I have an embarrassing confession to share with you.

Last weekend I was having an intense Oreo craving, no doubt the product of a Friday night spent looking up “delicious Oreo desserts” on Pinterest. So, the next morning I ventured to the grocery store and bought a nice big pack of Double Stuf, my heart set on homemade cookies n’ cream or some other variation of this favorite frozen treat. But soon, everything fell apart…

The unopened package of Oreos in the cupboard proved too much to handle, and by mid afternoon, I proceeded to eat the ENTIRE package of cookies (to be fair, my better half helped me out – but that’s still a lot of Oreos for two people!)

It all started out innocently enough, as most Oreo binges do. I’ll just have one or two, you tell yourself. One. Or. Two.

Well of course, two turns into three, into four, into five, and so on, and so forth.

Then…before you know what hit you, you end up eating two thirds of the cookies, but before hitting rock bottom completely, you muster enough energy to make a mini batch of Oreo truffles, because WHY WOULDN’T YOU WANT TO FEEL WORSE ABOUT YOURSELF?

Annddd…that’s pretty much been my life ever since. I wish I could tell you I’ve been busy volunteering, traveling, painting, or doing something else worthwhile. But no, I’ve just been recovering from my weekend Oreo bender, living a life of shame and regret.

But – everything happens for a reason, and in this case, I think it was a good thing that my Oreo-inspired ice cream never lived to see the light of day. After all, the Blogosphere doesn’t need another Oreo recipe. But it does need this:

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a big pie person, and I think that’s partially (or mostly) because I have trouble making crust from scratch, and my disdain for the whole process ruins my enjoyment of the actual finished product. However, strawberry rhubarb is one variety that I’ve always loved, especially with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. For this recipe, instead of pie pieces, I added a quick crumble made of oats, flour, butter, and spices, which still ended up tasting very crust-like, but without the rolling and flouring of surfaces and kneading and all the things I despise in life.

For this ice cream, I actually abandoned my typical custard-style method for a no-egg variety, courtesy Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. And let me tell you, this was a game changer for me. How could it not be? After all, this ice cream gets its creamy, dreamy, decadent texture from not two, not three, BUT FOUR forms of dairy fat: heavy cream, whole milk, buttermilk, and cream cheese. It’s a dairy lover’s dream. And better yet, there are no eggs – which means no cooking, no mess, and no weird eggy after taste.

Flavor-wise, this ice cream is incredible. The rhubarb mellows out the strawberry in a delightful fashion, and the faux pie crumbles give it that baked-good deliciousness. Texture-wise, it’s light and fluffy but still decadent – how ice cream is supposed to be! Hands down one of the best that has ever come out of my kitchen!

I hope you enjoy this sweet and tart ice cream, that makes a delicious ending to any late summer evening.

Happy scooping 🙂

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Ice Cream

Strawberry base adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home

Yield: 1 Quart plus a little extra

You will need:

1 pint (16 ounce) container strawberries, hulled and quartered

⅔ cup rhubarb, cut into small pieces

3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

healthy pinch of kosher salt

1 cup Sugar

1 tbsp good quality vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups whole milk

¼ cup buttermilk

1 ¼ cups heavy cream

3 tbsp cream cheese

For the crumble:

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup quick oats

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter, diced and slightly softened

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°. Place the diced strawberries and rhubarb in a baking dish, cover with balsamic vinegar, and roast until softened, about 15 minutes.

2. Once the fruit is finished roasting, puree about ¾ in a blender or food processor, leaving the remaining whole fruit to place in the finished ice cream (if desired).

3. Add pureed fruit to a medium saucepan, then add the salt, sugar and vanilla. Cook over medium heat until the mixture turns to a syrup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

4. In a large bowl, combine the milk, buttermilk, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Whisk together until the majority of the cream cheese is incorporated. Pour the syrupy mixture into the dairy blend, stir until combined, then cover and refrigerate for at least two hours (but preferably over night).

5. Make the crumbles: Preheat oven to 350. Combine the flour, oats, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in butter, or, if you’re like me, you’ll just want to use your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool completely.

6. Make the ice cream in your ice cream maker, adding the remaining fruit chunks in the last five minutes. When adding your ice cream to a container, swirl crumbles throughout. Freeze overnight for a harder texture. Enjoy!