Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

One time at a little ice cream shop somewhere in Massachusetts, I ate the most wonderful Cookies and Cream ice cream. One scoop high in a sugar cone. I purchased it on a whim, and the ice cream was so perfect that I went back the next morning before we left the quaint little town and ordered another one. Four years later, here I am still thinking about it. If you know me at all, then you will realize how truly weird this occurrence was, since I don't really like ice cream that much, and anything too sweet in the morning is just not a good thing for me. Oh, what I would do to have one of those ice cream cones again!

I also like to make ice cream on a whim, which is why this has become my go-to recipe. This ice cream is really easy to make, requires little forethought and tastes great. Pretty typically, if we happen to have Oreos around and I'm making ice cream, then the cookies end up mixed in, which is why I included them in this recipe. Feel free to leave the cookies out if you want to have just vanilla ice cream. Or get creative and add some of your favorite things! All you have to do is make the ice cream, and add in whatever you want during the last minute or two of churning.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cups sugar
pinch salt
1 vanilla bean (optional)
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
about 8 to 10 Oreo cookies

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of the cream with the sugar and the salt. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean then add them and the whole bean to the saucepan.  Heat the mixture just until the sugar has dissolved.  While it is heating, stir it occasionally, but be careful not to over-stir the mixture.

2. Remove from heat, and transfer the cream mixer to a bowl and add the rest of the cream, the milk, and the vanilla extract. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the fridge for several hours, or you can speed the process up by putting it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Make sure it does not begin to freeze though!

3. When you are ready to make the ice cream, remove the vanilla bean and proceed as you normally do with your ice cream maker.

4. While the ice cream is churning, coarsely chop the Oreo cookies into pieces. Add the cookie pieces to the ice cream during the last couple minutes of churning. Eat the ice cream right away or allow it to firm up in the freezer before serving. Enjoy!

Source: Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz