will get you a creamy soft vanilla ice cream swirled with an indulgent cinnamon sugar!
- Start by making your cinnamon sugar swirl. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon, brown sugar and melted butter (image 9 below). Set this aside to allow the butter to cool down - you don't want this still hot from being melted when it comes time to add to the ice cream.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together your condensed milk, vanilla and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, beat your heavy cream until you have stiff peaks when removing the beaters.
- Next add the condensed milk mixture and beat until just combined. You don't want to remove all the air from the whipped cream, but you want a smooth creamy mixture (image 10 below).
- Pour half of the mixture into a metal loaf pan or other freezer safe container.
- Stir your cinnamon sugar mixture to ensure it hasn't solidified, then dollop about half across the surface of the ice cream.
- Using a kitchen knife, swirl the cinnamon sugar lightly into the cream (image 11 below). Then top with about half of your cinnamon roll cookie dough bites.
- Pour the remaining ice cream mixture on top. Dollop the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture over this and then repeat the process of swirling and sprinkling the remaining cookie dough bites (image 12 below).
- Cover the pan with a layer of plastic wrap and tightly seal with foil (or a lid).
- Freeze until solid (usually at least 4 hours, or best overnight).
- Allow to sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes before scooping for best scooping and. creamiest results.
Expert Tips
No churn ice creams are quite straightforward - the secret ingredient being the condensed milk, which add a creamy sweetness without the risk of sugar crystals like in traditional ice cream recipes.
My top tips for ensuring a perfect Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream are:
- Stir the cinnamon, sugar and melted butter together until the ingredients are fully combined. This will stay grainy. Melted butter mixed with sugar can have a tendency to separate, but with a good stir it should come together.
- When making the ice cream base, your cream should be chilled - don't leave this to warm up on the counter. Warm cream takes longer to beat to stiff peaks and runs the risk of splitting.
- When assembling the ice cream, you'll want to ensure that the cinnamon sugar mixture isn't hot - it should be combined and at a loose, spreadable, dollop-able consistency. If you made is a bit too far in advance it may solidify - microwave it to re-melt the butter, let it cool down a little and stir.
- If you want to make sure to have a couple of cookie dough bites on display for each scoop, save a small handful of your cinnamon roll cookie dough bites to add as decoration to the ice cream when serving. Once these have frozen, you can store them in a ziploc bag in the freezer for an ice cream topping or snack on demand.
Variations and Substitutions
There are so many ways to make this recipe your own! Some of my top suggestions for variations and substitutions:
- Cinnamon Roll Cookie Dough Bites are optional - these are a fun add in, but they do take a little extra work to put together and are not essential to a delicious and creamy cinnamon swirl ice cream. You can leave these out and follow the recipe as written, simply omitting the bites.
- Sprinkle with more cinnamon - if this Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream isn't quite cinnamon enough for you, sprinkle some ground cinnamon over the top when serving.
- Add sprinkles - want to give this a colorful edge? You can add sprinkles straight to the ice cream mixture for a rainbow colored twist or swirl them through with the cinnamon sugar. Depending on the type of sprinkle used, you may find that the color bleeds into the cream over time.
- Gluten free - the only gluten in this recipe is the flour, which can be substituted for a gluten free alternative. Almond flour is a good option here. If using almond flour, you will not need to heat treat this first. Do note, that depending on the grind of your almond flour, you may need more or less milk to reach a desired consistency and may find this a little lumpier/grainier than standard all purpose flour.
Storage Tips
This ice cream will keep well in the freezer for a couple of months. For best results, ensure that it is tightly sealed.
I like to use a combination of plastic wrap and aluminium foil - the foil helps to ensure that the plastic wrap is held firmly in place on top of a loaf pan.
Alternatively, use a freezer safe plastic storage container with a lid.
FAQs
Yes indeed! This no churn cinnamon swirl ice cream recipe is a super indulgent vanilla bean ice cream with cinnamon roll filling swirled throughout. This is the same luscious cinnamon roll filling used in my classic Brioche Cinnamon Rolls!
Plus added homemade edible cinnamon roll cookie dough bites give it that little extra excitement for the perfect cinnamon roll ice cream!
