Have you ever made homemade ice cream? Boy . . . there is just nothing better on a hot, sticky summer night than going out on the porch, watching the fireflies dance, and mixing up a batch. After the kids help to create the custard, it goes into the ice cream freezer, while it seems like the entire family churns until their arms feel like spaghetti, and yet . . . it still isn’t done. Of course, the end result is worth it– when you pass out bowls of icy sweetness so incredibly decadent and delicious that you forget the humidity and heat and taste that first, perfect bite. These are the things from which memories are made.
However . . . wouldn’t it be great if you could have that same fun, family experience with your kids, making an icy cold snack for a warm summer evening, even if you work all day and have only about 5 minutes of energy when you get home? Well . . . it’s your lucky day. Because now, thanks to this recipe, you can do just that– make an incredibly delicious, creamy treat with about 5 minutes’ prep, no ice cream freezer required. Easy and delicious always gets my vote! 🙂
What are we waiting for? Let’s do this!
No Churn Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
(adapted from basic ice cream recipe)
Ingredients:
2 cups cold heavy cream
2 tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup crushed Oreos
Directions:
Beat heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until mixture forms soft peaks. Fold in sweetened condensed milk and crushed Oreos. Gently fold mixture into a loaf pan, cover the pan with foil, and freeze until firm. Say “YUM” multiple times and have several bowls.
Now, in pictures! And please remember to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for more great recipes! ?
So, you think homemade ice cream is hard? Well . . . it USED to be hard, back in the olden golden days . . . but no longer! This baby takes 5 minutes, tops, to bang out, and then you pop it into the freezer and get ready to absorb tons of compliments. Ice cream is definitely fun to eat, and now it’s fun to make, too! Sigh. It’s bliss.
Start by beating your cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of your mixer. Word to the wise– start out with the mixer on a low speed, or you will suddenly find yourself baptized. Haha. As the mixture starts to thicken, you can turn up the speed. You want to beat the cream until it gets nice, soft, fluffy peaks– like whipped cream, which is exactly what you are creating.
Ah now . . . isn’t that lovely?
Fold in your sweetened condensed milk. Folding just means that you gently slide your spatula along the side and in a few “J folds” (down through the middle and sweeping along the left, like the letter “J”). Folding in the milk keeps the cream fluffy without deflating it. (Aww, Cream– are you having a bad day? You look so . . . deflated.).
Oooooh. Pretty. Seriously– you are MAKING ice cream. Absorb this experience. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Next, add in your crushed Oreos. I put my Oreos into a plastic bag, sealed it, and let my 4 year old whack at it with the plastic end of a screwdriver until they were smashed. BOY did he enjoy that (“Mommy– you WANT me to smash these?” *Look of utter delight*). So if you want to make ice cream, and you also want to keep your kids occupied and win the “Mom of the Year” award, you may want to consider making this recipe. Kids can also help to stir in the cookies and smooth the ice cream here, in a minute. This is the perfect playdate activity! Have the guest kiddos help make the ice cream when they first get there, and then they can eat it right before they leave . . . get ’em all sugared up just in time to send them home 😉 Hehe. Just kidding 😉
Now gently fold in the cookies– again, we want to keep our cream nice and fluffy. Don’t stir the life out of it.
Now this part is really hard. You almost need a degree in rocket science to do it. POUR THE ICE CREAM INTO A PAN. Yep. That’s it. This is as hard as this gets, people. YAY! I used 2 8×4 loaf pans, and it worked out perfectly. Smooth out the ice cream to get the top nice and even. Carve your initials in there, if you want to. I won’t judge. 😉 It’s your creation. Cover the pans with foil and freeze them for several hours, until the ice cream is firm.
At that point, it gets really easy– get out a nice big spoon and dig in! Yesssssiiiirrrr . . . dig yourself out a nice, creamy spoonful of deliciousness, loaded with chunks of cookies. Oh dear. It’s really almost too bad that this ice cream is so easy to make . . . because things are about to get dangerous! 😉
So grab your kiddos, smash some cookies (and you might have to eat a few, too . . . in the name of science. *Cough, cough*), and make ice cream, together. It’s a great family activity that ends in a fun snack. What could be better than that? Well . . . in might be even better if you turned the whole ‘shebang into a family fun night, with pillows on the floor and a favorite movie on the TV. Pretend it’s a theater and make popcorn and snacks. Let the kids crow about making the ice cream “all by themselves.” Maybe they’ll get cocky enough to do the dishes by themselves, too 😉 Either way, you will have a great time, together, and that’s all that matters.
You did it. And I’m just so proud of you.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which just means that we get a few pennies if you purchase through our link. I never recommend products that I don't personally use and love. Thanks!
Pingback: No Churn Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream – Cookies for England