Attention: Cookie Milk Ice Cream is now a thing. And it is seriously great. If you love cookie butter, you’ll like the flavor of this speculoos cookie ice cream.
Don’t miss my round up of all my ice cream recipes.
Move over, Cereal Milk, there’s a new milk in town.
Christina Tosi, the chef/owner at Momofuko Milk Bar, for those not already In the Know, took everyone’s favorite, the milk left in the bowl after the cereal is gone, and turned it into a star. I love her playful style, sense of nostalgia, and keen understanding of how ingredients work.
As much a fan as I am though, I’m telling cereal milk to take a hike. Vamos.
I’ve been trying to figure out a way to make a speculoos ice cream without resorting to cookie butter. I’m not really a fan of it. I think it has an odd aftertaste and it’s something like 60% oil. So, rather than just mixing some cookie butter (Biscoff Spread) into my ice cream base, I took my cue from Tosi’s cereal milk and decided to give Cookie Milk a try: I steeped Speculoos cookies (specifically, those Dutch Windmill Cookies with almonds in them) in my dairy, strained it out, and then use that in the ice cream. I had no idea if this was going to be an excellent idea or a beautiful disaster, and fortunately, it turned out to be the former.
When I opened my package of Archway Dutch Windmill Cookies, I was annoyed because there were only thirteen cookies in the package? What is that? So I ate one. I took 9 of the remaining cookies (about 6.5 ounces), dumped them in a bowl and poured 20 ounces of half and half on top. I stirred them and shoved them in the fridge for a really long time. Maybe an hour or two. When I came back to them, I stirred them a bit more and then strained it. I pressed down lightly on the solids (which were completely unrecognizable as cookies, let alone windmills), but not too hard. I didn’t want cookie goo coming through, only the starchy milk. I ended up with just under 2 cups of “cookie milk.”
To that, I added 2 ounces of dark brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of corn starch and a pinch of salt. I cooked that until it came to a boil, strained it out and chilled it. When it was cold, it was almost as thick as soft-set pudding. I think the starches in the cookies, even though baked, helped to thicken up the liquid, so maybe next time I will try not adding any cornstarch at all. Anyway, since it was so thick, I warmed another 8 ounces of half and half with another pinch of salt and 1 ounce of brown sugar and then stirred that in to the rest. That completely took care of the texture issue.
The base needed not one pinch more of spice–even though “diluted,” the base tastes and smells just like the cookies. Success!
Action shot!
As the ice cream was churning, I took the remaining three cookies, coarsely chopped them, and stuck them in the freezer. Silly to mix in room temperature ingredients to something you’ve taken great pains to freeze. I mixed the cookie pieces in with the base during the last couple of minutes and then layered it with brown sugar (like I did for last week’s) to make a molasses-y, caramelly ribbon.
Sometimes the wind comes up and knocks your backdrop into your ice cream. That happens.
Why didn’t I just use cookie butter? Well, I didn’t want all that extra fat in the ice cream–I hate when homemade ice cream leaves a coating of fat on the inside of your mouth. Gross. Plus, I wanted to see if cookie milk could be a new thing. And it can be! I think you could probably make cookie milk with almost any kind of cookie. And then you could turn it into ice cream or not.
This ice cream has one of the shortest ingredient lists of any ice cream I’ve ever made. And it is good. Seriously good. It’s cookies in cookies with a side of cookies. Yay! Here’s how you can make your own.
Even though I may not use cornstarch next time, I'm going to give you the instructions so you can make it the way I did. It turned out well, so maybe the cornstarch was a good idea after all.
6.5ozgive or take--I'd say anywhere between 6 and 8 oz of cookies your favorite speculoos cookies (I used Archway)
28ozhalf and half, divided use
3ozby weight, dark brown sugar
2teaspoonscorn starch
¼teaspoonkosher salt(or to taste)
For the Mix-Ins
Broken/Crumbled/Chopped Cookies, frozen (about 1 cup's worth) I had 3 windmill cookies left, so that's what I used
For the Swirl
3-4Tablespoonsdark brown sugar
Instructions
For the Ice Cream Base
Place the cookies in a large bowl.
Pour 20 oz half and half over the cookies, stir, and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 4 hours.
Strain the "cookie milk" through a fine mesh strainer, tapping the side of the strainer firmly with a wooden spoon to keep it flowing and pressing down gently on the solids. Don't push down so hard that actual cookie goo is coming through. Towards the end, some thicker stuff will come through, but try to keep it at a minimum. Discard the cookies (feed them to a pet or something).
To the milk, add the dark brown sugar, salt and corn starch.
Whisk over medium high heat until the mixture reaches a boil and thickens. Let boil for maybe 10 seconds and then strain into a metal bowl set in an ice bath.
Chill, stirring occasionally, until cold.
Pour in the last 8 ounces of half and half. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.
Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
Putting It All Together
Add the cookies during the last 2-3 minutes of churning or just fold them in until evenly distributed.
Sprinkle about 1- 1 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar in your container.
Layer in about 1/3 of the ice cream.
