cookies and cream ice cream drumsticks in a glass with a bite taken out of one

Homemade drumsticks filled with cookies and cream ice cream? YOU BET. These chilled treats are everything your inner kid craves on a hot summer day (or any day, really) and they can be made at home — no need to rely on the store bought variety. Every bite is chocolaty, cool and full of yummy cookies and cream flavor and joy.

A few weeks ago, we decided to head southeast to my parents’ lake house in Wisconsin for several much-needed days of R&R. We swam in the lake, lit sparklers on the Fourth of July, ate ribs and burgers and corn on the cob until our bellies were full, watched fireworks while sitting by the bonfire and gobbled up cookies and cream ice cream drumsticks (the store bought kind). Every bit of it was quintessentially summer, and I am so thankful we had the chance to get away for a minute, even if it was just to the next state over.

But about those cookies and cream drumsticks (!!!). They were life-changing, I tell ya. And I couldn’t stop thinking about them. So what is a food blogger to do? Make them homemade, of course.

cookies and cream ice cream drumsticks on parchment paper

What Is an Ice Cream Drumstick?

If you’re not already familiar with the classic Drumstick ice cream cone, it’s basically a prepackaged waffle cone filled with fudge and vanilla ice cream, then topped with a thin layer of hard chocolate and a sprinkling of crunchy nuts on top. In my days of youth, I would always grab the Drumstick from the frozen treat case at the gas station or the campground — it never failed me and my sweet tooth, and it still doesn’t. Drumsticks will always have a piece of my premade-frozen-dessert-loving heart.

That being said, making them yourself at home is easy and equally (if not more) delicious. So if you’re craving a cone — especially one with Oreo flavors throughout — this recipe is for you.

What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Drumsticks?

Glad you asked! It’s really quite simple from an ingredient standpoint to make these tasty treats. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Waffle cones — I used the Market Pantry brand ones from Target.
  • Semisweet chocolate chips, to make the magic shell!
  • Neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed oil, to help make the magic shell!
  • Cookies and cream ice cream, yaaassss.
  • Oreo cookies, to crush and sprinkle on top of your cones, BECAUSE YOU CAN THAT’S WHY.

With just 20 minutes of prep time and 2 hours total, plus these ingredients, you’ll be on your way to homemade frozen treat bliss (and what a place that is to be).

hand holding one cookies and cream ice cream drumstick

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream Drumsticks

Despite the fact that you’re working with melted chocolate and frozen ice cream, this recipe is actually quite simple to assemble and very forgiving — because after all, the point is to eat these cones so who cares if they don’t look perfect? Once you have all of your ingredients ready to go, here’s how to make these delectable cookies and cream ice cream drummies:

  • Step 1: Melt the chocolate in a saucepan, then stir in the oil to thin out the chocolate and make it easy to drizzle and coat the cones. This is essentially a homemade magic shell — fun!
  • Step 2: Fill each cone with a little bit of melted chocolate to make that classic fudge-filled bottom. YUM.
  • Step 3: Fill each cone with cookies and cream ice cream all the way to the top, finishing each with a pretty round scoop so they look like typical ice cream drumsticks. Freeze the cones so the ice cream can chill again.
  • Step 4: Dip each cone into the melted chocolate to coat all of the ice cream. Dip and roll each cone into crushed Oreo cookies for the topping. Freeze again so everything sets up nicely!
  • Step 5: TIME FOR DRUMSTICKS.

At this point, you can serve them right away, or cover them with plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for up to 2 more days (after that, the cones get a bit soggy; but I doubt they’ll last that long, anyway).

cookies and cream ice cream drumsticks on a surface

Tips for the Best Ice Cream Treats

These cones really are straightforward to put together, but as always, there are a few tips to keep in mind to make sure you end up with frozen treat bliss instead of frozen treat blech:

  • Waffle cones are your best bet for this recipe because they’re sturdy and large, but you can definitely swap them for sugar cones if you prefer! Just keep in mind that because sugar cones are smaller, you’ll end up making more cones with these ingredient measurements, or you’ll have leftover melted chocolate, cookies and ice cream (not a bad situation, but anywho).
  • YES, you can play around with the flavors here! If cookies and cream isn’t your thing, feel free to use your favorite flavor of ice cream and swap the crushed cookies for a different topping. Strawberry ice cream + chopped graham crackers? Mint chip ice cream + mini chocolate chips? Birthday cake ice cream + sprinkles? YOU DO YOU.
  • Be sure to leave only a thin coating of the chocolate on the top of the cone. If it ends up being too thick, it will nearly break your teeth when you bite into it, and the dentist will send you packing on a one-way guilt trip for it. Pro tip!

Summer is slowly waning (sniffle), so keep enjoying it while you can — whether at your parents’ lake house, in your own backyard or in your closet with the lights off so you can have a few minutes of cool peace and quiet, ahem — with a cookies and cream drumstick in hand. You’ll be glad you did.

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cookies and cream ice cream drumsticks on a surface

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Drumsticks

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  • Author: Stephanie
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 6 cones 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Homemade “Drumsticks” ice cream cones made with chocolate magic shell, cookies and cream ice cream, crushed Oreo cookies and waffle cones!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 waffle cones
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil (such as canola or grapeseed)
  • 1 1/2 quarts cookies and cream ice cream
  • 6 Oreo cookies, finely crushed (about 1/2 cup)*

Instructions

  1. Place cones in short drinking glasses or Mason jars so they stand upright. Transfer cones to freezer.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Stir in oil, then transfer mixture to a small shallow bowl.
  3. Remove ice cream from freezer to soften slightly; remove cones from freezer, too. Spoon and drizzle about 2 teaspoons melted chocolate into bottom of each cone. Return cones to freezer to harden chocolate, about 5 to 7 minutes.
  4. Once chocolate is just set, remove 1-2 cones at a time from freezer. Quickly and carefully spoon and spread ice cream into each cone; use an offset spatula to press and spread ice cream all the way to the top of each cone. Use an ice cream scoop to place one scoop on top of each cone; smooth out top scoop and fill in edges with more ice cream as needed. Return cones in glasses to freezer. Allow cones to harden for about 1 hour.
  5. Meanwhile, place crushed Oreo cookies into a small shallow bowl.
  6. Once ice cream is hardened, dip each cone, one at a time, into melted chocolate; allow as much excess chocolate to drip off as possible while still keeping top of cone completely covered (you can use a silicone pastry brush to help with this, if needed). Dip and roll chocolate-covered cone into crushed cookies to coat, then return to drinking glass to stand upright. Return to freezer. Repeat with remaining cones, then allow all cones to freeze at least 30 minutes before serving.
  7. Store cones in freezer, covered in plastic wrap, up to 2 days.

Notes

  • *I recommend using a food processor to crush Oreo cookies into fine crumbs.
  • Recipe adapted from The Kitchn.
  • You can swap the waffle cones for sugar cones, if desired; note that you’ll need to make more drumsticks if you use sugar cones, since they’re smaller, to use up all ingredients listed above. I do not recommend using wafer/cake cones for this recipe, since they’ll soften too much in the freezer.

More Ice Cream Treats To Enjoy This Summer (or Anytime)