It’s almost summer and the weather has been heating up. The farmers market started this week! And I’ve been craving ice cream. Specifically, those crispy sugar cone ends filled with chocolate. But I also can’t stop thinking about cookies. So, I decided to create another recipe on my list before the seasonal produce gets into full swing. Ice cream cone cookies! Made with a brown butter cookie dough, crushed sugar cones, and chocolate chunks.

Summer Weather + Ice Cream

This week was full of errands, adventures, and good food. I was most excited for Thursday, which was the inaugural farmers market for the year on the town common. Each year loads of local vendors line up on the verdant lawn with live music, chatter, and great food. I managed to go every week last year, which really made me so happy. Each week I was inspired to create new recipes using seasonal tomatoes, rhubarb, berries, farm eggs, and more. So, I had high expectations when my mom and I pulled up to the market this week.

The weather was supposed to be rainy and cloudy. But luckily we woke up to a bright, sunny day that lasted into the afternoon. We found a clutch parking space right away and got out our tote bags, gleefully glancing at the array of vendors. The lawn looked a little bare compared to last year. I always forget that people show up more later in the season. But all my regular favorites were there. The croissant and bread stand. The local sausage and meat guy. Beautiful vibrant farm stands bursting with potted plants and vegetables.

Farmers Market Shopping

We walked around for a bit and studied the array of things. Crusty breads and bright pink rhubarb. I bought a banana cream croissant because they were out of pan au chocolat. The banana flavor was hard to find, but it was still good to eat. I was especially inspired by bowtie-shaped strawberry pastries. But I held off, because it’s not strawberry season. We picked up chicken salad for lunch and browsed the other baked goods stand. Gargantuan brownies and danishes galore. I’ve been feeling a bit down and off lately, so the market really lifted my spirits and put a little pep in my step.

When I got home I had a different recipe planned, but I decided to wait for more fresh produce. So, I dug into my list of ideas, and I grew hungry and hot. Thinking of ice cream. Sugar cones. Cold crunchy chocolate. I remembered a few years ago I wrote down an idea – to make brown butter chocolate chip cookies with waffle cone pieces. So, I picked up some fresh cones at the store and planned to crush them and fold them through my cookie dough. I dreamed of what my ice cream cone cookies would taste like.

Brown Butter Cookie Dough

I started later that afternoon by melting butter in a pan. My typical routine, the same way I make my beloved chocolate orange oatmeal cookies with brown butter and spices. I waited until the stick and a half of butter was melted, bubbly, and golden, then took it off the heat and added my vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. All to reinforce that sweet and slightly spiced sugar cone flavor. Then, I measured out white sugar and made homemade brown sugar by working molasses into a bowl of white sugar. Once the butter cooled a little, I whisked in the sugars.

Then, I cracked an egg into the dark brown slurry and watched it whip up into a batter. A subtle scent of spices and caramelized brown butter wafted over me. I let it sit for a little bit while I prepared the other ingredients for my ice cream cone cookies – crushed sugar cones, chocolate shards, and my flour mixture. I use a good pinch of salt to counteract all the sugar. And I pulsed half of my sugar cones into a fine powder, sifting it into my bowl of flour, salt, and baking soda. I used less flour of course, the sugar cone dust functioning as a flour of sorts. Once I was ready, I folded it all up into a dough.

Chocolate + Crushed Ice Cream Cones

I also added a couple fistfuls of chocolate chips and chocolate shards I had leftover from my chocolate bar cookies. And sugar cone chunks in various sizes. I was super happy with the consistency of my ice cream cone cookies and scooped them onto a baking sheet. This recipe is small batch because it saves me from myself. I would have eaten all of these, even if there were 12. And my recipe makes 7, which means you can bake one right away and keep the rest in the fridge to bake in one batch the next day.

So, I preheated my oven and put one cookie ball on a baking sheet. I saved one ice cream cone, too, to garnish my cookies before baking. And I pushed them down a little to help the cookies flatten. The rest of my ice cream cone cookies went into the fridge in balls, covered, to develop flavor and to rest. I baked them the next day after a beautiful sunny walk and a magnificent lunch of sweet potato and mushroom hash. Back to day one – I set a timer and couldn’t wait for it to bake. I squatted and watched it spread impatiently.

