Cookies & Cream Ice Cream, what a classic. This is a simple recipe, but it is worth making your ice cream at home. It is simply that much better. The Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean adds a ton of flavor and higher quality cookies make this classic even more luscious. Just don’t eat too much.

The whole vanilla bean here instead of vanilla extract is worth it. Scrape all the beans out, they are packed with flavor.I like to use organic Newman’s O’s. A classic dessert that is always delicious.

INGREDIENTS
– 2 Cups Cream
– 1 Cup Whole Milk
– 1 1/2 Cups Crushed Cream Filled Cookies (Oreos or Newman O’s)
– 1 Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean
– 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

DIRECTIONS

1) Pour cream, whole milk and granulated sugar into a medium saucepan. Let sit.

2) Place the vanilla bean flat on a cutting board. Cutting lengthwise, slice the vanilla bean right down the middle to open the pod. Try not to cut through the bottom layer of the bean though in order to avoid losing any of the little beans found inside.

3) Peel open the bean to reveal the small black seeds. Then, using a spoon or butter knife scrape the interior of the bean clean of all its little seeds. Place the seeds in the saucepan along with the milk, cream and sugar. Make sure you get all of the beans out, don’t waste that flavor! Stir well mixing the beans into the milk and sugar.

4) Place the saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat.  Add the bean shell–it still has some flavor so you might as well let it simmer along with the mixture. Do not let the milk boil–you just want the sugar to melt and the vanilla bean flavor to infuse the milk. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to cool. Cool for 2-4 hours.

5) Crush cream filled cookies. You want to keep some pieces larger and some smaller to add some variety. Make sure they are not sticking together too much as the cream can act like glue–you want it to be a loose mixture. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of crushed cookies and their filling.

6) Remove the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla mixture from the refrigerator. Remove the vanilla bean shell from the mixture and place in the garbage. Pour into an ice cream maker and let churn for approximately 30 minutes.

7) Once the mixture begins to thicken, slowly add the crushed cookies. Let it continue to churn until the cookies are completely integrated and the ice cream is firm and of the proper consistency. Serve with a cookie wedged in there.