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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Cookies and cream ice cream made with a cooked custard base for a creamy, scoopable texture, then churned with crushed chocolate cookies. Expect dark cookie chunks throughout the snow-white vanilla ice cream and a light cookies-and-cream swirl from some cookies dissolving.
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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: 430
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
Cookie mix-in
  • 20 chocolate sandwich cookies roughly crushed (about 2 cups)

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 fine mesh sieve
  • 1 ice cream maker

Method
 

Cook the custard
  1. Heat heavy cream and whole milk in a saucepan until steaming, then turn off the heat. Visual cue: tiny bubbles and steam should rise around the edges.
  2. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with granulated sugar until smooth. Visual cue: the mixture should lighten slightly and look glossy.
  3. Slowly whisk the steaming milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs. Visual cue: the custard should thicken a bit but remain pourable.
  4. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175F. Visual cue: it should coat the back of a spoon and hold a line when you draw a finger through it.
Chill and churn
  1. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve, then stir in vanilla extract and salt. Visual cue: you should have a very smooth, creamy base.
  2. Cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate at least 4 hours. Visual cue: the custard will look colder and noticeably thicker.
  3. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Visual cue: it should turn into soft-serve consistency.
  4. During the last 2 minutes of churning, add roughly crushed chocolate sandwich cookies. Visual cue: add them gradually so some stay chunky while some dissolve slightly for a cookies-and-cream swirl effect.
  5. Transfer the churned ice cream to a container and freeze until firm. Visual cue: it should scoop with a dense, sliceable texture after freezing.

Notes

Pro tip: cook to exactly 175F and keep stirring so the custard stays silky instead of curdling. Refrigerate the finished ice cream for up to 2 weeks; for best texture, press parchment directly onto the surface before freezing. Freezer yes: it keeps up to 2 months. Dietary swap: use a dairy-free milk and cream substitute designed for custard if you need dairy-free (texture may be softer).