This is not your average Cookies and Cream Ice Cream, this isn’t Oreo dust or a few crumbles of cookies, this is nearly an entire package of chocolate sandwich cookies stuffed into a batch of ice cream.

If you love Oreos, you are certain to love this homemade cookies and cream ice cream.

This is creamy, rich, homemade vanilla ice cream absolutely loaded with chunks of Oreos. Oh, Cookies and Cream Ice Cream, how I love you. Is it the fact that handfuls of my favorite sandwich cookies are crammed into each bowl of creamy ice cream?

Or is it simply that I can never have too many ways to eat Oreos? or is it that I can never have enough recipes for homemade ice cream? Whatever the reason, this is our house’s newest favorite ice cream.

To really take this ice cream over the top, I recommend stirring together a batch of this Homemade Chocolate Sauce while the ice cream is churning.

Chocolate Magic Shell is another favorite topping for ice cream in our house as well. However you serve it, this ice cream is always a treat.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

A great many of our favorite ice cream recipes begin with a batch of smooth and creamy vanilla ice cream.

To make the best-ever cookies n cream ice cream, chop up a whole pile of chocolate sandwich cookies while the ice cream is churning. When the ice cream is ready, layer those cookie pieces into a container with the soft ice cream.

All that’s left is to stash the ice cream cookie mixture in the freezer until it’s semi-firm and scoopable. Easy as can be to make and you likely won’t be buying another carton of cookie and cream ice cream from the store anytime soon.

Yes, homemade cookies and cream ice cream really IS that good.

Read more

Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream is some of the creamiest ice cream I have ever made and for the record, it is worlds away from the mint-flavored ice creams you can find in a store.

Pure peppermint deliciousness from start to finish without even a hint of a chemical or mass-produced flavor.

Peppermint Ice Cream is surprisingly light, sweet, and minty. I think I dipped a spoon into the freezer container about 15 times the first time I made this and I’m not even a huge fan of peppermint!

This is a spectacular combination of winter flavors and summer refreshment. I’ve been making this ice cream year-round for over ten years now.

Peppermint Ice Cream

I’m trying, I really am, but there aren’t even words to describe how fantastic this ice cream is. It’s incredibly creamy and loaded with peppermint candy cane flavor.

If you hang out with me on Instagram, you may remember that this ice cream blew my mind the first time I made it. I’m still so impressed with this ice cream, I’ve made countless batches just to share my excitement with friends.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Read more

Creamy candy cane ice cream sprinkled throughout with candy cane pieces is perfect with a brownie or topped with chocolate.

Candy Cane Ice Cream

Peppermint bark just might be the most genius holiday treat ever created. Candy canes and chocolate go together so perfectly. So it only makes sense to add chopped-up peppermint bark or swirl some chocolate sauce into the candy cane ice cream.

I am a bit of an extract and flavor purest. I read the labels VERY closely to make sure they are pure extract for whatever flavor I am looking for. That’s a lesson I learned the hard way after a peppermint extract debacle a few years ago.

Once upon a time, I accidentally bought a Pure “Mint” Extract a while back and it was a blend of spearmint and peppermint. Lovely fragrance, but unfortunately, it left my chocolate bark tasting like a pack of chewing gum.

Peppermint Ice Cream

Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream is some of the creamiest ice cream I have ever made and for the record, it is worlds away from the mint-flavored ice creams you can find in a store.

This candy cane ice cream is based on that recipe. The addition of extra candy cane pieces and peppermint bark makes this a really fun holiday treat.

Learn from my mistake and be careful to use PURE Peppermint Extract, read the ingredients and make sure there is only peppermint in the extract.

Now that we are clear on that front, in addition to using peppermint extract, I wanted this ice cream to REALLY taste like candy canes. To do that I use my blender or food processor to blend candy canes and milk together.

Yes, you can just crush the candies up and mix them in. However, doing this turns the candy canes into a fine powder that then dissolves into the ice cream mixture and delivers smooth, creamy ice cream as a result. If you don’t have candy canes, Starlight mints work nicely.

Read more

Peppermint mocha ice cream is a great way to enjoy your favorite Christmas flavors in a cold and creamy bowl of ice cream.

Peppermint Mocha Ice Cream

Creamy peppermint with hints of mocha and chocolate is like having all of your favorite holiday treats frozen together. Ice Cream isn’t just for summer! My ice cream maker gets a year-round workout as I blend our favorite flavors of that season together.

I’ve heard people say that when trying to mix cocoa powder into milk or cream it can be lumpy or hard to get smooth. Let me help you with that.

When using cocoa powder and sugar together in a recipe, a trick I learned a long time ago is to whisk the cocoa powder together with the sugar.

Peppermint Ice Cream Recipes

Once the cocoa powder and sugar have been smoothly combined add the cream and milk, and warm through. Keep whisking so the sugar and cocoa powder can dissolve.

Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts when you remove the cocoa milk mixture from the heat. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before pouring it into the ice cream maker.

As you know, I love a great mint ice cream and Peppermint Candy Cane Ice Cream is a Christmas-time proof of that. And for more mint happiness, Fresh Mint Ice Cream is like no other mint ice cream you’ve tried in the past.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

With over Read more

Smooth, creamy, and filled with the warm spices of the holiday season Eggnog Ice Cream is the perfect fireside treat.

Eggnog Ice Cream

While ice cream is often considered a summer treat, eggnog ice cream is a winter favorite. This lightly spiced ice cream evokes a cozy feeling and we enjoy it through the holiday season.

The warm spices of nutmeg, vanilla, and a splash of rum extract bring about all the cozy holiday feelings. This is a bowl I am happy to enjoy fireside throughout the holidays.

Eggnog is as rich in history as it is to drink, or in this case enjoy as ice cream. For the British, it was a sign of wealth to serve eggnog because of the expensive spices like cinnamon and nutmeg along with the pricey alcohol like brand and sherry that were used.

Fast forward to the 1700s in America, when it was served because milk and eggs were readily available. Rum was used and suddenly you have an affordable drink to enjoy during the holidays.

Traditional eggnog would contain raw egg, but I find that the combination of nutmeg, vanilla, and rum extract mimics the real thing nicely. This results in an easy-to-make base and deliciously creamy homemade eggnog ice cream.

Eggnog can be made with a variety of different alcohols. For the ice cream though, I prefer to use rum extract, keeping it with the eggnog flavor, but alcohol-free so that the final texture isn’t compromised and the whole family can enjoy it.

My favorite eggnogs are the ones you start to see this time of year in the glass bottles at the grocery store. Many local creameries have their own special recipe like Hartzler Family Dairy which has a seasonal collectors edition glass bottle each year.

Speaking of eggnog, did you know that you can make an even simpler version of eggnog ice cream with just one ingredient?? You sure can. Just pick up your favorite eggnog at the store and pour it into your ice cream maker. No joke, it works great.

That version of eggnog ice cream isn’t exactly the same as this one, but if you wind up with leftover eggnog? Now you have the perfect use for it.

Read more