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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Cookies and cream ice cream made with a cooked custard base for a thick, creamy scoopable texture. Churned with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies so you get chunky cookie pieces and a subtle cookies-and-cream swirl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 minutes
Total Time 29 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookies and cream 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
  • 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. In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and whole milk until steaming, not boiling, then remove from heat. Visual cue: tiny steam wisps should rise from the surface.
  2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until smooth and slightly thickened. Visual cue: the mixture should look glossy and pale.
  3. Slowly whisk the steaming cream mixture into the egg yolks to temper, pouring in a thin stream while whisking. Visual cue: keep whisking until no streaks remain.
  4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175F. Visual cue: it will coat the back of a spoon and look lightly thickened.
Chill the base
  1. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a clean container. Visual cue: you should remove any cooked egg bits for a smooth texture.
  2. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt, then cool completely at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Visual cue: the surface should look smooth and uniform.
  3. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours until fully chilled. Visual cue: the custard should be cold throughout with a thicker, pudding-like feel.
Churn and freeze
  1. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Visual cue: it should thicken to the consistency of soft-serve as it churns.
  2. In the last 2 minutes of churning, add the roughly crushed chocolate sandwich cookies. Visual cue: you’ll see some chunks remain dark and intact while some soften into a lighter cookies-and-cream swirl.
  3. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm. Visual cue: the ice cream should scoop cleanly with minimal melting at the edges.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the heat at medium-low and stir constantly—pull the custard as soon as it hits 175F to avoid curdling. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days; freeze up to 2 months for best texture (thaw 5–10 minutes before scooping). Dietary swap: use lactose-free milk and lactose-free cream if desired for a similar texture and flavor.