I love my fudge brownie recipe so much that I wanted a way to eat it in the middle of July, when turning on the oven feels like a personal attack. So I put everything I love about that pan — the deep cocoa, the salt, the rich batter — into this fudge brownie ice cream, and it’s GOODT!

Creamy Fudge Brownie Ice Cream

The base is built like the brownies: cocoa doing the heavy lifting. I bloom the cocoa in the warm cream and milk so the flavor opens all the way up, and add a spoonful of milk powder for extra milk solids.

Then, brownie batter bites made with brown butter and heat-treated flour so they’re safe to eat by the handful.

Recipe Ingredients

Heavy Cream and Whole Milk: The backbone of the base. The cream makes it plush and rich enough to stand up to all that cocoa; the milk keeps it from churning up heavy. Skip the skim — the fat matters. Milk is also needed for the brownie bites.

Dry Milk Powder: My secret weapon in almost every ice cream I make, including my banana pudding ice cream. More milk solids means less free water, which means fewer ice crystals.

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: The main event, same as in the brownies. Dutch-process gives you a darker, fudgier result; natural cocoa is sharper. Both work.

Egg Yolks: They turn the base into a true custard — silkier, richer, and better at staying soft in the freezer.

Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the custard and keeps it scoopable — sugar lowers the freezing point, so don’t cut it too far.

Espresso Powder (optional): It won’t taste like coffee. It does the same thing it does in my brownies: makes the chocolate taste more robust.

Vanilla and Salt: Both go in the base and the bites. Cocoa without enough salt tastes flat. Add the salt!

All-Purpose Flour (heat treated): The body of the batter bites. Raw flour isn’t safe to eat, so it gets heated to 165F first.

Brown Butter: Cooked until the milk solids toast and the kitchen smells like caramel, the same move behind my brown butter chocolate chip cookies. It’s what takes the bites from “sweet dough” to “corner piece of the pan.”

How to Make Fudge Brownie Ice Cream

Make the Brownie Batter Bites

Step 1. Heat treat the flour: bake at 350F for 5-7 minutes, or microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until it hits 165F. Cool completely and whisk out the clumps.

Step 2. Brown the butter in a light-colored skillet over medium heat, swirling often, until the milk solids turn golden and smell nutty, about 5-7 minutes.

Step 3. Add brown butter to cocoa powder and whisk until incorporated. Then, whisk both sugars into the warm brown butter, then stir in the vanilla and salt. Add the cooled flour mix into a thick, fudgy dough, adding milk until you reach your desired consistency.

Step 4. Pinch into pea-sized pieces, scatter on a parchment-lined sheet, and freeze at least 1 hour. Freezing them first is what keeps them from smearing into the ice cream.

Make the Custard Base

Step 5. Whisk the cocoa, milk powder, and espresso powder in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking often until warm

Step 6. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks and sugar until pale and creamy. Slowly ladle in about a cup of the hot chocolate mixture, whisking constantly to temper, then whisk in the rest.

Step 7. Return everything to the pan and cook over medium-low, stirring constantly, until it reaches 175F and coats the back of a spoon. Don’t let it pass 185F.

Step 8. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, stir in the vanilla and salt, and cool to room temperature. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate 2-4 hours or overnight.

Churn and Fold

Step 9. Churn until it reaches a thick soft-serve consistency, about 25 minutes.

Step 10. Layer the ice cream and frozen brownie bites in a freezer-safe container, ending with ice cream — layering keeps the bites from sinking to the bottom. Press parchment or plastic wrap onto the surface and freeze at least 4 hours before scooping.

My Top Tips & Tricks

• Bloom the cocoa in the warm dairy. It’s the difference between a base that tastes like chocolate milk and one that tastes like a brownie.
• Use a thermometer on the custard: pull it at 175F, never past 185F. Straining afterward catches any bits of cooked egg.
• Freeze the bites solid and keep them pea-sized — bigger chunks freeze too hard to chew.
• Let the finished ice cream sit out about 5 minutes before scooping. Chocolate bases freeze harder than most.

How to Store

Keep it in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 4-6 weeks, with plastic wrap pressed against the surface to prevent ice crystals. Leftover brownie batter bites keep in a zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use leftover baked brownies instead?

Absolutely. Cube a cooled pan of my fudge brownies, freeze them solid, and fold them in the same way for chewier, more substantial chunks.

How do I heat treat my flour?

Heat flour to 165°F, checked with an instant-read thermometer.

Microwave: 30-second bursts, stirring between each — about 60–90 seconds for a cup. Stir well; microwaves leave cold pockets.

Oven: Spread flour in a thin, even layer on a parchment-lined sheet, 350°F for 5–7 minutes, stirring once.

Cool completely and whisk out the clumps before mixing with the brown butter. Measure before heating, not after.

More Summer Recipes You’ll Love

• Homemade Passion Fruit Cheesecake Ice Cream
• Lemon Ice Box Pie
• Homemade Oreo Cheesecake Ice Cream
• Homemade Banana Pudding Ice Cream
• No Bake Key Lime Pie

I hope you love this Fudge Brownie Ice Cream as much as I do — it’s everything good about a warm pan of my fudge brownies, turned cold and creamy and scoopable. If you try it, leave a comment with a star rating below, and snap a photo and tag @butterloveandsalt on Instagram!

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