Is there anything better than cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream? This is definitely one of my favorite flavors of all time. Personally I like big cookie chunks in mine, which I why I chop cookies rather than pulverize them. My best friend Sarah is town and wanted to try my homemade ice cream so I made one of her favorite flavors. You can all thank her for this new recipe!
This ice cream starts off with my favorite vanilla ice cream base. If you’re reading this thinking, “I don’t want to mess with a custard base,” let me stop you right there. I said the same thing for a decade and I missed out on a decade of the best ice cream I’ve ever had. It’s so creamy, dreamy, and only takes about ten minutes of prep.
There’s really only a couple of steps: heat milk and cream while yolks beat with sugar and salt, stir hot cream into egg mixture, pour back into the sauce pan, and heat again. Take off the heat, stir in vanilla, and let cool. I literally do this while my coffee is brewing in the morning, let it cool in the fridge all day, then churn the ice cream in the late afternoon/evening. Once you’ve done it once and get the concept, it’s incredibly simple. You can also make the base the day before.
Note: I do recommend having a candy thermometer on hand to get the temperature of the custard base exactly right. If you don’t have a thermometer, you want to heat the base until it thickly cover the back of a spoon.
I cannot even properly describe to you the texture of this ice cream. It’s perfectly smooth and creamy with just the right amount of cookie chunks. There’s just something about Oreos in ice cream, isn’t there? They get so soft! The texture almost becomes cake-like. One bite of this ice cream and you’ll feel like you’re on vacation, standing on some fabulous beach in the sunshine, savoring the best ice cream you’ve ever had. Are you sold yet? Here’s the recipe.
Cookies ‘n’ Cream Ice Cream
8 egg yolks
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 1/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups chopped Oreo cookies (about one sleeve)
- In a stand mixer, beat egg yolks, sugar, and salt with the paddle attachment on a medium speed for 4-5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
- Meanwhile, heat cream and milk in a large sauce pan over low heat until candy thermometer reaches 155-165 degrees.
- Turn the mixer to low and slowly pour in the heated cream. Mix for a few minutes until combined.
- Pour the mixture back into the sauce pan and cook over medium-low heat until candy thermometer again reaches 155-165 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Strain through a sieve set over a medium bowl. Set bowl inside a larger bowl with ice water to cool mixture in an ice bath, stirring every few minutes. After 15-20 minutes, place mixture covered in the fridge until completely chilled.
- Churn in an ice cream maker according to its instructions. Chop Oreo cookies and add cookies (and the crumbs!) to ice cream maker when the ice cream is almost done churning.
- Spoon into a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least four hours. Store in airtight containers for several weeks in the freezer.
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Stay cool,
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