Homemade Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Is there anything better than real homemade ice cream? Of course there is. Ice cream with cookies in it. This cookies and cream ice cream recipe combines an old-fashioned ice cream method with your favorite cookie for a treat you’ll be proud you made at home.
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 1 cup chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreos crushed (about 11 cookies)
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Instructions
- Warm the milk. Add the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup of the sugar to a large saucepan. Over medium heat, warm the mixture until it is very warm (175 degrees), about 5 minutes.
- Beat the eggs and sugar. While the mixture is heating, combine the egg yolks with the remaining cup of sugar. Beat until it turns lighter yellow in color.
- Temper and cook the custard. Remove the milk mixture from the heat, and half a cup at a time, add roughly half of it to the egg mixture. Mix after each addition. This is to temper the eggs and prevent them from cooking in the hot custard. Once you have blended half of the milk into the eggs, pour the entire milk- egg mixture back into the saucepan. Place it all back on the heat and heat over medium and cook. Stir constantly and cook until the mixture is 185 degrees, or has thickened enough the coat the back of a spoon. Do not boil.
- Strain and cool. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Strain the mixture using a stainer or cheesecloth set over a large bowl. Allow to cool at room temperature, then cover and place in fridge until very cold- at least 6 hours, up to overnight.
- Churn and add cookies. Remove custard from fridge and set up ice cream maker, according to manufacturer’s instructions. Churn until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream, then add the crushed sandwich cookies 1/3 of a cup at a time.
- Freeze. Transfer to container, such as a loaf pan and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Refreeze 2-4 hours until hardened. Scoop and serve. Will last up to week in the freezer
Notes
Nutrition
This is a recipe for real homemade ice cream. We are using eggs, heating up a true ice cream custard from scratch, and then chilling and churning it. There are many short cuts in the world of ice cream, but there’s no substitute for the real thing.
That doesn’t mean that this recipe is hard or time consuming, however. Most of the time simply involves letting things chill in the fridge or freezer. There is a little bit of stovetop tending, but nothing too extreme. And the results…sweet, creamy, freshly churned ice cream with old fashioned flavor and loaded with big pieces of sandwich cookies…are definitely worth it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ice cream maker: Essential for incorporating air and creating that perfect texture. If you make ice cream more than once a year, it’s worth the investment.
Whole milk & heavy cream: The fat content is non-negotiable for proper freezing and creamy texture. Lower-fat alternatives will result in ice crystals.
Egg yolks: Egg yolks create that incredibly smooth texture and rich flavor. Save those whites for meringues!
Chocolate sandwich cookies: The classic store-bought kind work perfectly. While you can use fancy versions, something about the original brings that nostalgic flavor we’re after. Oreo cookies are the classic, but your store brand is just fine.
Freezer safe container. I now have a silicone
Tips for Making Your Ice Cream Base
Watch your temperatures: A kitchen thermometer is your best friend here. Heating the custard to 185°F ensures it’s thick enough without going too far and curdling.
Be patient with chilling: Your custard NEEDS to be thoroughly cold before churning. If you’re in a rush, place the bowl in an ice bath and stir occasionally to cool it faster.
Don’t overfill your machine: Leave about an inch of space at the top of your ice cream maker. The mixture expands as it incorporates air, and overflow is a messy disaster (ask me how I know).
Cookie crumbles, not dust: When crushing your cookies, aim for a mix of small chunks and crumbles. If they’re too fine, you’ll just have gray ice cream instead of that classic cookies and cream look.
Freeze your storage container: Put your final storage container in the freezer while the ice cream churns. This prevents premature melting when you transfer the soft churned ice cream.
Make It Your Own
Try these variations:
- Swap the cookies for other mix-ins: Crushed candy bars, cookie dough pieces, or ripples of caramel sauce all work.
- Add mint extract instead of vanilla for a mint cookies and cream version.
- Drizzle in fudge sauce during the last minute of churning for a cookies and cream fudge swirl.
- For coffee lovers, add 2 tablespoons of espresso powder to the milk mixture for a cookies and cream affogato flavor.
More Ice Cream Recipes with Mix-Ins
- Candy Cane Ice Cream makes sure you never have to suffer through winter without a creamy, frozen treat!
- Prefer ribbons over mix ins? I hear you. Caramel and fudge swirled through vanilla ice cream is never a bad idea.
By Katie Shaw
Katie shares simple, reliable recipes from her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens.