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.

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
Elise Bauer
Updated June 18, 2021
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.

Why Coffee and Oreo Cookies Make the Perfect Pair

It's not something that your brain immediately registers, but the cookie part of an Oreo is slightly bitter. The sweet cream filling masks the bitterness. But, when paired with coffee, the bitterness of the cookie complement the bitter coffee notes. So, while this isn't a common ice cream combination, Oreos and coffee taste great together.

Why Use Rum in the Ice Cream

Put simply, the flavor of golden rum elevates this ice cream. It's there strictly for its flavor, but it does not overwhelm the ice cream. It's not needed to make the ice cream smooth and creamy because the custard base takes care of that with or without the addition of alcohol.

If you prefer not to use the rum, that's okay. You can substitute a tablespoon of real vanilla extract for the rum. Or, just omit the rum with no substitute. The ice cream will still be satisfyingly delicious.

The Best Coffee to Use in Ice Cream

Any instant coffee granules will work in this recipe including caffeinated, decaffeinated, and espresso—although espresso granules will result in a stronger coffee flavor so you can decrease the amount if you want.

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

How to Store Homemade Ice Cream

Store fresh, homemade ice cream in the freezer in an airtight container. 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.

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

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.