Christmas Ice Cream is a rich, creamy no-churn dessert made with sugar cookies, white chocolate, and festive sprinkles. It costs about $2.07 per serving and freezes into a delicious holiday treat without needing an ice cream maker.
I love making this around Christmas when the kids are excited to help with holiday desserts. The colorful sprinkles and cookie pieces make it especially fun to prepare together and serve after a family dinner or holiday gathering.
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
- No-Churn: You don’t need an ice cream maker or any special equipment to make this creamy frozen dessert.
- Easy to Make: A few simple mixing steps are all it takes to prepare the ice cream before freezing.
- Festive Flavor: Sugar cookies, white chocolate, and cinnamon create a delicious combination with plenty of holiday flavor.
- Great for Christmas: Red and green sprinkles give this dessert a fun, festive look for holiday celebrations.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: It needs several hours in the freezer, so you can prepare it ahead of your gathering.
- Family-Friendly: Kids can help crumble the cookies, add the sprinkles, and layer the mixture in the pan.
- Budget-Friendly: At about $2.07 per serving, it’s a fun homemade dessert without the cost of specialty ice cream.
After years of baking and creating recipes, I’ve learned that homemade desserts become even more special when they fit easily into a busy celebration. This recipe is one I enjoy having in my holiday collection because it brings a little extra fun to the dessert table.
You may also want to make Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake Ice Cream Recipe, Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe and Dulce De Leche Ice Cream.
Ingredients
- Heavy Whipping Cream. Make sure the cream is well chilled before using. Cold cream whips to stiff peaks faster and holds its shape better, which is what keeps the finished ice cream light instead of dense.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk. This is what makes the ice cream soft and scoopable straight out of the freezer, without an ice cream maker or a cooked custard base.
- Vanilla Extract. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon. A small amount adds a warm, spiced background note that pairs naturally with the sugar cookie flavor, without turning this into a gingerbread-style ice cream.
- Sugar Cookies. Crumble the cookies into small pieces for a sweet, buttery crunch.
- White Chocolate. Finely chop the chocolate so it blends easily throughout the ice cream.
- Red Jimmie Sprinkles and Green Jimmie Sprinkles. Jimmies work well here because they are less likely to bleed their color into the ice cream.
Find the complete list of ingredients at the bottom of the page.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1. Beat the heavy cream. Use a large bowl with a hand or stand mixer until stiff peaks form.
Step 2. Get out a separate mixing bowl. Add the sweetened condensed milk.
Step 3. Then add the vanilla extract and ground cinnamon.
Step 4. Gently fold the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture until just combined. Stirring too vigorously knocks out the air you just whipped in, which is what keeps the finished ice cream soft instead of dense and icy.
Step 5. Then add in the crumbled cookies and white chocolate. The cookies should be in small pieces.
Step 6. Fold together until combined.
Step 7. Spread part of the mixture into a loaf pan. Top with some of the sprinkles.
Step 8. Continue this process 2 more times.
Step 9. Sprinkle the remaining cookies and white chocolate on top of the ice cream mixture. Freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Step 10. Then serve this ice cream treat. Serve with a peppermint stick or candy canes. It’s also great with Ice Cream Sundae Toppings such as Homemade Caramel Sauce or Christmas Crack Recipe.
Pro Tips
- Sugar Cookies. Use plain sugar cookies without frosting or icing. You can use Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies or your favorite store-bought cookies. Let the cookies cool completely before crumbling them into the ice cream.
- Sprinkles. Jimmie sprinkles work best because they are less likely to bleed their colors into the ice cream. Use red and green for Christmas, or change the colors for other holidays and celebrations.
- Layer the Ice Cream. Alternate layers of the ice cream mixture, cookie pieces, white chocolate, and sprinkles as you fill the pan. This helps distribute the mix-ins throughout the ice cream instead of leaving them all on top.
- Chill the Cream. Make sure the heavy whipping cream is well chilled before whipping. Cold cream whips up faster and holds its texture better.
- Don’t Overmix. Gently fold the sweetened condensed milk and mix-ins into the whipped cream to keep the mixture light and fluffy.
Variations
- Chocolate Chip Cookies. Add milk, white, or dark chocolate chips for a chocolatey twist. You can also swap the sugar cookies for chocolate chip cookies.
- Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle. Substitute Snickerdoodle cookies for the sugar cookies, or use half sugar cookies and half Snickerdoodles. Add chocolate chips for extra chocolate flavor.
- Gingerbread. Replace the sugar cookies with crumbled gingerbread cookies for a warm, spiced holiday flavor.
- Any Holiday, Any Color. This same method works year-round. Just swap the red and green Jimmie sprinkles for whatever colors match the occasion (pastels for Easter, orange and black for Halloween, or your team’s colors for a game-day treat).
Storage
I usually make this ice cream the night before we plan to enjoy it so it has plenty of time to freeze.
Store the ice cream in an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months. If storing it in a pan, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and foil. For extra protection against ice crystals, place a piece of parchment paper directly on the surface of the ice cream before covering.
FAQ
Plain, unfrosted cookies work best. Frosting adds extra sugar and can make the ice cream taste overly sweet or turn slightly grainy once frozen. If frosted cookies are all you have, use a bit less white chocolate to balance the sweetness.
Yes, this is actually a great make-ahead dessert. It keeps well in the freezer for up to 3 months, so you can make it a week or more before your gathering and just scoop it out when you’re ready to serve.
No. This is a no-churn recipe, meaning the whipped cream itself creates the light, scoopable texture that a machine would normally churn in. All you need is a hand or stand mixer to whip the cream.
Yes. The 6-hour freeze time is based on a standard 9×5 loaf pan. A wider, shallower container will freeze faster since more surface area is exposed to the cold air, while a deeper, narrower container will take longer. If you’re not using a loaf pan, plan for extra time and check it before serving to make sure the center is fully firm.
More No Churn Ice Cream Recipes
You will love making this at home. Try it today for a delicious treat. Then leave a star review and comment.
Christmas Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 12 Sugar Cookies Crumbled no frosting, homemade or store bought
- 4 ounces White Chocolate finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Red Jimmie Sprinkles
- 1 Tablespoon Green Jimmie Sprinkles
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Instructions
- Whip the heavy whipping cream in a large bowl with a hand held or stand up mixer until stiff peaks are formed.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and ground cinnamon.
- Gently stir the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture until just combined. Then add in the crumbled cookies and white chocolate (reserve some for the topping).
- Pour approximately ⅓ of the mixture into a 9X5 loaf pan. Sprinkle ⅓ of each of the sprinkles on top of that layer. Then continue this process 2 more times until all the mixture and sprinkles are used.
- Sprinkle the remaining cookies and white chocolate on top of the mixture in the loaf pan.
- Freeze for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
- Then the ice cream is ready to serve and enjoy!
