In this day and age, there shouldn't be a living soul who hasn't had the pleasure of consuming Ice Cream. Although realistically, not every kid was lucky enough to eat this universally delightful dessert when growing up, it has become a household name and is now available almost everywhere. And that may very well remain the case until humans no longer walk the Earth given how easy it has become to make.

Today's recipe will break down what is considered to be the simplest way to produce ice cream. The flavor of choice in this recipe will be cookies and cream, a popular variation among foodies in the US.

But first, here's a rundown on how ice cream was traditionally made to compare to the new method.

How ice cream is traditionally made

In the beginning, making ice cream was quite the chore. Like most of the desserts I've covered here, it started with a cooked custard as its base. This is basically a dairy product like milk, cream or both that's thickened with egg yolks and/or cornstarch, sweetened with sugar and flavored with vanilla (or whatever the desired variation called for).

To produce ice cream, the finished custard would be cooled in an ice bath, then placed in an ice cream maker where it would be churned (by hand crank) and frozen simultaneously. This final process would incorporate air into the custard and break up the ice crystals that formed during chilling to give it the cold, light and smooth consistency many have come to identify and love the dessert for.

The no churn method

Thanks to a good food hack, the traditional method of making ice cream can be skipped over almost entirely. That means no custard to prepare and no ice cream machine needed. This new method even eliminates most of the usual ingredients required to produce this dessert, knocking it down to three: Sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and flavoring of choice.

The method of combining these three ingredients into ice cream is pretty simple. First, the sweetened condensed milk and flavoring are poured into a bowl together. Next, the heavy cream is whipped to incorporate air and then folded into the bowl with the other ingredients. And finally, the mixture is then poured into a container and placed in a freezer for several hours or overnight.

The end result is a hassle-free ice cream for everyone to enjoy.

The reason why this works is fairly obvious: The sweetened condensed milk acts as a replacement for both the sweetener and thickener while the heavy cream acts as both the base and lightener like it normally would. Unlike the traditional ice cream formula, however, the milk and cream are combined in equal parts to compensate for the workaround. All that is left to worry about is the flavoring which can be added to either small or moderate quantity proportioned to the other ingredients.

And here is the recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup Oreos, crushed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. In a bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, crushed Oreos, and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer and a bowl or stand mixer, whip the heavy cream on medium speed until it forms stiff peaks. Don't over whip.
  2. Fold 1/3 of the heavy cream into the mixture until fully incorporated. Repeat the process with the remaining heavy cream.
  3. Pour the mixture into a chilled container that can hold up to a quart. Place into a freezer and chill for six hours or overnight. Serve.
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