Since the official first day of summer was this week, I thought it would be the perfect time to share our favorite ice cream recipe – cookies and cream. This is by far the BEST cookies and cream ice cream I have had. I’m not just saying that because I made it! It’s rich, creamy, and oh so good.
Making your own ice cream may seem like a lot of work, but it’s easy. It just requires a little patience. I know, I know, who can be patient when it comes to ice cream? When I want it, I want it. That’s why I always like to have some in the freezer.
Normally, I double this recipe and make two batches of two different flavors. The more the merrier, I say! When doubled, you will use one quart of half-and-half and one pint of heavy cream. To make my ice cream, I use my KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart mixer and KitchenAid 2 Quart Ice Cream Maker Stand Mixer Attachment. It’s really easy to use, plus I didn’ t have to buy another kitchen appliance.
I love this recipe because it tastes amazing and it is a great base for so many different flavors. Just add your favorite cookie, fruit, or candy to make it your own. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean / 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
8 cream-filled chocolate cookies (I like Newman-O’s)
Directions
Heat half-and-half and sugar over medium-high heat. Do not boil. Scrape caviar of a vanilla bean into the mixture. Once the mixture is heated through, remove from heat. Whisk egg yolks until they are slightly thick. Temper eggs yolks by very slowly adding 1 cup of the heated mixture to the yolks while whisking constantly. Add the egg and half-and-half to the pan of the remaining half-and-half mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon. If the mixture doesn’t thicken in several minutes, turn up the heat and watch closely.
Drain the custard using a fine mesh strainer. This step is especially important if you accidently let the mixture boil. Add strained custard to a bowl with the heavy cream. Stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic and chill completely.
Put cookies in a food processor, or freezer bag and crush to your desired consistency. Churn custard in an ice cream maker and add cookies according to the directions. Place container of ice cream in the freezer to harden for at least 4 hours or overnight.