Chocolate Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Over the years, Steve and I have gotten into a culinary groove together. I am the chef and baker, making family meals, and all of sorts of DIY pantry items like bread, yogurt, butter, pickles, jam, vanilla extract, and peanut butter. Steve is the brewmaster and mixologist, making beer, simple syrups, and bitters. And he also happens to make way better pancakes than I do.

Between the two of us, it's usually a complimentary partnership, with each of us enjoying our different kitchen tasks. But recently we found the thing that we're both equally passionate about making. ICE CREAM. Steve came home with an ice cream maker a few months ago. I can pass up cake and cookies and pie, but ice cream is my true weak spot. And after tasting homemade ice cream, I have been effectively converted. Holy sweet mother, homemade ice cream is amazing. It takes some work, but it's truly worth it, for the result is creamier, smoother, and more flavorful than your typical store-bought ice cream. And hello, you can create whatever flavor you desire.

The most recent ice cream we made was chocolate cookies and cream. We used homemade chocolate sandwich cookies and butter cream frosting, but Oreos will serve the same purpose. It is rich and chocolatey, with large chunks of chocolate cookie. The chocolate ice cream is a great base for other flavors, and you could get creative with other toppings like caramel, cherries, or peanut butter.

If you have a fondness for ice cream, churn this up and enjoy a bowlful at home.

Chocolate Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

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Makes about 1 quart

2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

5 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups chopped Oreo cookies (about 15 cookies)

Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over the medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (170°F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. Stir in chopped Oreo cookies, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.