Baking Ice Cream Cone Cookies

These cookies don’t spread that much, like my other cookies. Which allows them to have both a craggy, chewy base and a thick, scone like center. My perfect cookie texture. But I took the cookie out halfway through to press down a little just to help it along. I used the bottom of a sauce pot and washed the little bit of melted chocolate off after. Then, the cookie had a few minutes left. So I cleaned up and prepared my black plate. Finally, I could smell spices, brown butter, ice cream cones, and dark chocolate as it came out of the oven.

It was a beautiful golden brown color topped with shards of ice cream cones. One of my favorite flavors from childhood. And after working up a sweat on a hot day, I thought about serving my ice cream cone cookies with ice cream. A la mode. The contrast in temperatures is so satisfying. But I planned to try the cookie on its own first. And by the time I dug into it, I had no choice but to polish it off as quickly as possible because it was so delicious. No ice cream in sight. But these would make amazing ice cream sandwiches, if you want to make them. Or just have one in a bowl with your favorite ice cream flavor. Mine is coffee.

Cookie Taste Test

So, I tasted it, and sunk my teeth into the beautiful chewy dough. The dark chocolate was warm and melted on my tongue and sparkled with flecks of sea salt. The ice cream cones on top added so much crunch and texture. The cookie itself is slightly sandy from the sugar cone dust, which reminds me of shortbread. But the flour gives it some heft and chew. The shards of sugar cones folded throughout the dough are chewy and slightly crunchy. A delightful texture. They only get better overnight in the fridge with the second batch. And you can taste the brown butter, spices, and just enough sea salt to counteract all the sugar.

I absolutely love these cookies. And they are the perfect treat to make during summer. I’m dying to try one with ice cream this weekend, which I think would take them into a euphoric category. The cookies on their own, however, have that signature texture and chew of my cookies from the past year, which I’m proud of. And are so, so good.

Ice Cream + Cookies

I love using chocolate shards, which gives you so many opportunities to melt down chocolate and flavor it with your favorite extracts or zests. Then, the ice cream cones add so much chew and crunch to brown butter ice cream cone cookies that would be delicious on their own. The chocolate and sugar cones also remind me so much of that beloved ice cream cone tip from my childhood.

I’m dreaming of so many homemade ice creams and gelatos now, and can’t wait to head back to the farmers market next week. We’ve got rhubarb and herbs and loads of potatoes. So we’ll see what I come up with. For now – thank you for reading! If you make and enjoy these cookies, let me know. I am incredibly fond of them and so happy to finally bring my vision to life. I’ll be making these again.

Also – be sure to check out my Etsy for 100’s of art prints and recipe cards. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off.

Print Pin

Ice Cream Cone Cookies (small batch)

Brown butter cookies with ice cream cone shards and dark chocolate

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword brown butter cookies, ice cream cone cookies, ice cream cones

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Servings 7

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2/3 cup ground sugar cones 6
• 3/4 cup AP flour + 2 tbsp
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 6 whole sugar cones
• 8 oz dark chocolate chunks

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until golden and bubbly.
• Remove from heat and add vanilla extract, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
• In a large bowl, combine 2/3 cup finely ground sugar cones (about 6 blended), AP flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Add brown sugar and white sugar to melted brown butter mixture.
• Add your egg and mix until combined. Then, add your dry ingredients, shards of 5 crushed sugar cones, and chocolate.
• Scoop cookie dough into 7 even balls with a large ice cream scoop. Bake one immediately to test, and to taste.
• Refrigerate the other 6 cookie balls, covered, until ready to bake, up to 24 hours. Remove from fridge and let come to room temperature before baking.
• Top your dough balls with large shards of the last sugar cone and chocolate chips. Then, bake for 10-12 minutes until flat and gooey.
• Press down on your cookies before baking to ensure they spread, or drop your baking pan on the counter a few times when the cookies come out to help them flatten.

Notes

• If you want your cookies more flat, let the dough come to room temperature before baking and press them down with a flat-bottomed sauce pan.
• You may be tempted to sprinkle on some sea salt for presentation – make sure you remove 1/4 tsp from the dough if you do so they aren’t too salty.