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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Cookies and cream ice cream with a smooth custard base and a churned cookies-and-cream swirl. Snow-white vanilla ice cream is chilled, churned, then frozen with chunky crushed chocolate sandwich cookies for strong cookie contrast.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookies and cream base
  • 2 cup heavy cream Use full-fat for a creamy texture.
  • 1 cup whole milk Helps thin the custard for easy custard cooking.
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar Sweetens the custard base.
  • 4 egg yolks Thickens the custard when warmed to 175F.
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract Stir in after straining for clean vanilla flavor.
  • 0.25 tsp salt Balances sweetness.
  • 20 chocolate sandwich cookies Roughly crushed (about 2 cups). Add only at the end of churning to keep chunks.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan
  • 1 fine mesh sieve

Method
 

Cook the custard
  1. In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and whole milk until steaming, not boiling.
  2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until smooth, then slowly whisk in the steaming cream-milk mixture.
  3. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175F.
Chill
  1. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve, then stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
  2. Let the custard cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Churn and freeze
  1. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions until thickened to soft-serve consistency.
  2. In the last 2 minutes of churning, add the roughly crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, so some stay chunky and some dissolve slightly for a cookies-and-cream swirl effect.
  3. Transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours (or until scoopable).

Notes

Pro tip: Stir constantly and cook to exactly 175F to get a silky custard without scrambling. Refrigerate any leftover churned ice cream covered for up to 7 days; freezing is recommended and works well for up to 2 months (texture may soften slightly). This is not no-churn because it uses an ice cream maker; for a dairy-free swap, use a high-fat coconut cream + lactose-free milk and use plant-based vanilla.