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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Cookies and cream ice cream made with a hot custard base, strained for a smooth texture, then churned and frozen with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies. Snow-white vanilla ice cream with dark cookie chunks and a subtle cookies-and-cream swirl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing (about 4 hours) 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Custard base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Cookies
  • 20 chocolate sandwich cookies roughly crushed (about 2 cups)

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker

Method
 

Make the vanilla custard
  1. Heat the heavy cream and whole milk in a saucepan until steaming, not boiling. Keep the heat steady so the dairy warms evenly.
  2. Whisk the steamed dairy slowly into the egg yolks and granulated sugar. Pour gradually while whisking to prevent scrambling.
  3. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175F. Scrape the bottom and corners to avoid overcooking.
Chill the base
  1. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container. Use the back of a spoon to press through the custard for maximum smoothness.
  2. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt, then let the custard cool completely. The surface should look glossy and smooth before chilling.
  3. Refrigerate the custard for at least 4 hours, until cold throughout. Chill until it feels thick and scoopable, not pourable.
Churn and freeze
  1. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stop when it reaches a soft-serve consistency.
  2. In the last 2 minutes of churning, add the crushed chocolate sandwich cookies. Fold just enough to create a cookies-and-cream swirl—some pieces will stay chunky and some will dissolve slightly.
  3. Transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze until firm. Let it harden so scoops hold shape, not melt immediately.

Notes

For a silkier texture, strain the custard while it’s still warm and stir until smooth before cooling; any lumps will show up after churning. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days (it may soften), and freeze for up to 2 months for best texture. This is not no-churn; for an egg-free swap, replace egg yolks with an approved no-egg base recipe rather than substituting directly.