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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Cookies and cream ice cream made with a cooked vanilla custard, then churned and frozen for a creamy scoop. Packed with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies for dark chunks and a 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: 640
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Custard base
  • 2 cup heavy cream Use cold cream for best custard consistency before heating.
  • 1 cup whole milk Whole milk helps keep the texture creamy after freezing.
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar Stir constantly so sugar dissolves smoothly.
  • 4 egg yolks Beat yolks with sugar until slightly thickened and smooth.
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract Stir in after straining for a clean vanilla flavor.
  • 0.25 tsp salt Balances sweetness and makes the cookie flavor pop.
Cookies
  • 20 chocolate sandwich cookies Crush to about 2 cups; add late in churning to keep some chunks.

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 until steaming, then slowly whisk into the beaten egg yolks and sugar.
  2. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175°F.
  3. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, then stir in the vanilla extract and salt and cool completely.
Chill, churn, and freeze
  1. Refrigerate the cooled custard at least 4 hours until very cold.
  2. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  3. During the last 2 minutes of churning, add the crushed chocolate sandwich cookies so some stay chunky while some dissolve for a cookies-and-cream swirl effect.
  4. Transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze until firm, with a solid set and scoopable texture.

Notes

Pro tip: keep stirring while cooking to prevent curdling, and fully chill the custard (at least 4 hours) so it churns thick. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months; re-spoon with a warm scoop for easier servings. Freezing is yes—no-churn methods won’t apply here because this is churned custard. For a lighter option, use half-and-half in place of the whole milk and reduce sugar slightly to taste.