Sprinkle on more sugar, then ice cream, then sugar and finish with ice cream.
Press plastic wrap down directly on the surface of the ice cream and ripen in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
And, there you have it friends. I’m pretty sure you saw it here first, too: Cookie Milk. Cookie Milk Ice Cream. Now, go steep your favorite cookies in milk and make your own version of cookie milk ice cream!
Another Ice Cream Tuesday!
My friend Stacy from the beautiful Food Lust People Love joined me in #IceCreamTuesday madness today! Look what she made! No Churn Brown Sugar Peach Ripple Peach Ice Cream! How’s that for a delicious mouthful and a welcome addition to Ice Cream Tuesday? Because you know what we say:
Don’t Forget the Giveaways!
Thanks for reading. Oh, before I go, I wanted to remind you of two giveaways going on now here. Click the links to enter for your chance/chances to win!
Pickled Pear Sorbetto (case of Taylor’s Gold Pears and $150 VISA gift card; giveaway on-going through July)
Passion for Coffee Review (copy of Passion for Coffee: Sweet and Savory Recipes with Coffee–I highly recommend this book; I’ll be choosing a winner on Friday, June 13 at 7pmET).
Oooo! I have a jar of Speculoos tucked away in the back of my pantry (to avoid obsession, I had to hide it!). Methinks it’s time to make an appearance!
Brilliant, Jenni! Absolutely brilliant. Very much appreciate your putting your culinary savvy into one of my favorite desserts =) Thanks, too, for the intro to speculoos cookies…I’ll now be on the look-out for them.
Oh, if you’ve not had them, they’re the Dutch version of a molasses cookie but crunchy. Cinnamon-clove-maybe cardamom. And these had almonds in them too. They’re sort of Christmasy. 🙂
I completely agree with you about ice cream that leaves a coating of fat in my mouth. Nasty! I had never heard of cereal milk as a thing but I can just imagine how that would taste. What a great idea to make cookie milk with your speculoos and then make ice cream. You are so smart, Jenni!
I was lucky this time! Remember that no-bake cheesecake that had the nerve to not set up last week? lol And that fatty ice cream? Super weird. It seems to only happen with homemade. 🙁
This looks so good! I wonder if I could substitute the creamy part of coconut milk for the half and half to make this vegan? It might be worth a try at least!
It tastes *just* like a cookie. Plus it has crunchy cookies in it too! Glad you like it, Sophia–if you’re a speculoos fan, this is totally up your alley. =)
That sounds AMAZING! I spent most of my adult life in Holland, Michigan and have Speculoos in my spice cabinet. I mix it in my oatmeal with ground almonds to make a cookie treat for breakfast. Mmmm!
Oh, what if you made windmill sandwich cookies with the ice cream… I’ll be right over. 😉
Move over, Cereal Milk, there’s a new milk in town.
Christina Tosi, the chef/owner at Momofuko Milk Bar, for those not already In the Know, took everyone’s favorite, the milk left in the bowl after the cereal is gone, and turned it into a star. I love her playful style, sense of nostalgia, and keen understanding of how ingredients work.
As much a fan as I am though, I’m telling cereal milk to take a hike. Vamos.
I’ve been trying to figure out a way to make a speculoos ice cream without resorting to cookie butter. I’m not really a fan of it. I think it has an odd aftertaste and it’s something like 60% oil. So, rather than just mixing some cookie butter (Biscoff Spread) into my ice cream base, I took my cue from Tosi’s cereal milk and decided to give Cookie Milk a try: I steeped Speculoos cookies (specifically, those Dutch Windmill Cookies with almonds in them) in my dairy, strained it out, and then use that in the ice cream. I had no idea if this was going to be an excellent idea or a beautiful disaster, and fortunately, it turned out to be the former.
When I opened my package of Archway Dutch Windmill Cookies, I was annoyed because there were only thirteen cookies in the package? What is that? So I ate one. I took 9 of the remaining cookies (about 6.5 ounces), dumped them in a bowl and poured 20 ounces of half and half on top. I stirred them and shoved them in the fridge for a really long time. Maybe an hour or two. When I came back to them, I stirred them a bit more and then strained it. I pressed down lightly on the solids (which were completely unrecognizable as cookies, let alone windmills), but not too hard. I didn’t want cookie goo coming through, only the starchy milk. I ended up with just under 2 cups of “cookie milk.”
To that, I added 2 ounces of dark brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of corn starch and a pinch of salt. I cooked that until it came to a boil, strained it out and chilled it. When it was cold, it was almost as thick as soft-set pudding. I think the starches in the cookies, even though baked, helped to thicken up the liquid, so maybe next time I will try not adding any cornstarch at all. Anyway, since it was so thick, I warmed another 8 ounces of half and half with another pinch of salt and 1 ounce of brown sugar and then stirred that in to the rest. That completely took care of the texture issue.
The base needed not one pinch more of spice–even though “diluted,” the base tastes and smells just like the cookies. Success!
This ice cream has one of the shortest ingredient lists of any ice cream I’ve ever made. And it is good. Seriously good. It’s cookies in cookies with a side of cookies. Yay! Here’s how you can make your own.
