Cookies and Cream Gelato

 

I'm so full right now. I think I may have opened Pandora's box. Her creamy, sweet, smooth box. Oh my. That sounds a little wrong.
 
The thing is, the other day I was watching the food channel and the Chiappa lady told me how to make gelato at home. Without a machine. In like, 15 minutes. What was I supposed to do with that information but let it be the nucleus of my own delicious downfall? And now I have a stomach ache. But do you know what...I don't even care. Cos I have the better part of a litre of ice cream in my fridge. Ice cream cures all woes - even stomach aches caused by ice cream.
 
As I drove past Baskin and Robbins today on my way home from the grocery store, I laughed at them. I said 'You have no power over me!', like Jennifer Connelly said to David Bowie in Labyrinth. No longer will I be a slave to your 31 flavours! I shall be the master of my own creamy creations!

The Chiappa lady made Amaretto and Cherry flavours but as soon as I saw it, I knew what I would make - Cookies and Cream. My absolute, all time favourite. It's cookies and it's cream. HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG!
 
The base for the gelato is 3 simple ingredients. Thickened cream, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract.
 

Here is everything you need to make your own gelato! Too easy!

So for cookies and cream gelato, you need the base ingredients of cream, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract as well as cookies.
 
To make this gelato really cookie-y, I used two types of cookies, both Oreos and Choc Ripple.  The Oreos broke up into nice chunks and the Choc Ripples got basically obliterated, mixing really well into every bite. 


I broke the cookies up using a snap lock bag and a rolling pin.



Put the base ingredients in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high for about 6 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to overbeat, you need soft peaks. The base will be in a 'soft peak' stage when you lift the beaters out and the peak holds its shape but the tip droops over.

This is the base ingredients in this bowl - cream, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. I also put a little vanilla sugar in there for extra depth of vanilla.

Once the base has reached this soft peak stage, fold the bashed up cookies bits in. Take a taste now. You won't be disappointed! It's luscious!

Oh my goodness. How good does that look? Amiright? I am.

For extra decadence, I melted some chocolate and swirled it through for yet more sweet goodness. Reserve a little chocolate for the top.

Ooooh look at that! Yum.

Pour the creamy goodness into a freezer safe container. I used a 2 litre container, with all the extras, it's better to have a bigger container. Drizzle the remaining chocolate over the top. Freeze for about 5 hours, til it's firm yet fantastically yielding to your ice cream scoop.

Ready to freeze!

From here, the possibilities are endless. Replace the vanilla extract with mint and add choc chips for yummy choc mint, smash bits of Twix and mix caramel fudge through for choc caramel, stir through a ripple of Baileys and choc bits...wait, all these have choc in them...hmmm. I have a type.

 

For the recipes that I'm going to blog, I'm going to add a photo of the aftermath for you to assess what you'll be up for. Here is the washing up you will be faced with! Pretty manageable, really!

Cookies and Cream Gelato
A decadent and sweet gelato with two types of cookies and chocolate, a super easy treat! Adapted from http://thechiappas.com/amaretto-cigliege-cherry-home-made-gelato/

Prep time: 15 mins
Freezer time: 5 hours
Total time:  315 mins

Servings: 6 generous serves

Ingredients
395g sweetened condensed milk
500ml thickened cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar - optional
85g Choc Ripple biscuits
140g Oreo Original Cream cookies
120g milk chocolate

Directions

1. Place the sweetened condensed milk, cream, vanilla extract and vanilla sugar in a large bowl.
2. Beat on high til stiff peaks form - from 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Place Choc Ripples and Oreo biscuits in a snap lock bag and break up well using a rolling pin.
4. Fold the broken biscuits into the cream mixture.
5. Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave on high in 30 second lots.
6. Fold most of the melted chocolate through the cream and cookie mixture, reserving approximately two tablespoons worth.
7. Place the mixture into a freezer proof container and smooth the top over.
8. Spoon the remaining chocolate in a random fashion over the cream and cookie mixture.
9. Freeze the mixture for at least 5 hours, or until desired consistency is reached.
10. Enjoy!

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