Homemade Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream
My family is made up of at least 85% peanut butter.
We eat a lot of peanut butter around here. We go through at least 2 jars a week. As far as I’m concerned it’s the perfect food. Full of healthy fats, protein, and fiber, it’s the perfect snack, straight out of the jar. Mix it with chocolate, pretzels, apples, jelly, honey, even savory sauces; peanut butter makes friends with everything. But our favorite relationship is peanut butter and ice cream.
On a recent trip to Coronado Island, CA, we came across the most amazing handcrafted ice cream parlor, called Moo Time Creamery. This place had a line out the door, which is always an indication of awesomeness. We waited patiently, on a hot sunny day, as crowds of happy customers walked out with ice cream scoops stacked high in freshly baked waffle cones. The list of flavors was extensive, and creative, but we all knew what we wanted. Peanut butter.
During our short three day weekend in Coronado we stopped at Moo Time Creamery four times. I’m not even embarrassed to admit that.
Nothing short of perfection, their peanut butter ice cream was rich, creamy, and so peanut buttery it blew our minds. The best peanut butter ice cream we’ve ever had. It was unlike anything you could buy in a grocery store. The secret to this amazing, pure flavor: It was homemade.
So, naturally, we set out on a quest to make our own homemade peanut butter ice cream at home. After many delightfully delicious experiments, we found the perfect balance. Mission accomplished!
This ice cream has a custard base, which is the only way to go for creamy, rich ice cream. It’s incredibly simple and easy. We added crushed Nutter Butter cookies for some extra texture, but any peanut butter cookies will do, and a pinch of sea salt to bring out that nutty sweetness.
We don’t have a fancy machine, just an old school Sunbeam Ice Cream Maker. It works great and it’s very kid friendly. I hope you enjoy the recipe, from my family to yours!
Homemade Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream
* Makes about 1 quart
You’ll need:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra large eggs
2 extra large egg yolks
1 cup whole milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I wouldn’t use natural, as it’s too oily)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
a pinch of tsp sea salt
1 cup of Nutter Butter cookies smashed
Make the ice cream:
To make the custard, use a mixer to beat the sugar, eggs, and egg yolks, till thick and pale in color. About 3-5 minutes.
In a medium sized saucepan, heat the whole milk till it begins to simmer. Turn the heat down to low and grab a whisk. Very slowly pour the sugar and egg mixture into the heated milk. Whisk constantly till the custard begins to thicken, coating the back of a spoon. You don’t want to step away during this process, as the eggs could cook and ruin the custard.
Remove from the heat and pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium sized bowl. This will remove any lumps during the cooking process.
Whisk in the peanut butter, heavy cream, vanilla, and pinch of sea salt. Once combined, cover and refrigerate for several hours until cold.
Run the chilled mixture through your ice cream machine, according to instructions. When it’s finished, pour into a bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the crushed cookies. Cover and freeze for at least two hours before serving.