ambrosia: Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

It's April 27, and I'm starting to freak out. Well, not really, but just a little. There's so much for me to do, and I just don't want to do anything. Yep, senioritis has kicked in, and I feel like I've been fighting with myself to get all the work I have to do done. It's terrible, because I need to look for a job so that I can hopefully enter the real world once I graduate, meaning that I have to work on my online portfolio and research/apply to every firm ever in hopes of getting at least one phone call back for an interview. That kind of work isn't too bad though, it's just my school work that is starting to finally get to me. I'm feeling uninspired for my studio workshop, lazy about my independent study (even though my research has gotten really interesting lately), and just blahhhh about my Japanese architecture class. I mean, I still think that everything is interesting, but working on my blog and looking for a real job just seem more interesting and important. Basically, I'm just over all this work I have to do. Can I just graduate now, please?

It still boggles my mind that graduation is so soon...it's only like three and a half weeks from now! Where did the time go!? As much as I'm ready to get out of here (believe me, I am, these past four years have been ridiculously stressful at times), I still wish I could stay for another couple of semesters. There's so many random classes that I would have loved to have taken if I had the time! Womp. But in any case, it's still crazy. Next week is my last full week of classes, with the following Monday being my actual last day of undergraduate classes...ever. Once that happens, I will be one exam and one research paper/presentation away from being completely done with everything ever. It sounds too good to be true! I'm a definitely excited for these next few weeks that are coming up, but I'm also a little nervous. Times like these call for comforting sweets. How does some homemade cookies and cream ice cream sound?

Sounds pretty comforting to me...and yummy!

I was actually never a huge fan of cookies & cream ice cream when I was little. I mean I liked it, sure, but I'm sure I would have liked it more if it had a chocolate ice cream base instead of a vanilla ice cream base. I've been a die-hard chocolate ice cream (or anything, really) person my entire life, and as much as I love Oreo cookies, Oreo chunks mixed in vanilla ice cream was just not enough chocolate to satisfy my chocolate-loving self. My sister, on the other hand, has always loved cookies & cream ice cream, and everything that could be made from it (milkshakes, cheesecake, etc). As I've grown older, I've learned to appreciate vanilla based desserts more and more. While I'm still a crazy chocolate-loving-fiend, every now and then it's nice to take a break from chocolate overload and enjoy a more simple, classic vanilla-based ice cream. Cookies & cream ice cream is the perfect compromise.

This cookies & cream ice cream was fantastic. It begins with a custard base, which is easy to prepare once you get the hang of it. I remember the first time I made a custard-based ice cream I was pretty nervous about it, and I was certain that I would end up with scrambled eggs soaking in sweetened milk...and that's exactly what happened. I approached my second attempt at ice cream with more confidence, and I made sure to pour the hot milk mixture into the eggs really, really, really slowly to avoid scrambling the eggs, and my ice cream ended up being a huge success! I'm convinced that a really slow drizzle of hot milk, combined with constant, intense whisking is the sure-fire method to making perfectly thick and creamy ice cream. I've always gotten great results when I prepare ice cream this way, and this cookies and cream ice cream was no exception.

This ice cream was completely delicious. If I had to make one criticism, it would be that the vanilla flavor was a bit too strong. It didn't taste bad at all or anything like that, but my sister and I just thought that it would have perhaps been just as good, or even better, if less vanilla extract was used. I've written the recipe using the original amount of vanilla extract, but feel free to experiment! Aside from that, the ice cream was perfect. It was creamy, sweet, and loaded with chunks of Oreos. I didn't chop the Oreos up too finely, because, let's be honest with ourselves, the best part of cookies & cream ice cream is biting into a giant chunk of Oreo! That's my favorite part at least, but you can certainly chop them up a bit finer, or use less Oreos if you want. However you decide ro make this ice cream, it'll be delicious. Enjoy!

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients

5 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups chopped Oreo cookies (about 15 cookies)

Directions

Place a wire mesh sieve over a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar, and set aside.

Warm the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cream, milk, and salt in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Once the mixture begins to simmer, begin to pour it into the bowl with the egg yolk mixture, in a very gradual, steady stream, making sure to whisk constantly. It is very important to take your time with this step, as the egg yolks must be tempered, because otherwise, you'll end up with scrambled eggs! Once all of the milk mixture has been added to the eggs, return the mixture to the saucepan, and heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture has thickened (you'll know the custard is ready when you can draw a line across the back of the wooden spoon and the custard doesn't cross it).

Pour the custard into the large bowl through the strainer. Place the bowl into an ice bath, and stir occasionally, just until the custard reaches room temperature. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator until well chilled, at least two hours.

Once the custard has chilled completely, churn it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. A few minutes before the ice cream has finished churning (it should still be pretty soft), add in the chopped Oreo pieces. When the ice cream has finished churning, pour it into a freezer-safe container and freeze for several hours, so that the ice cream becomes hard. Enjoy!