Dharitri Ganguly
Homemade cookie dough ice cream
Instead of buying a pint, churn or stir your leftover dough into softened vanilla bean ice cream. Just roll the dough into tiny, pea-sized spheres. Freeze them for 30 minutes until rock hard. Finally fold these "bites" into slightly softened store-bought ice cream, then refreeze for an hour to set.
Cookie dough truffles
Turn your dough into bite-sized, candy-like treats perfect for gifting. All you need is to roll the dough into 1-inch balls and chill them in the refrigerator. Melt high-quality dark chocolate, and using a fork, dip each chilled ball into the chocolate to coat, shake off the excess, and place on parchment paper to set. Sprinkle with sea salt or crushed nuts.
Use as a pie or tart crust
Cookie dough makes an excellent, buttery press-in crust for decadent tarts. Press your dough firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a greased tart pan or pie dish. Bake it blind (pre-bake) at 175°C (350°F) for 10–12 minutes until set. Once cooled, fill with ganache, fruit curd, or pastry cream.
Create Brookies (brownie + cookie)
Combine leftover dough with brownie batter for a rich, hybrid dessert. Pour your favorite brownie batter into a greased baking pan. Take spoonfuls of cookie dough and drop them randomly into the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the dough gently into the batter. Bake according to the brownie recipe instructions, adding 5 minutes to account for the extra density.
Flash-freeze for Emergency single servings
If you aren't ready to bake, turn the dough into a convenient pantry staple. Scoop the dough into individual balls using a cookie scoop. Place them on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe zip-lock bag. When a craving hits, bake them directly from frozen—just add 2–3 minutes to the standard baking time.