Homemade Ice cream recipes: COOKIES & CREAM

Homemade Ice Cream Recipes: Cookies and Cream. 

High up there on the list of favorites is the cookies and cream ice cream recipe.  I, like most, am a big Oreo fan at the best of times so mixing these little gems around in an ice cream mixture is the best. 

The recipe sets really well and is lovely and creamy with the added bonus of the crunchy Oreos inside which making this a fun one to eat for the kids also. 

Of course if you want to go the extra mile, you could make your own Cookies and crunch them up - there is a great recipe for homemade cookies that I've used in the past right here. 

Ingredients:
1 cup full cream milk
2 cups thickened cream
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
10-20 Oreo Cookies, crushed to a size of your liking


Directions:

1. In a medium sized saucepan combine cream, milk, sugar and bring to heat without boiling. Remove from heat and allow to sit for half hour or so.
2. In a medium bowl whisk your egg yolks very thoroughly. 
3. Once the cream & milk mixture had cooled, slowly add the eggs in to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat.
4. Once mixture has thickened enough to stick to the back of your spoon, remove from heat.  Add the vanilla extract, stir thoroughly through and then place in to the refigerator overnight. 
5. Pour mixture into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer ice cream to a container, cover and freeze.

Homemade ice cream recipes: WHITE CHOCOLATE

Homemade ice cream recipes:  White Chocolate Ice cream

Ingredients:

1 cup full cream milk
1 cup thickened cream
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
6 ounces roughly chopped white chocolate, melted
   
  
Directions:

1. In a medium sized saucepan combine cream, milk, sugar and slowly heat.  Once mixture has thickened enough to stick to the back of your spoon, remove from heat.  Be cautious not boil. Allow to sit for half hour or so.
2. In a medium bowl combine egg yolks with melted chocolate and stir very thoroughly. 
3. Slowly stir the egg and chocolate in to the custard mixture and place in the refrigerator overnight. 
4. Pour custard into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer ice cream to a container, cover and freeze.
5. When serving add some grated white chocolate or fresh berries as a nice garnish.

Homemade Ice Cream Recipes : CAKE MIX

Homemade Ice Cream Recipes : CAKE MIX

Ingredients:

1½ cups full cream milk
½ cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 cups thick cream
1 cup yellow cake mix
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Start by heating the yellow cake mix mixed with 1 cup of cream and 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir over medium heat until.
2. In a separate bowl place the eggs yolks in bowl and whisk until smooth. Then combine the remainder of the cream with the milk. 
3. Take the cake mix "mix" from the heat and gently pour in to the milk and egg yolks - stir though slowly.  Once properly mixed, put the mixture back on meadium heat.
4. Stir constantly, the mixture will thicken slightly and when sticking to the back of your spoon.
5. Immediately pour the custard mixture through the mesh sieve into the bowl with the remaining cream and milk and mix to blend. Cover and chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.
6. Once the mixture is chilled through, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Homemade ice cream recipes: STRAWBERRY AND RHUBARB

Homemade Ice Cream Recipes: Strawberry and Rhubarb.  Whenever I decide to revisit one of the classics, Strawberry ice cream, I always have flash backs to my youth when we used to get served up that bright pink muck that was wedged between the chocolate and vanilla in the Neapolitan mega tub.  Thankfully, the real strawberry ice cream tastes amazing and for an extra bit of bite, I love to add fresh rhubarb when its in season.   It is a quick one, although don't get caught out forgetting to freeze the strawberries the day before you get started. 

Ingredients
    •    Around 3 cups trimmed rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

    •    1/4 cups fine sugar

    •    2 tablespoons granulated sugar, combined with above

    •    2 tablespoons water

    •    8 ounces ripe strawberries (pre frozen)

    •    1 cups heavy cream

    •    1/2 cups milk

    •    2 tablespoons kirsch

Directions  

1.    Place rhubarb, 1 cup sugar, and the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low; let simmer, stirring frequently, until rhubarb is very tender and beginning to fall apart, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a bowl; set aside.

  
2.    Place strawberries in the bowl of a food processor; puree. Strain through a fine sieve or chinois into a bowl; set aside.

3.    Heat cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not let boil. Remove from heat, add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

4.    In a medium bowl, combine cooked rhubarb, strawberry puree, cream mixture, and kirsch. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Homemade ice cream recipes: PEANUT BUTTER CRUNCH

Homemade ice cream recipes: Peanut Butter Ice Cream.  Peanut Butter, from its humble beginnings (World War II created a meat shortage that made the creamy spread an American icon) has transcended from a slave food to a beloved staple.  And why would we think that might be?  It's simply so very, very good.   So imagine the excitement of ice cream (yummo!) PLUS peanut butter (yummo!) - genius. 

