Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Along with my addiction to pasta, I've come to obtain a new addiction to my ice cream maker. If you looked in my freezer at any given time, you'd see about three or four half eaten containers of homemade ice cream. I love ice cream. Love it.

Brian's two favorite ice cream flavors are Cookie Dough and Cookies and Cream. When I got my ice cream maker, Brian asked me to make Cookie Dough Ice Cream, which I finally did but didn't take pictures of it and have now eaten all of it. Oops. However, I did make Cookies and Cream this weekend. I have been eyeing the Limited Edition Strawberry Milkshake oreos in the grocery store and figured they'd be a good twist to regular Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.

For the base, I used Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It's seriously the best Vanilla I've ever tasted. It does not even compare to what you can buy in the store. Thank you David Lebovitz. I always use the cream and milk version of the recipe, and it's so creamy and so vanilla-y. It's just perfect. I could go on, but I won't. Just make it and see for yourself. Trust me. Also, if you have an ice cream maker, I highly recommend buying David Lebovitz's cookbook. He has such fabulous recipes and he hasn't let me down yet.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Source: Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Ingredients:
3 cups heavy cream, or 2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Pour one cup of the cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar and salt. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the saucepan and add the pod to the pot. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from heat and add remaining two cups cream (or one cup cream and one cup whole milk) and add the vanilla. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, and then freeze the mixture according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes about one quart.

To Make Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
While ice cream mixture is churning in the machine, place about ten oreos in a Ziploc bag. Break up cookies in the bag. When mixture is finished churning, stir broken cookies into the ice cream.