Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

This Cookies & Cream Ice Cream is a recipe that starts with my slightly adapted version of the Jeni's ice cream recipe base. I've made this so many times that I've adjusted the ratios just slightly based on some personal preferences and what we have had around the house, but I have learned so much from Jeni!

Jeni's Splendid Cheesecake Ice Cream Base

This ice cream base does not contain eggs, but is just as creamy and smooth as the egg type. The secret is harnessing the natural proteins in the milk, casein and whey, to do the same job as the eggs. This involves boiling the milk, using a small amount of cream cheese and adding in a starch such as cornstarch or tapioca. The recipe is called a base because you can flavor it with whatever you want. For this batch I used Oreos, but sometimes I leave them out and just increase the vanilla.

More Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Notes

Cream Cheese: The small amount of cream cheese is key to the recipe. Some people can detect the cream cheese and others say they cannot. I can, which is why I was going back and forth on calling it Cheesecake Cake Cream.

Sweetness Level: This ice cream is sweet, but not overly so in my opinion. If you tend to find a lot of ice creams sweet, you might want to use a different recipe. Cutting the sugar and corn syrup isn't really an option because you need the proper ratios for a smooth & creamy consistency.

Cornstarch vs. Tapioca: Another ingredient is the cornstarch. I don't find it to be starchy tasting at all, but people who like the Jeni's base recipe have suggested using tapioca instead. I'll update when I try the tapioca version. Update! We made it with tapioca and the results were interesting. The custard mixture was slightly thicker and slicker, as was the churned ice cream.

Cleaning Tip!

The milk tends to stick to the pot. To clean milk solids sticking to the pot, fill it with water and a few teaspoons of baking soda. The baking soda helps loosen the residue from the sides of the pot.

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
• Oreo Ice Cream Cake
• Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake Ice Cream
• Oreo Cheesecake
• Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches With Mint Ice Cream

Recipe

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Anna

This recipe is my adaptation of the Jeni's recipe base with broken cookies mixed in. The yield is somewhere around 4 cups, so you should get 2 pints (1 quart) once the Oreos are added. It might vary a little based on the airiness of your batch.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Chilling and Cooling 4 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 4 cups

Ingredients

 

• 3 ½ tbsp. cream cheese, softened (52 grams)
• 2 cups whole milk (480 grams)
• 4 tsp. cornstarch or 2 teaspoons tapioca starch
• 1 ¼ cups heavy cream (280 grams)
• ⅔ cup sugar (130 grams)
• 1 ½ tbsp. light corn syrup (30 grams)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1-2 teaspoons vanilla (use 1 for cookies & cream and 2 for vanilla)
• 10 count Oreos or other chocolate sandwich cookies, chopped

Instructions

 

• Put the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Soften it by letting it sit out for an hour OR put it in the microwave for 10 seconds. Stir until creamy and smooth. It's very important to soften the cream cheese, otherwise the custard will have little lumps of it throughout.
• In a small bowl or custard cup, stir together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of the milk to make a slurry. Set aside.
• Add the remaining milk to a 4 quart or larger saucepan. I prefer using an 8 quart pot so there's no chance of boil over. Just don't use anything smaller than 4 quarts. Along with the milk, add the cream, sugar, corn syrup and salt.
• Bring to a boil over medium high. Once it's at a boil, cook for 4 minutes, keeping a close eye on it so that it doesn't boil over. You can give it a stir occasionally if you need to. It should be a steady, rolling boil.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to the heat and bring to a boil again, but this time whisking just until thickened, about 2 minutes. It won't be as thick as pudding, but more like a thin gravy or white sauce.
• Remove the pot from the stove. Pour about ¼ cup of the hot milk into the bowl with the softened cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the remaining milk mixture. Let cool just slightly and stir in the vanilla.
• Now it's time to quick cool. I used to just cool at room temperature and move to the refrigerator, but I've adopted the quick cool in a bag method. Just pour the warm mixture into a heavy duty freezer bag (gallon size). Close it. Submerge in an ice water bath for 30 minutes. Once cool, refrigerate for a few more hours or until very cold.
• Pour mixture into an ice cream maker. Begin processing as usual. While ice cream maker is going, break up about 3 to 5 of the cookies and let the machine crush them (ice cream will turn grey from the cookies). Process according to manufacturer's instructions. Towards the very end, add remaining cookies. Transfer ice cream to a storage container and freeze until set.
• Alternatively, if you don't want grey ice cream and would rather have vanilla with big chunks, you can just add the Oreos only while packing into containers.

Keyword Cookies and Cream, Jeni's Splendid

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!