Be warned, it's not easy to stop once you start so perhaps double the measures to make sure there's enough to go 'round! 

Ingredients
1 cup full cream milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Peanut Brittle crushed (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine the creamy peanut butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer and beat until smooth.

Add the milk and blend on low speed for about 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has been dissolved.  Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla with a mixing spoon or a whisk.

Place mixture in refrigerator to chill overnight.  Then add to your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer instructions.

I like to sprinkle with a little peanut brittle to really get things a little 'crazy' but that's of course optional - its still deliciously delicious without.

Homemade ice cream recipes: BUTTERSCOTCH

Homemade ice cream recipes: Butterscotch

Ingredients:

2 cups full cream milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 tps butter
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup brown sugar
6 egg yolks
6 medium sized butterscotch biscuits


Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl beat the egg yolks until they are light and fluffy.  Sit them aside.
2. Take a medium saucepan and add the brown sugar, butter and vanilla.  Cook at medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is dissolved and beings to bubble slightly. 
3. Reduce it to a low heat and add in a half a cup of cream.  Once this is mixed through, take it off the heat and let it sit to cool off.   There’s your butterscotch done!
4. Take another medium saucepan and combine the remaining cream with the milk and bring to a gentle simmer.  Be careful not to boil it. 
5. Now take your beaten egg yolks and whisk them through the cream and milk mixture.  Keep stirring continually until the mixture thickens and you can see it sticking to your spoon.  This should take a couple of minutes. Once you see it thicken take if off the heat.
6. Once the milk/cream mixture is cooled (5 or 10 mins) gradually mix in the butterscotch mixture.  Stir this really well to make sure it is completely infused. 
7. Pop it in the refrigerator overnight. 
8. Then the following day, just before you put the cooled mixture in to your ice cream maker, add the crushed butterscotch pieces for some extra crunch.  This is entirely optional but I tink it really adds a big butterscotch look and texture. 

Homemade ice cream recipes: VANILLA THRILLA

Homemade ice cream recipes: Vanilla Thrilla.  A life less Vanilla?  Not for me thanks.  A true vanilla ice cream classic that just keeps getting better as time passes by. Why? Because for all the exotic, weird and wonderful varieties of ice cream that we have made at home and tasted in various places, the classic Vanilla is as delicious as anything that passes my lips.  And it is sooooo simple. 

Of course if you are looking for a recipe that impresses your friends or family, perhaps vanilla wouldn't be your first choice - but reconsider!  There are plenty of cool and interesting ways to present it with plenty of interest and once it has been tasted, forget about any complaints.  You can also look at various toppings however I am always reluctant to take away from the pure vanilla bliss.

I have a range of Vanilla recipes that I like to use but the all time fave is the custard base.  The flavor that oozes out of this little masterpiece is divine.  Below is my homemade recipe, however vanilla is so popular that I cannot really claim this one as my own - but I can give you a few tips here on there to make sure it's perfect.

Here's what you will need:

1 cup (250ml) full cream milk

A pinch of salt

3/4 cup (150g) castor sugar

2 cups (500ml) heavy cream

5 large egg yolks

1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean

 

Start by heating the milk in a medium saucepan adding the salt and sugar gradually. 

Scrape out the seeds out the vanilla bean with a small, sharp knife.  (To do this slice down the center of the pod and then using your knife, scrape out the paste).  Add vanilla beans to the saucepan. Keep the pod to the side for decoration once done.

Cover the pan, and bring to a simmer.  Then remove it immediately from the heat and let sit for an hour or so.  (This is an important step and cannot be skipped.  The mixture must be allowed to infuse.)

After the infusion has taken place reheat the milk.  Taking a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and then slowly add the milk to the eggs.  Ensure you are keeping the mixture moving at all times by stirring quickly with a wooden spoon or whisk. 

Pop the milk and egg yolks in to the saucepan and cook on a low heat.  Continue to stir with your wooden spoon until a thin coating of custard remains on the back of the spoon.  Be careful not to wait too long or the milk will curdle. 

Now gently pour the custard mixture in to the cream.  Cover the custard mixture and allow to cool at room temperature before placing in the refrigerator to completely cool overnight. 

Once you have allowed a thorough cooling of the custard, place the mixture in to your ice cream maker and let it do all the hard work for you. 

This is a fool proof recipe to please young ones to oldies.  Think of creative ways to present you vanilla ice cream such as scoops placed on large spoons or in cups like the image above.  As I mentioned above there are a million and one toppings you can use for vanilla.  But trust me the taste is so good, you'll want to remain a purist.