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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Scoop of Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Ice cream is the perfect treat for hot weather and this Cookies and Cream Ice Cream is the perfect frozen treat.  This recipe is easy to make, tastes incredible, and has an amazing, creamy texture.  Start with a Vanilla Ice Cream base and add crushed cookie pieces at the end of churning to get that characteristic speckled look.  Every bite will be filled with cookies and cream goodness.  The best part of making ice cream from scratch is that you get to choose how many cookies you want to add.  Do you like there to be a lot of cookies? Add in more?  Want small crumbs or large pieces?  You decide.  Either way, after one bite of this homemade Cookies and Cream Ice Cream, you won’t want to buy it from the store again!

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Ingredients for Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Equipment

Making the Ice Cream Custard

Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients

Place the milk, heavy cream, and tapioca flour into a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring occasionally with a whisk.  Once the mixture boils, remove from the heat and let it cool for a minute. 

While the mixture is cooling, whisk the egg yolks with sugar until they lighten in color (i.e., a pale-yellow color) in a large bowl.  Temper the eggs by pouring a small amount (approximately ⅓ of the mixture) of the cream mixture into the egg bowl while whisking constantly.  This will allow the eggs to warm up slowly without scrambling them. 

Pour the remainder of the cream mixture into the egg bowl while whisking constantly and then return the entire mixture to the saucepan. 

Vanilla Ice Cream Custard

Cook the mixture on low heat while stirring frequently until the mixture thickens slightly.  Continue cooking until the custard reaches 170-175°F/77-80°C on an instant-read thermometer. 

Straining Vanilla Ice Cream Custard

Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer into another container.  Straining ensures the removal of any cooked eggs from the final custard. 

Allow the custard to sit at room temperature for a few minutes (approximately 5 minutes) to cool slightly, then add the vanilla extract and vodka2

Vanilla Ice Cream

After stirring to combine, cover with a piece of plastic wrap that touches the surface.  This will keep the custard from developing a skin while cooling.  Leave the custard in the fridge for 4 to 8 hours, or until the ice cream has cooled completely (i.e., 40°F/4°C or below). 

Preparing Cookie Pieces

For a completely homemade version of this ice cream, you can make a batch of my Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies, which are essentially homemade Oreos.  For a faster version, you could also buy a package of Oreos from the store. 

Use a knife to chop the full cookies (without removing the frosting center) into small pieces and crumbs.  The cookie pieces will soften slightly when in the ice cream so it’s ok to have some larger pieces with small, crushed cookies for a variety of textures throughout the ice cream.  You can also taste the cookies better when the cookie pieces are larger.  Set the cookies to the side until the last few minutes of churning.

Churning the Vanilla Ice Cream

Many ice cream machines made for the home kitchen require the bowl to be frozen at least 24 hours before churning.  Follow your machine’s instructions for the best ice cream.

Approximately 15-20 minutes before churning, place the custard into the freezer.  This process helps the custard to get colder without freezing and creates more volume when the ice cream is churned. 

Pour the custard into the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions.  Using the KitchenAid Ice Cream Machine, this process takes 25-35 minutes.  The consistency of the ice cream will be “soft serve” consistency when the churning process is complete.  About 1-2 minutes before churning is complete, add the cookie pieces and allow the paddle to incorporate the cookie pieces.  If the cookies aren’t evenly incorporated throughout the ice cream, use a spatula to fold them. 

Storing Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Scoop of Cookies and Cream Ice Cream with Oreo Cookie Topping

Remove the ice cream from the bowl and place into an airtight container.  Cover the ice cream with a layer of plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent freezer burn.  Freeze the ice cream for 3 to 4 hours to allow it to harden. 

This ice cream is incredibly creamy, and the crushed chocolate sandwich cookies look beautiful when mixed into the ice cream.  Feel free to top the ice cream with more broken cookie bits for an added crunch. 

