Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream is made with my Homemade Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, Cosmic Brownie chunks and colorful cosmic-colored chocolate candy pieces. It’s a rich and playful dessert that everyone will love! 

Little Debbie’s treats are so nostalgic! I remember my friends sharing some of the brownie treats with me when I was little. These brownies are so fudgy and delicious, but are SO much better homemade! You can make Cosmic Brownies at home with my delicious recipe! Or make them in cookie form with my Cosmic Brownie Cookies recipe. 

An ice cream scoop scooping out Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream from a rectangular bread pan on a white marble background.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Rich chocolate ice cream. The chocolate ice cream base for this little debbie cosmic brownies ice cream recipe uses dutch process cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate. Using both creates a more intense chocolate flavor. Using dutch process cocoa powder instead of unsweetened means we have a deeper chocolate flavor form the cocoa powder.
  • Made with cosmic brownie pieces. This cosmic brownie ice cream has chunks of Little Debbie brownie pieces mixed in. I also include the candy coated chocolate chips for the full little Debbie ice cream effect!

Ingredient Notes

Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream ingredients portioned into glass bowls on a white marble background.
  • Dutch Process Cocoa Powder: Dutch process cocoa powder has a richer chocolate flavor, so you need to use it instead of unsweetened cocoa powder or you won’t have as prominent of a chocolate flavor. 
  • Whole Milk: You should use whole milk because of the higher fat content (this is ice cream, and it’s all about the cream and fat!) 
  • Heavy Cream: This is the cream base for the ice cream. 
  • Bittersweet Chocolate: Use baking chocolate for best results. 
  • Egg Yolks: This chocolate ice cream base is a custard. This means that egg yolks are used in the mixture, making things extra creamy and delicious! The eggs are cooked with the chocolate ice cream mixture over the stove, so you don’t need to worry about any raw egg. 
  • Cosmic Brownies: You can use store bought cosmic brownies or use my homemade Cosmic Brownies.
  • Candy-Coated Chocolate Chip PiecesThese mini rainbow chips are perfect add-ins for this cosmic brownie ice cream because they are the same cosmic-colored candy pieces added to the top of cosmic brownies! 

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Make the chocolate ice cream mixture. To a saucepan, add 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder. Whisk thoroughly until no cocoa powder clumps remaining. 
  2. Add the heavy cream and milk. While whisking, slowly stream in 1 cup whole milk and 2 cups heavy cream. Take the pan to the stove and turn to medium low heat. Bring to a simmer while stirring constantly. Cook just until bubbles begin to form on the sides of the pan. Remove from heat. 
  3. Combine with egg yolks. Place 4 eggs yolks in a small bowl and lightly beat them. Take 1/2 cup of the hot chocolate liquid and slowly pour it into the eggs, gradually stirring to combine. 
  4. Add egg yolk mixture to remaining chocolate mixture. Take the egg yolks mixture and slowly pour it back into the saucepan with the remaining chocolate mixture, stirring constantly while pouring. 
A collage of four photos demonstrating how to make Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream.
  1. Add the chopped chocolate. Add 8 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate into the mixture and stir to combine. 
  2. Heat the mixture. Place the saucepan over low heat and heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, without coming to a boil! This should take about 5-7 minutes. The mixture will reach 170ºF on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the heat and add 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix to combine. 
  3. Strain and chill. Pour the chocolate mixture through a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Place the large bowl over an ice bath, stirring often until the mixture reaches room temperature. 
Four photos demonstrating how to make a rich and deep chocolate flavored ice cream.
  1. Cover and chill. Cover the mixture and store in the fridge for 4-24 hours. 
  2. Churn the chocolate ice cream. Remove the chilled chocolate ice cream mixture from the fridge and pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. 
  3. Add the mix-ins. Once the mixture is done churning, use a wooden spoon to add the chopped Little Debbie cosmic brownies and cosmic-colored candy pieces. Serve immediately if you want a soft serve texture, or store in a freezer safe container and freeze for 1-2 hours for a firmer texture. Enjoy!
Four images showing how to make Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream.

Recipe Tips

Properly freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker for the correct amount of time (see your ice cream maker’s manufacturing instructions). 

Be sure to follow the directions precisely when it comes to heating and cooling the dark chocolate ice cream mixture. The key to getting a smooth texture and a proper custard ice cream is to slowly heat and slowly cool the mixture. 

You want to make sure the chocolate/egg mixture chills for at least 4 hours before churning it. If you short-change this time, the mixture won’t be properly chilled enough, and the ice cream won’t fully freeze while in the ice cream maker. 

It helps to freeze the bowl you’ll be mixing the mix-ins and the ice cream together in, or else the ice cream will more easily and quickly melt as you’re stirring them together. 

Top the mixture with extra brownie chunks and candy pieces for a pretty look!

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

This is a make ahead recipe! You need to properly freeze your ice cream maker bowl (I usually freeze it for about 3 days to ensure it’s fully frozen).

The process of making cosmic brownie ice cream also includes several chilling and freezing steps, which can take multiple hours (or multiple days depending on how long you want to chill things). 

Store the ice cream in a freezer safe, airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Overhead photo of Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream in a black rimmed bowl on a white background with a small bowl filled with cosmic colorful sprinkles.

Recipe FAQs

Does cosmic brownie ice cream have chunks in it?

Yes! You’ll cut Little Debbie cosmic brownies into chunks to mix into the chocolate ice cream mixture. I also added the cosmic chocolate pieces for an added cosmic touch! 

Can I use homemade cosmic brownies?

Definitely! My Cosmic Brownies Recipe would be perfect make and then use some of the brownie bars to make this easy cosmic brownie ice cream recipe! 

Can I use colored M&Ms?

Yes you can. I like to use the colored chocolate pieces because they look just like the pieces on top of cosmic brownies. However, if you want to use mini M&Ms, you can. 

Does this ice cream have raw eggs?

No. There are eggs in the ice cream (it’s a custard ice cream, hence the eggs), but they are slowly cooked on the stove. 

Does Little Debbie have ice cream flavors?

Yes! Little Debbie came out with a line of ice cream flavors centered around some of the favorite Little Debbie confections. I knew a homemade version of the cosmic brownie little Debbie ice cream would be a winner — and it is! Homemade is always best 🙂 

Where to buy Little Debbie ice cream?

The little Debbie ice creams are sold at Walmart stores. The new ice cream flavors include cosmic brownie ice cream, honey buns ice cream, Swiss rolls ice cream, zebra cakes ice cream, strawberry shortcake rolls ice cream, oatmeal cream pies ice cream, and nutty bars ice cream.

Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream in a silver bread pan with a scoop of ice cream missing from the pan.

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Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream in a small black bowl on white marble background.
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5 from 1 vote

Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream

This dark chocolate ice cream is loaded with chopped Cosmic brownies and colorful cosmic sprinkles. This is a decadent dessert that everyone will love!
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 47 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder - sifted
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 8 oz bittersweet chocolate - finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 egg yolks - lightly beaten (just use a fork)

Add Ins

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan combine the sugar, salt, cocoa powder. Whisk thoroughly so that there are no clumps of cocoa powder. While whisking, slowly add the milk and heavy cream. Turn the heat to medium-low. Stir constantly and bring to a simmer. (Just when bubbles form on the sides of the pan.) Remove from heat.
  • Place the beaten egg yolks in a small bowl. Gradually stir in ½ cup of the hot liquid to the egg yolks. Slowly drizzle the egg yolks back into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Add the chopped chocolate and stir to combine.
  • Place saucepan over low heat. Heat until thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon), about 5-7 minutes but DO NOT BOIL. If you have an instant read thermometer it should read 170°F. 
  • Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  • Pour the chocolate mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Place the large bowl full of the chocolate mixture on top of an ice bath. Stir often, until the chocolate mixture reaches room temperature. Once it is room temperature cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or up to 1 day.
  • Remove chocolate mixture from fridge. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Once finished churning use a wooden spoon to gently stir in the chopped cosmic brownies and candy coated chocolate chips. You can serve immediately after stirring in the mix-ins, just keep in mind the mixture may not be as frozen. OR transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container and freeze for 1-2 hours. 

Notes

Properly freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker for the correct amount of time (see your ice cream maker’s manufacturing instructions). 
The key to getting a smooth texture for custard ice cream is slowly heating then slowly cooling the mixture. 

Nutrition

Calories: 661kcal (33%)Carbohydrates: 52g (17%)Protein: 9g (18%)Fat: 48g (74%)Saturated Fat: 29g (145%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 226mg (75%)Sodium: 145mg (6%)Potassium: 438mg (13%)Fiber: 5g (20%)Sugar: 43g (48%)Vitamin A: 1424IU (28%)Vitamin C: 0.5mg (1%)Calcium: 148mg (15%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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