If stored well wrapped, this easy no churn cinnamon roll ice cream should keep for about three months. Do keep in mind that for best results it is recommend to leave the ice cream to thaw a bit before scooping, if you thaw it too much and the ice cream melts, it is not recommended to refreeze.
This recipe as written requires quite a lot of dairy, from the milk and butter in the dough bites to the cream and condensed milk of the ice cream base. It is possible to make this recipe dairy free by using substitutions for each of these. I have not, however, tested these for this recipe at this time.
Looking for more fun and cinnamon-filled recipes? Try:
- Cinnamon Bundt Cake
- Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Swiss Roll Cake
- Cinnamon Buttercream
- Puff Pastry Cinnamon Twists
- Cinnamon Cupcakes
- Cinnamon Roll Donuts
Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream
Equipment
- 9" x 5" loaf pan or a similar sized freezer safe container
- Plastic wrap
- hand held electric beater
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Cinnamon Roll Cookie Dough Bites
- ¼ cup heat treated flour see note for guidance
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter softened at room temperature, divided
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar or caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon milk full fat or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ tablespoon light brown sugar firmly packed
Ingredients for Vanilla Ice Cream Base
- 2 cups heavy cream or double cream, chilled
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- pinch salt
Ingredients for the Cinnamon Swirl
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Instructions for Edible Cinnamon Roll Cookie Dough Bites
- Start my creaming together the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the butter until well blended. Then add the vanilla and stir to combine.
- Add the flour and stir until you have a dry crumbly mixture. Tip: heat treated flour can be quite lumpy, so may benefit from sifting when adding to the dough.
- Next add the milk, stirring until well mixed and smooth. The consistency should be spreadable, a bit wetter than the average cookie dough.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap on a work surface and dollop the cookie dough out onto this. Then place another piece of plastic wrap on top, essentially sandwiching the dough between the plastic wrap.
- Press the plastic wrap to spread the dough out (you can use your hands here and also a rolling pin) until you have a rectangle of the dough, measuring roughly 12" wide by 5" long. The dough should be thin, less than ¼" thick.
- Place the dough rectangle (still sandwiched by the plastic wrap) in the refrigerator to chill and firm up for at least half an hour.
- Meanwhile, prepare your cinnamon filling by mixing together the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter with the cinnamon and the brown sugar until you have a spreadable paste, similar to making normal cinnamon rolls.
- After the dough has chilled, remove this from the refrigerator and uncover the top of the dough (leaving the plastic on the bottom).
- Spread the cinnamon mixture over the top of the dough.
- Gently, using the plastic wrap to help you, roll the dough up into a log (this should be rolled up along the 5" short side, so you're creating a 12" long log).
- Once you've formed a tight log, wrap this in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill and firm up for about an hour.
- After the log has firmed up, unwrap and use a sharp knife to slice into ¼" wide pieces. Place these on a parchment or plastic wrap lined tray and place in the freezer until needed.
Instructions for Cinnamon Swirl
- To make the cinnamon swirl, stir together the melted butter with the brown sugar and cinnamon until fully combined.
- Set this mixture aside and allow to cool down, so that the melted butter is no longer hot when you're assembling the ice cream.
Instructions for Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Base
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until you've just reached stiff peaks.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the condensed milk, vanilla bean paste and salt.
- Add the condensed milk mixture to the heavy cream and beat to combine.
Instructions for Assembling the Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream
- Pour about half of the vanilla ice cream into a 9"x5" metal loaf pan (or a freezer safe rectangular plastic container).
- Dollop half of the cinnamon swirl mixture over the surface and then use a kitchen knife to swirl this into the vanilla cream.
- Sprinkle about half of your cinnamon roll cookie dough bites over the surface.
- Pour the remaining ice cream mixture over the top and repeat the process of dolloping and swirling the remaining cinnamon sugar.
- Finish off with a sprinkle of the remaining cinnamon roll cookie dough bites (or reserve a few for topping when serving).
- Cover the pan securely either with plastic wrap and aluminium foil or with a lid and place in the freezer until solid (usually at least 4 hours, or better overnight).
- When ready to serve, let the ice cream sit out at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes to make it easier to scoop.
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