Chocolate-Caramel-Chunk-Cookie Ice Cream

I blame this on people on the Internet. Seriously. Too many conversations, and the next thing you know, I'm torturing innocent (and freshly-baked) cookies and throwing them into a cold, cold place.

But that's fine. When it's all done, I get the ice cream.

This is a slightly smaller batch than I normally make, at least as far as the ice cream base. Just 2 cups of dairy. But I wanted to leave room for the cookie chunks.

As far as the cookies, I was thinking about using a commercial pre-made cookie product, but I changed my mind mid-stream.

Yesterday was unseasonably chilly and rainy, and late in the evening, I decided to bake some cookies. Krusteaz had just sent me a selection of their baking mixes, which I intended on using when I had bakeware to test.

My theory on bakeware-testing is that it's a more fair test to use a mix rather than a from-scratch, because a mix is consistent. If I use a random recipe to test some new bakeware product, any issues with the results would be hard to attribute to the bakeware, since the recipe could be at fault.

Of all the baking mixes I've tried (and commented on online) Krusteaz seems to have the most loyal fans. It's reasonably priced and the results are good. I've got a particular fondness for their crumb cakes, in particular.

So, last night I decided to make some molten cookies from one of the Krusteaz mixes. As a test.

Yeah, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I'm not sure what I was testing, since I used a pan that I've had for years. But ... maybe it was a test of the cookies, hmmmm?

The mix was a chocolate cookie with a molten caramel filling. They're baked in a muffin pan, and I thought the texture was partway between cookie and brownie. Crisp edges and a little bit of chew inside. And then, of course, the molten caramel middle.

Chocolate-Caramel-Chunk-Cookie Ice Cream

2/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 Krusteaz chocolate cookies with molten caramel centers

Combine the cream, milk, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Stir to combine, then turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a storage contain and chill well.

Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Meanwhile, chop the cookies into chunks. You can add the cookies to the ice cream mixture right before it's done churning, or stir them in after churning is complete. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm.

And then you can do whatever you like with the leftover cookies.

MMMMmmm. Did someone say cookies?

Disclaimer: I received some Krusteaz baking mixes for my use, at no cost. This post was not required. 

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