Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

It’s one of my favorite times of the year: National Ice Cream Month!

I am celebrating with some delicious, dreamy ice cream, chock full of Oreo cookies. Because what could be better on a sweltering summer day than a nice, big, dripping ice cream cone? Nothing, I think.

Yolks and SugarStart by whisking together egg yolks and sugar. (You can save the whites for your favorite meringue dish! Some delicious macarons, maybe?)

CreamCombine the cream, whole milk, salt, and remaining sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Thickened CustardCarefully temper the egg yolk mixture: whisking the yolks constantly, drizzle the hot cream into the yolks. When you’ve poured about half of the cream into the yolks, stop and scrape the yolk mixture back into the saucepan.

Return the saucepan to the stovetop and stir with a spatula. When the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spatula, remove it from the heat.

Strained CustardPour the batter through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. This will catch any pieces of egg that cooked, either during the tempering or the thickening process. Set the sieve aside.

Oreo CrumbsGrate up 2–5 original Oreos in a food processor. Stir the crumbs into the ice cream batter. You could also use ¼–½ cup chocolate cookie crumbs, which you can often find pre-ground in the baking section of the grocery store. I went for the full 5 cookies, because I like a much stronger Oreo flavor in my ice cream. But if you prefer somewhat creamier, less chocolatey ice cream, then go for the smaller amount…or skip this step altogether! Don’t forget to stir in the vanilla.

Cookie-Ful BatterCover the bowl and chill the batter in the fridge for at least 2 hours, until completely cold.

ChurningWhen you are ready, go ahead and churn the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Meanwhile, chop up 15 original Oreos to stir into the ice cream as soon as it’s done churning.

Cookies and CreamI had a little meltdown (um…pun intended) at this point. I had been baking S’mores Brownies earlier in the day, so the kitchen was still a bit warm when I churned the ice cream. After 30 minutes, I checked on the ice cream, and it had churned as much as it was ever going to, but it was still incredibly soft! Even a bit drippy. I freaked out…I was so disappointed! Nevertheless, I stirred in the chopped Oreos, spooned the ice cream into a container, and stuffed it in the freezer. I checked on it a few hours later, and it was still soft…I just knew it was ruined.

But lo and behold, the next day, it had firmed up. And when I scooped it out of the container, I realized a miracle had happened. Normally, homemade ice cream freezes much harder than commercial versions. I usually have to sit my ice cream out on the counter for 10–20 minutes before I can scoop it easily. But this ice cream was just the perfect consistency! It was so smooth and creamy, well-frozen, not icy, and immediately scoopable! I don’t know whether it was churning in a warm kitchen or just an amazing recipe…I will definitely be making this again to find out!

Drippy Goodness

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
makes about 1 quart

Ingredients:
5 egg yolks
½ cup sugar, divided
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
20 Oreos, divided

Directions:
Whisk together the egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar in a large bowl; set aside.
Warm the remaining ¼ cup sugar, cream, milk and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture begins to simmer, slowly drizzle it into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir in the vanilla extract. Grind 5 Oreos (or as few as 2 Oreos) into crumbs and stir into the ice cream batter.
Cover the bowl and place the batter in the refrigerator and chill at least 2 hours, or overnight.
When ready, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Meanwhile, chop the remaining Oreos into small pieces. As soon as the ice cream is done churning, stir in the chopped cookies.
Transfer the ice cream to a wide, shallow container, and store in the freezer. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

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Has one comment to “Cookies and Cream Ice Cream”

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  1. Sarah - July 12, 2013 Reply

    Oh my gosh – yum!

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