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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Cookies and cream ice cream made with a cooked vanilla custard base for a creamy, scoopable texture. Churned with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies added at the end for chunky cookie pieces plus a soft cookies-and-cream swirl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Custard base
  • 2 cup heavy cream Use cold cream for best custard control.
  • 1 cup whole milk Whole milk keeps the base creamy.
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar Helps sweeten and stabilize the custard.
  • 4 egg yolks Temper carefully to avoid scrambling.
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract Stir in off-heat after straining.
  • 0.25 tsp salt Balances sweetness and cookie flavor.
Cookies
  • 20 chocolate sandwich cookies Roughly crushed (about 2 cups); keep some larger pieces for texture.

Equipment

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

Method
 

Make the custard
  1. Heat the heavy cream and whole milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming, not boiling, with small bubbles forming around the edges.
  2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until smooth and slightly lighter in color.
  3. Slowly whisk the steaming cream mixture into the egg yolks in a thin stream to temper, keeping the egg mixture moving.
  4. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175F and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Chill the base
  1. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a clean container to remove any bits of cooked egg.
  2. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt, then cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating.
  3. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (until very cold and set enough to churn).
Churn and freeze
  1. Churn the cold custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until it reaches a soft-serve consistency.
  2. During the last 2 minutes of churning, add the crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, letting some stay chunky while others dissolve slightly for a cookies-and-cream swirl effect.
  3. Transfer the churned ice cream to a container and freeze until firm.

Notes

Pro tip: temper slowly and cook only until 175F—overheating can create a grainy custard. Store covered in the freezer for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge 10–15 minutes before scooping. Freezer: yes. Dietary swap: use lactose-free whole milk and lactose-free heavy cream to keep the same texture while reducing lactose.