This Cookies and Cream Ice Cream is a decadent and rich vanilla based ice cream filled with chocolate cookies and cream sandwiches sprinkled throughout.
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Back in the day on hot days in Mississippi, my Big Mama would pull out an old salt rock ice cream maker and fill it with ice. She made a beautifully silky custard over the stove top, sweetened it to taste, allowed it to cool, poured it into the maker, and cranked it until a lovely soft serve texture of ice cream began to develop. This recipe is inspired by her amazing ice creams I enjoyed growing up.
Perks and Highlights of the Best Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Cuisine Inspiration: Classic American with a Sweet Twist
Primary Cooking Method: Churning and Freezing
Dietary Info: Not Diet-Friendly, but Worth Every Bite
Key Flavor: Sweet, Creamy, and Loaded with Cookies
Skill Level Required: Easy Peasy for Ice Cream Enthusiasts
Sweet Highlights:
- Creamy Bliss: Dive into the luxurious texture that’s smooth, rich, and oh-so-creamy.
- Cookie Crunch: Enjoy the delightful contrast of the crunchy cookie bits in every bite.
- Sweet Memories: This dessert is a throwback to childhood, but sophisticated enough for adult taste buds.
- Versatile Delight: Serve it solo, sandwich it between cookies, or pair it with your favorite dessert.
- Party Pleaser: Whether it’s a family gathering or a solo treat, this ice cream is bound to steal the show.
Ingredients
- Eggs & Egg Yolks: They bring the richness and smooth texture to your ice cream. The yolks, in particular, are the secret agents of creaminess!
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetness is key in any dessert, and this sugar is here to bring it!
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This is where your ice cream gets its luxurious, velvety texture.
- Half and Half: A little lighter than the heavy cream, but still bringing all the richness.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: It enhances all the flavors and adds that sweet, aromatic touch.
- Cookies and Cream Sandwich Cookies: Crush them, mix them, and let them steal the show with their crunchy, chocolaty goodness.
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How to Make Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
- Start with the Eggs: In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the eggs and egg yolks until well combined.
- Sweeten: Whisk in the sugar until the mixture is smooth and the sugar is fully incorporated.
- Heat the Dairy: In a large pot, heat the heavy cream and half and half just until boiling, then remove from heat.
- Temper the Eggs: To avoid scrambled eggs in your ice cream, slowly add three tablespoons of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Continue to slowly add the rest, keeping that whisk moving!
- Add Flavor: Stir in the vanilla extract to give your ice cream that classic, sweet aroma and flavor.
- Chill Out: Give the mixture a time-out in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, ensuring it’s completely chilled.
- Churn: Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to transform it into ice cream bliss.
- Cookie Time: When your ice cream is almost ready, add in the crushed cookies and let them mix in during the last 2-3 minutes of churning.
- Freeze: If you’re not serving immediately, store your homemade delight in the freezer.
How to Store
To store, transfer your cookies and cream ice cream to an airtight container and pop it straight into the freezer. For optimal storage, press a piece of parchment paper directly onto the surface of the ice cream before sealing the container, to keep it ultra-smooth and ward off any ice crystals.
It will stay fresh for up to two months in the freezer.
Favorite Ice Cream Recipes to Try
Here are some more tremendous Grandbaby Cakes homemade ice cream recipes:
- Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
- No Churn Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Oreo Red Velvet Ice Cream
- Mocha Fudge Swirl Ice Cream
Cookies And Cream Ice Cream
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Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2-1 1/2 cups Cookies and Cream Sandwich Cookies, crushed based on preference
Instructions
- Whisk eggs and egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Next add sugar to the bowl and whisk together.
- Add heavy cream and half and half to a large saucepan and heat gently; do not let come to a boil.
- Temper eggs by slowly pour 1 cup of hot heavy cream mixture into egg mixture while whisking quickly. This will raise the temperature of the eggs carefully without scrambling them. Then while stirring, pour the tempered egg mixture slowly into the remaining heavy cream mixture in the saucepan.
- Gently heat ice cream base over medium low heat, stirring constantly (especially the corners of the pot), until thickened and reaches 170F on a digital thermometer. The mixture should look silky and coat the back of a spoon so when you run your finger through it, it doesn’t come back together.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve (to catch any cooked egg pieces) and chill in an ice bath (a bowl set inside of a bowl of ice water) until it’s cooled to room temperature. Then cover with plastic wrap and move into the refrigerator until completely cold, about 2-3 hours.
- Add your mixture to an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Once almost finished, pour crushed cookies and allow to mix in during last 2-3 minutes of churning.
- Store in freezer while not serving.
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I want to thank you for some of the most wonderful recipes… Your family is truly blessed in the kitchen <3 I used this recipe as a base to many recipes that I have made… May you and yours continue to be blessed and always have the good that you put out in the world, to come back on to you <3 Thanks Again… God Bless <3
Love the blueberry pancakes and can’t wait to fix them for hubs.
I so enjoy your blog and almost always want to fix something you feature.
Thanks a million!
Marilyn/Missouri
Hello! So I just tried this recipe, and it tastes delicious, but for some reason when I put it in my ice cream maker it wouldn’t freeze up. I put in my ice cream maker bowl thing a few days ago so it was definitely solid. Any ideas on why this may have happened? It seemed like it was getting close but then turned back into a liquid
Hi Amanda, it sounds like an ice cream maker issue for sure. How old is the maker? Sometimes the bowl doesn’t freeze up all the way and if after 30 minutes, it hasn’t started to become ice cream, it might not be cold enough or it could be an issue with the bowl unfortunately. You could also just mix it by hand every 30 minutes in the freezer if you have the maker issues.