Blue Ribbon Group 
This recipe for Swedish Cookies & Cream Ice Cream makes the very best homemade vanilla ice cream. Seriously. Thanks to the whole vanilla bean/extract combo, the richness of the heavy whipping cream, and the gooey deliciousness of the sweetened condensed milk, this ice cream is magical. Truly. And don’t let the simple preparation steps mislead you, because the flavor is not at all simple.
Few Ingredients, Few Steps, Fantastic Flavor
Made with only 4 ingredients and no special equipment, this homemade ice cream takes just a few steps to prepare. The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze.
- Mix your vanilla bean paste (seeds + extract) into the sweetened condensed milk
- Whip the heavy cream into stiff peaks
- Fold the two mixtures together
- Fold in the crumbled cookies
You finish by putting it in a freezer-safe container. Just look at how creamy it is! This is right before freezing it.
The freezing step takes at least 4 hours, so plan ahead with that. I try and make it the day before I want to serve it.
Prep Tips:
- Use a high quality extract. A few that I really like are Frontier Co-op, Penzey’s and Rodale. For the beans, I have used Penzey’s and ones off Amazon. I love the strong flavor you get by combining the vanilla extract with the seeds from the vanilla bean. The vanilla bean paste is essential, in my opinion.
- Be sure to whip the heavy cream until you have stiff peaks. Adding that air makes for such a super creamy texture.
- Do the gentle folding technique when combining everything together and your mix-ins. This way you maintain the ideal texture and volume you want.
- A metal loaf pan works well to freeze the ice cream in, or paper containers. If you choose plastic, go with a thick, sturdy container. Thin ones easily crack.
- You can change up this recipe by using your favorite mix-ins. Some that come to mind: pretzels, peanut butter, cocoa powder, caramel, nuts, and bananas or other fruits. Other extracts and flavors are fun also. Amoretti is a great source for a huge variety of flavorings. I love their cotton candy and pistachio options.
- The last tip is to place it in the refrigerator 30 minutes before you serve it. The scoops come out well rounded and the flavor really blossoms when you eat it very slightly melted.
Ice Cream Inspiration – Blue Ribbon Friends
After making this Chocoholic Homemade Ice Cream a few weeks ago, I vowed to try a version with sweetened condensed milk. My opportunity came when my good friend Chris invited me over to make Swedish pizzas. She had signed up for a Nordic Table Foodways event from the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. It was an online video presentation with Patrice Johnson and it made for a great night. Among the information Patrice sent in advance was the simple dessert idea of mixing Swedish Punsch and Swedish cookies into a vanilla ice cream. That was the inspiration behind this Swedish Cookies & Cream Ice Cream recipe. We opted to have the delicious liqueur as an after-dinner drink, and sipped it between bites of our delicious dessert. WOW. What a wonderful experience. YUM!
Fun Fact: Patrice is a blue ribbon baker I met years ago when she won a cookie contest I managed.
As a big fan of the cookies and cream ice cream made with Oreo cookies, I knew I would like the texture and taste of this Swedish Cookies & Cream Ice Cream. The cookies soften in the creamy mixture but retain their sweet and snappy ginger flavor. Each spoonful is scrumptious; and each bite, a delight. Enjoy!
-Cyndi