Scoop of Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Notes

  1. I use the KitchenAid Ice Cream Machine and I’m very happy with the quality of ice cream that we can make.  There are many different ice cream makers for the home kitchen.  Most of them require a detachable bowl to be put in the freezer at least 24 hours before churning the ice cream.  In general, the faster ice cream can be frozen, the better the texture of the ice cream will be. (Back to “Equipment” section)
  2. The vodka keeps the ice cream from forming large ice crystals while freezing. (Back to “Making the Ice Cream Custard” section)

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Scoop of Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Prep Time30 minutes
Cooling Time8 hours
Course: Dessert

Equipment

  • Digital scale (or liquid and dry measuring cups)
  • Medium saucepan
  • Whisk
  • Silicone spatula
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Fine mesh strainer
  • Large Tupperware container
  • Plastic wrap
  • Sharp knife
  • Ice cream machine

Ingredients

  • cups (565g) heavy cream
  • ¾ cup (175g) whole milk
  • 6 large (115g) egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • tsp (5g) tapioca flour
  • 1 Tbsp (13.5g) vodka
  • 1 tsp (7g) vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (90g) crushed homemade Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies (or Oreos)

Instructions

Making the Ice Cream Custard

  • Place the milk, heavy cream, and tapioca flour into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring occasionally with a whisk. Once the mixture boils, remove from the heat and let it cool for a minute.
  • While the mixture is cooling, whisk the egg yolks with sugar until they lighten in color (i.e., a pale-yellow color) in a large bowl. Temper the eggs by pouring a small amount (approximately ⅓ of the mixture) of the cream mixture into the egg bowl while whisking constantly. This will allow the eggs to warm up slowly without scrambling them.
  • Pour the remainder of the cream mixture into the egg bowl while whisking constantly and then return the entire mixture to the saucepan.
  • Cook the mixture on low heat while stirring frequently until the mixture thickens slightly. Continue cooking until the custard reaches 170-175°F/77-80°C on an instant-read thermometer.
  • Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer into another container. Straining ensures the removal of any cooked eggs from the final custard.
  • Allow the custard to sit at room temperature for a few minutes (approximately 5 minutes) to cool slightly, then add the vanilla extract and vodka.
  • After stirring to combine, cover with a piece of plastic wrap that touches the surface. This will keep the custard from developing a skin while cooling. Leave the custard in the fridge for 4 to 8 hours, or until the ice cream has cooled completely (i.e., 40°F/4°C or below).

Preparing Cookie Pieces

  • For a completely homemade version of this ice cream, you can make a batch of my Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies, which are essentially homemade Oreos. For a faster version, you could also buy a package of Oreos from the store.
  • Use a knife to chop the full cookies (without removing the frosting center) into small pieces and crumbs. The cookie pieces will soften slightly when in the ice cream so it’s ok to have some larger pieces with small, crushed cookies for a variety of textures throughout the ice cream. You can also taste the cookies better when the cookie pieces are larger. Set the cookies to the side until the last few minutes of churning.

Churning the Vanilla Ice Cream

  • Many ice cream machines made for the home kitchen require the bowl to be frozen at least 24 hours before churning. Follow your machine’s instructions for the best ice cream.
  • Approximately 15-20 minutes before churning, place the custard into the freezer. This process helps the custard to get colder without freezing and creates more volume when the ice cream is churned.
  • Pour the custard into the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions. Using the KitchenAid Ice Cream Machine, this process takes 25-35 minutes. The consistency of the ice cream will be “soft serve” consistency when the churning process is complete.
  • About 1-2 minutes before churning is complete, add the cookie pieces and allow the paddle to incorporate the cookie pieces. If the cookies aren’t evenly incorporated throughout the ice cream, use a spatula to fold them.

Storing Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

  • Remove the ice cream from the bowl and place into an airtight container. Cover the ice cream with a layer of plastic wrap touching the top of the ice cream to prevent freezer burn. Freeze the ice cream for 3 to 4 hours to allow it to harden.
  • This ice cream is incredibly creamy, and the crushed chocolate sandwich cookies look beautiful when mixed into the ice cream. Feel free to top the ice cream with more broken cookie bits for an added crunch.

Notes

1. I use the KitchenAid Ice Cream Machine and I’m very happy with the quality of ice cream that we can make. There are many different ice cream makers for the home kitchen. Most of them require a detachable bowl to be put in the freezer at least 24 hours before churning the ice cream. In general, the faster ice cream can be frozen, the better the texture of the ice cream will be.
2. The vodka keeps the ice cream from forming large ice crystals while freezing.

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