Coffee Oreo Ice Cream

What's better than cookie and cream ice cream? Coffee cookies and cream ice cream! This recipe is made with a rich, coffee-flavored custard base, Oreo cookies, and a touch of rum to enhance the flavor.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated March 08, 2023
Elise Bauer
Coffee Oreo Cookie Ice Cream
Elise Bauer

Some things, prepared with delightful results in the exuberance of our youth, when made again 10, or 20 years later, don't quite live up to the blissful memory.

This coffee Oreo cookie ice cream lives up to the best of memories!

It is as good as my dear friend Heidi H. remembers it, when she made it with friends in an old fashioned, hand-cranked ice cream maker decades ago.

Heidi and I made a batch of this ice cream together recently with the new ice cream maker I got for her for her birthday. She will tell you that I was slightly skeptical at first. "Are you sure this isn't something that was good just because you all were clearly enjoying the rum you added?"

At first taste I was an instant convert. This is a great ice cream combination. Leave out the rum if you must, but keep it in if you can; its flavor addition is important.

Note that in this recipe the Oreo cookies are added before the ice cream is made, so that they almost completely disintegrate into the ice cream. You can fold them in after the ice cream is made if you want.

Making Perfect Ice Cream

Learn how to make perfect ice cream with David Lebovitz' brilliant book, the Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments, the source of the base ice cream recipe used here.

Making This Ice Cream Rum-Free

The rum ingredient is important for the recipe not just for its flavor. The alcohol in the rum helps keep the ice cream from getting too hard and icy. 

If you prefer not to use the rum, you can use bourbon or brandy.  For an ice cream free of alcohol, try adding 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup to help keep the ice cream from getting too icy. Or, just omit the rum with no substitute. The ice cream will still be satisfyingly delicious.

More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes to Make!

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Coffee Oreo Ice Cream

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 hrs 15 mins
Churning Time 20 mins
Total Time 15 hrs 45 mins
Servings 8 cups
Yield 2 quarts

Do not use brewed coffee in this recipe. It will alter the consistency of the ice cream.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups heavy cream, divided

  • 1 cup milk

  • 2/3 cups sugar

  • Pinch kosher salt

  • 4 teaspoons instant coffee

  • 6 large egg yolks

  • 10 Oreo cookies, crushed

  • 2 tablespoons golden rum

Method

  1. Infuse the cream with coffee, then add milk and sugar:

    Heat 1 cup of the cream, milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan on medium heat until steaming, but not boiling. Stir in the instant coffee until it is dissolved.

  2. Prepare an ice bath:

    Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a medium size metal bowl. Set it in an ice water bath in a larger bowl. Set a mesh sieve on top of the bowls. Set aside.

  3. Temper the eggs:

    In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Slowly pour the heated milk, cream, coffee mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm milk, but not cooked by it. Pour the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

  4. Cook the custard:

    Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof, flat-bottomed spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run. Be patient. This step can take 5 to 10 minutes.

  5. Strain into chilled cream, then chill:

    Pour the custard through the sieve and stir it into the chilled cream. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (several hours), or just set the bowl with the custard in a new ice bath.

  6. Churn with the rum and Oreos:

    When thoroughly chilled and ready to put into your ice cream maker, add the rum and the crushed Oreo cookies. Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the ice cream maker directions.

  7. Freeze the ice cream until firmed up:

    Transfer mixture to a plastic storage container and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours.

    Consume the ice cream within the first few days if you want a creamy texture. It may form ice crystals within a few days because it has no stabilizers.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
430 Calories
29g Fat
33g Carbs
8g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 430
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 38%
Saturated Fat 16g 82%
Cholesterol 209mg 70%
Sodium 164mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 33g 12%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 101mg 8%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 194mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.