Ice Cream Sunday: Oreos in My Ice Cream–Vanilla & Chocolate

What to do with a 7-pound box of Oreo’s from Costco? Make Oreo Cheesecake Bites — twice: once for practice and once for a party. Then make Oreo Truffles. Eat bunches as you bake. And for snacks between meals.

Oh my gosh, days and days later and you mean I still have some left? These were the never-ending box of cookies.

Okay, I’ll break ‘em apart and put them in my vanilla bean ice cream to make Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream.

Whew, only a handful left after that. Not too worried about getting rid of them now. I’ll just continue snacking on them…

…until a friend who was eating the Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream said, “This is good, but next time put the cookies in chocolate ice cream.”

Whoa, why hadn’t that thought crossed my mind? (thanks for the idea Jamie ;  )

So I did. Yum–i–lish–ous!! (Sorry Jamie, I ate it all before we had a chance to have dinner again.)

What a chocolate whammy.

Know what I love best about Oreos in my ice cream, whether it’s vanilla or chocolate? I love how the cookie chunks get a bit soft yet still maintain a crunch. It’s kinda like dunking your cookie in a glass of milk or chocolate milk: part of the cookie begins to absorb the milk and get soft while some of it’s still got that crunch.

I just might have to buy another 7-pound box of Oreos!

Vanilla Bean & Oreo Ice Cream (Cookies ‘N Cream)

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INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups heavy cream (or 2 cups heavy cream + 1 cup whole milk)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6-10 Oreo cookies, roughly broken up

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into a medium saucepan; add sugar and salt. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the saucepan, and add the vanilla pod to the pot. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
2. Remove from heat; add remaining 2 cups cream and vanilla extract.
3. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add the cookie chunks during the last 2 minutes of churning (caution: if the chunks are too small, the vanilla ice cream will turn murky from the chocolate in the cookies).

SOURCE: adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Super Chocolate & Oreo Ice Cream

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INGREDIENTS

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 6-8 Oreo cookies, roughly broken up

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the unsweetened chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. Gradually whisk in the cocoa (I like to sift it first to break up the cocoa) and heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. If the chocolate “seizes” or clumps together, don’t worry. The milk will dissolve it.
2. Gradually whisk in the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
4. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more.
5. Add the cream, vanilla, and salt; whisk to blend.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cream mixture and blend. Cover and refrigerate until cold, 1-3 hours…preferably overnight.
7. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add the cookie chunks during the last 2 minutes of churning (caution: if the chunks are too small, the vanilla ice cream will turn murky from the chocolate in the cookies).

SOURCE: adapted from Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

Oreo Cheesecake Bites (and Oreo Truffles)

Happy Birthday Oreos!!

Apparently, this month marks the 100th anniversary of Oreo cookies. I discovered that tidbit while browsing food blogs this morning.

And isn’t it just perfect that I’ve been working on a couple of Oreo desserts the past few days for a party this weekend? What better time to share them than for Oreo’s big bash.

I guess I must like Oreos a lot because I’ve bookmarked this same recipe three times from different bloggers, not noticing that it is the same recipe. I love that rather than bake an entire cheesecake, you can make this in a rectangular or square pan and cut it into bars or bites. The addition of chocolate decorating on top makes these even more festive and fun to share.

Share? Yes. Do share. If you don’t, you’ll end up eating all of these. Yep, they are that lusciously delicious. Trust me, I made a test batch last weekend and they all ended up tasting darn yummy! I’m ashamed to admit that. At least I spread the joy throughout the week, though. Does that count for anything?

On my test batch, I attempted to make baby cheesecakes using my mini muffin tin. However, they just didn’t look as cute as I had imagined (browned edges and sinkholes in the middle), so I opted for the square mini bite style instead. I did discover, though, that these tasted better after a day or two in the fridge. Don’t know why. They just did.

Since I had bought the 3-pound box of Oreos as well as a 3-pound container of cheesecake at Costco to make this, I had plenty of leftovers (and still do). So, I made a batch of Oreo Truffles. Yum. I forgot how darn delectable those little babies taste.

Back to those Oreo bites: Before cutting them into squares, I cut off the browned edges to make them all look uniform and pretty. I made my squares a bit over 1 inch. I ran the knife under hot water after each cut and wiped it dry; this kept my cuts clean. I also discovered that if I just sliced the knife downward and lifted upwards very gently, my cuts remained clean. If I slid the knife out toward me, it pulled the cheesecake and chocolate from the Oreo and made a smudgy-looking stripe along the squares–not very attractive.

After all this, I still have leftover Oreos. I’m craving vanilla ice cream with Oreo bits, so I think that will be my next sweet treat project.

Oreo Cheesecake Bites

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INGREDIENTS

Crust

• 23 Oreos
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 6 tbsp. sugar
• 6 tbsp. sour cream, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 12 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped

Chocolate Drizzle Decoration

• 4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
• 4 ounces white chocolate

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8X8-inch baking pan with foil. Let two sides of the foil overhang on the baking dish so it will be easier to pull out the finished cheesecake.
2. To make the crust, pulse the cookies in a food processor unto they are finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until the cookies are moistened.
3. Transfer the ground Oreos to the prepared baking pan, and press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium-high until light and smooth, about 2 minutes.
5. Mix in the sugar until well combined.
6. Blend in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt.
7. Beat in the egg and egg yolk until well incorporated.
8. Gently stir in the chopped Oreos (note: make sure the chopped cookies are roughly chopped. If you chop them too fine, they will turn the white filling into a mucky dark color).
9. Pour the cheesecake batter over the prepared crust; smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 40 minutes or until cheesecake is set around the edges but slightly wobbly in the center.
10. Let cheesecake cool to room temperature for about 1 hour; cover the pan and refrigerate until well chilled, about  hours or overnight.
11. To cut the bars, lift the overhand foil from the pan, and place the cheesecake on a cutting board. Peel away the foil and slice into bars. Clean the knife blade after each slice to keep the edges pretty. Also, pull knife upward rather than sliding it out after the cut to keep the edges cleaner looking.
12. To decorate, place the cheesecake bites on a wax, foil, or parchment-lined baking tray. Melt the chocolate in separate bowls in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring frequently, until completely melted. Pour the melted chocolate into ziploc baggies (I place the baggie in a small cup and fold the edges over the cup to make this process easier). Snip off a teensy tinsy corner and drizzle the chocolate over the cheesecake bites.
13. Chill the cheesecake until ready to serve. These can also be froze in an airtight container for up to a month. Let them defrost in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

SOURCES: adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, Table for Two, Annie’s Eats