And, there you have it friends. I’m pretty sure you saw it here first, too: Cookie Milk. Cookie Milk Ice Cream. Now, go steep your favorite cookies in milk and make your own version of cookie milk ice cream!
Move over, Cereal Milk, there’s a new milk in town.
Christina Tosi, the chef/owner at Momofuko Milk Bar, for those not already In the Know, took everyone’s favorite, the milk left in the bowl after the cereal is gone, and turned it into a star. I love her playful style, sense of nostalgia, and keen understanding of how ingredients work.
As much a fan as I am though, I’m telling cereal milk to take a hike. Vamos.
I’ve been trying to figure out a way to make a speculoos ice cream without resorting to cookie butter. I’m not really a fan of it. I think it has an odd aftertaste and it’s something like 60% oil. So, rather than just mixing some cookie butter (Biscoff Spread) into my ice cream base, I took my cue from Tosi’s cereal milk and decided to give Cookie Milk a try: I steeped Speculoos cookies (specifically, those Dutch Windmill Cookies with almonds in them) in my dairy, strained it out, and then use that in the ice cream. I had no idea if this was going to be an excellent idea or a beautiful disaster, and fortunately, it turned out to be the former.
When I opened my package of Archway Dutch Windmill Cookies, I was annoyed because there were only thirteen cookies in the package? What is that? So I ate one. I took 9 of the remaining cookies (about 6.5 ounces), dumped them in a bowl and poured 20 ounces of half and half on top. I stirred them and shoved them in the fridge for a really long time. Maybe an hour or two. When I came back to them, I stirred them a bit more and then strained it. I pressed down lightly on the solids (which were completely unrecognizable as cookies, let alone windmills), but not too hard. I didn’t want cookie goo coming through, only the starchy milk. I ended up with just under 2 cups of “cookie milk.”
To that, I added 2 ounces of dark brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of corn starch and a pinch of salt. I cooked that until it came to a boil, strained it out and chilled it. When it was cold, it was almost as thick as soft-set pudding. I think the starches in the cookies, even though baked, helped to thicken up the liquid, so maybe next time I will try not adding any cornstarch at all. Anyway, since it was so thick, I warmed another 8 ounces of half and half with another pinch of salt and 1 ounce of brown sugar and then stirred that in to the rest. That completely took care of the texture issue.
The base needed not one pinch more of spice–even though “diluted,” the base tastes and smells just like the cookies. Success!
This ice cream has one of the shortest ingredient lists of any ice cream I’ve ever made. And it is good. Seriously good. It’s cookies in cookies with a side of cookies. Yay! Here’s how you can make your own.
Yum!!!! I have very fond memories of the windmill cookies… my grandma used to buy them for us when we were little. 🙂
This ice cream sounds fantastic!
It tastes uncannily like the cookies. If you’re a Windmill Fan, you will love this. =)
Oooo! I have a jar of Speculoos tucked away in the back of my pantry (to avoid obsession, I had to hide it!). Methinks it’s time to make an appearance!
I’m sure you could blend it into a base and come up with a lovely ice cream, Becca!
Brilliant, Jenni! Absolutely brilliant. Very much appreciate your putting your culinary savvy into one of my favorite desserts =) Thanks, too, for the intro to speculoos cookies…I’ll now be on the look-out for them.
Oh, if you’ve not had them, they’re the Dutch version of a molasses cookie but crunchy. Cinnamon-clove-maybe cardamom. And these had almonds in them too. They’re sort of Christmasy. 🙂
I love the cookies in this! One of the best ice cream recipes I have seen in a long time. The perfect summer treat:)
Wow, thank you so much, Matt! I couldn’t believe my short ingredient list or how much flavor it had–yay!
I completely agree with you about ice cream that leaves a coating of fat in my mouth. Nasty! I had never heard of cereal milk as a thing but I can just imagine how that would taste. What a great idea to make cookie milk with your speculoos and then make ice cream. You are so smart, Jenni!
I was lucky this time! Remember that no-bake cheesecake that had the nerve to not set up last week? lol And that fatty ice cream? Super weird. It seems to only happen with homemade. 🙁
This looks so good! I wonder if I could substitute the creamy part of coconut milk for the half and half to make this vegan? It might be worth a try at least!
I think you absolutely could, Marly! If you do give it a shot, let me know how it turns out. =)
OMG Jenni this ice cream looks just PERFECT! The texture, the ripples and the drippiness! Speculoos is one of my FAVES!!
It tastes *just* like a cookie. Plus it has crunchy cookies in it too! Glad you like it, Sophia–if you’re a speculoos fan, this is totally up your alley. =)
That sounds AMAZING! I spent most of my adult life in Holland, Michigan and have Speculoos in my spice cabinet. I mix it in my oatmeal with ground almonds to make a cookie treat for breakfast. Mmmm!
Oh, what if you made windmill sandwich cookies with the ice cream… I’ll be right over. 😉
That would be perfect! A windmill symphony, Anne! lol