Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

I love cookies and cream ice cream, it reminds me of the days of getting a single scoop of cookies and cream at Rite Aid, when it was only .99! Now, I would way rather make my own ice cream, which is definitely healthier and more fun to make. I made this right in time for my birthday, which was yesterday, so its been a delicious dessert the past couple days. For this recipe, I used Trader Joe's Joe-Joe's Cookies, which are just like Oreo's, but have all natural flavors, no hydrogenated oils, and made with real vanilla bean specks. The ice cream turned out creamy and rich, and was much easier to make than a custard based ice cream. Since I don't have an ice cream maker, I changed the steps around so I could do the freezer method. I also used more cookies than called for, and crushed some of them up to be very small so that the base would be more chocolatey. Of course I mixed in bigger cookie pieces, because for me, that's my favorite part of cookies and cream ice cream. 

Here is the recipe (with my changes):

• 1.5 C almond milk (or 1 C whole milk)
• 3/4 C sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2C heavy cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 20-25 Trader Joe's Joe-Joe's Cookies

1. In a medium bowl, combine almond milk, sugar and salt. Whisk or beat for several minutes until the sugar has dissolved completely. Add the cream and vanilla. Give a quick stir to blend. Cover and chill for around 1-2 hours. 
2. Chop up the 20-25 cookies in an irregular manner. If you want a more vanilla base, add less cookies, but if not, add some more! Grab the chilled bowl, and add the chopped up cookies. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. If you have an ice cream maker, this would be where you would follow your manufacturer's directions. If you don't have an ice cream maker, make sure you check on your ice cream every 30-40 minutes to make sure the ice cream doesn't harden and form ice crystals; mix the ice cream with a spatula or spoon each time you check it. 
3. After you reach a creamy consistency, transfer the ice cream to a covered container to store. At this point, store the ice cream in the freezer for a couple hours to let it harden a little. This ice cream won't harden too much though - it's perfect for scooping. 

Enjoy!

xoxo, A