Kids Cuisine

In our household, ice-cream season is twelve months long. We eat it year-round, in all kinds of weather. But it’s true that come Memorial Day, our ice-cream consumption does seem to step up a bit, as we dive into warmer weather with an increased appetite for the cold, sweet stuff.

This year I’m looking forward to my inaugural summer with my two ice-cream machines. I’ve lost count of how many batches of ice cream, gelato, and sorbet I’ve made in those machines since I acquired them a couple of months ago, but I’ve already done some experimenting with flavors and textures and can’t wait to pursue my “research” into the hotter months.

Although I tend to like the exotic flavors and flexibility afforded by the fruit sorbets, my kids love a basic vanilla base with their favorite cookies or candy-bar pieces churned in. The following recipe is a Philly-style vanilla; that is, it does not require a custard base. Because of this, it works up in minutes. Freezing the cookie mix-ins before adding them helps prevent ice crystals from forming when the frozen ice-cream base meets the room-temperature cookies. Grab a spoon and get going!

Homemade Cookies and Cream Ice Cream ~ Philly Style

• 10 chocolate sandwich cookies, roughly chopped
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Place chopped cookies in the freezer while you assemble the ice-cream mix and prepare the base. In a chilled stainless-steel mixing bowl, combine heavy cream, half-and-half, condensed milk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Mix with an electric mixer until well combined. Pour vanilla ice cream base into ice-cream machine and process according to manufacturer’s directions.

When ice cream is finished, stir in the frozen chopped sandwich cookies. Spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe plastic container with a lid and let harden in freezer for at least 3 hours before serving.