Nothing says summer like homemade ice cream. Turning sugar and cream into pure heaven tastes like nothing else on earth.
If we are going all out and making this delight of summer, we want a lot of it! I recommend a one-gallon “real” ice cream maker over the little four cup automatic ones. Consider the extra time it requires an investment in family time! Target, Walmart, and Amazon are good places to look for one.
Our family looks forward to our favorite homemade Oreo Ice Cream on Memorial Day weekend, July Fourth and Labor Day. We never make it just for us; lucky friends, neighbors and family are always happy to get an invitation to join us.
This recipe is better than anything store bought for obvious reasons, but what puts it over the top is the fact that it’s not just vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream with crushed oreos stirred in. Every bite tastes like Oreo because the paddle in the ice cream maker crushes up the Oreos and distributes them in every bite. To top it off, when the ice cream maker has done its job, you stir in more broken up Oreos by hand to make it all the more chock full of Oreos. I guess you could call it “Oreo Oreo ice cream”!
Homemade Oreo Ice Cream
Makes 1 Gallon
Ingredients:
2 cans Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
1 quart half and half
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 t. salt
1 T. vanilla
3 rows of Oreos, broken into quarters with hands, divided
1 cup whole milk
Mix the Eagle milk through vanilla and two rows of Oreos and place in an ice cream freezer container; add the whole milk to the mixture until it reaches “fill line.” Freeze according to ice cream maker instructions.
Unclog the paddle (I used a dinner knife to poke out all the Oreos that have gotten stuck in the paddle) and add the remaining row of Oreos; stir in well.
With this Oreo ice cream, the ice cream is not totally frozen, but the Oreos clog the paddle and keep it from being able to turn anymore. Remove the paddle, unclog it, add the remaining row of broken up Oreos; stir well with a long wooden spoon, and put in your freezer to continue freezing. Now is a great time to sample! For the BEST results, continue freezing for several hours, but not overnight, or it will lose its perfect homemade texture.
Let harden or “ripen” in your freezer for a few hours — several hours is best!
Ice Cream Tips
- Use a lot of rock salt and ice.
- After putting the filled canister in place, start layering about 3 inches of ice with a generous sprinkling of rock salt. Repeat the process until the canister is full.
- Keep checking it every 10 minutes or so to add more ice and salt as the ice melts.
- When the motor stops, it is ready.
- The Peanut Butter Oreos are a delicious alternative to plain Oreos.
Amy Jason, a Vestavia wife and mother of three, is an avid baker and cookie connoisseur. She believes that sharing “a little sacka sugar” from your heart and from your kitchen is the sweetest way to spread some smiles. She doesn’t always know what’s for dinner, but she always knows what’s for dessert! Check out Amy and “Little Sacka Sugar” on Facebook and at the Urban Cookhouse Farmer’s Market at The Summit this summer on Thursdays from 3-7 p.m. Amy can also be contacted at amy.jason@att.net.
