Hello everyone! I hope you are all thoroughly enjoying the fall season, and that this post finds you knee-deep in football, flannel pajamas, and various pumpkin pie flavored concoctions.

So, I’ve had quite an eventful week: I started a new job on Monday, and it’s dramatically different than my prior place of employment (in a good way, but it still has been quite an adjustment!) New jobs are like the first day of school; you have to make friends, feel out the culture, and practice your best “sponge” impression as you absorb and process all of the new information.

I love my new job, but being a sponge can be pretty tiring!

At the end of Day One, when I was all tuckered out and in need of a snack, I came home to an awesome surprise: during his lunch break, my better half ran to the grocery store so that he could pick up a few of my go-to comfort foods: Reese’s cups, American cheese, and my personal favorite – Oreos!

Although I’ve never met a cookie I didn’t like, I have a particular fascination (okay… obsession) with Oreos.

(And apparently I’m not alone – did you see this report that was released earlier this week? Crazy.)

I’ve always considered my case of OOC (Obsessive Oreo Consumption) to be particularly severe. I have a theory that this is because I was deprived of them throughout the majority of my childhood. My mother, bless her heart, tried to maintain a healthy eating environment in the household, and unfortunately, Oreos did not make the cut.

As a result, I was often forced to get my Oreo fix in another, more sinister way: on the black market.

In the vast marketplace that was the school lunchroom, where everyone engaged in open trade, I was interested in two items only: 1) Doritos and 2) Oreos.  In a world where pudding cups and Lunchables were in high demand, I held out for those crispy, chocolate-y sandwich cookies.

When I was a little older and learned how to drive, I snuck Oreo’s into the house, eating entire rows at a time, then shamefully hiding the evidence under my bed.

Then, there was the fateful day in college when I discovered the Double Stuf variety… and my life has never been the same.

Who doesn’t love Oreos? I mean, I’m sure those people exist somewhere… but I’ve never come across them.

Actually, take that back – I had an acquaintance in college who engaged in the occasional rant about Oreo’s and how they “taste like dirt.”

Yes, dirt.

Needless to say, our friendship didn’t survive much longer. After all, is there a bigger red flag in life than a disdain for America’s favorite cookie?

With the abundance of Oreos in our house this week, I was determined to make Cookies and Cream for my next blog post. However, as the week progressed, I started to feel a little bored with the idea.

After a thorough inventory of my pantry, along with a brief consultation with my Senior Product Manager aka fiancé, I arrived at Pumpkin Oreo.

Initially, I was a little nervous about the combination. True, pumpkin chocolate chip this or that seems to be all the rage in the fall months, but Pumpkin Oreo? That’s something you don’t see everyday.  But, after extensive product testing in my own kitchen (i.e. stuffing my face), I can confidently say that this combo is downright wonderful.  In fact, this Pumpkin Oreo business might be one of the very best flavors that has ever come out of my kitchen!

The spicy sweetness of the pumpkin ice cream, coupled with huge chunks of Oreo, make for a familiar yet exotic combination that delights my palate and leaves the Belly Monster wanting more. I hope you enjoy!

What’s your favorite Oreo flavor combination?

Happy scooping!

Pumpkin Oreo Ice Cream

Yield: About two quarts.

You will need:

6 large egg yokes

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cloves

Pinch of ground nutmeg

¾ cup brown sugar (unpacked)

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup 2% or whole milk

½ tsp kosher salt

¾ cup pumpkin pie puree, homemade or store bought (but NOT pumpkin pie filling – must be the puree)

½ tsp vanilla extract

10 to fifteen Oreo cookies (Double Stuf rocks, obviously), chopped

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the egg yolks with the cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and half of the sugar (6 tablespoons). Whisk gently until smooth, and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, milk, remaining brown sugar (6 tablespoons), and salt. Stir and heat through, until the mixture barely simmers.
3. Add the mixture to the egg yolks, ½ cup at a time, whisking the yolks constantly before, during, and after each addition of warm cream. Repeat until all of the cream has been combined with the yolks, then transfer mixture back to the saucepan.
4. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon (you will be able to feel the mixture thicken as you stir – should take about ten minutes).
5. Place a fine mesh sieve atop the bowl or container in which you will be storing the ice cream, then strain the custard mixture into the bowl.
6. Submerge container in an ice bath, and stir occasionally until cool. Freeze for at least 2 hours (but preferably overnight!).
7. The next day, add the vanilla and pumpkin to the ice cream base. Stir until combined.
8. Add to ice cream maker and freeze per the manufacturer’s instructions.
9. Add chopped Oreo’s to the ice cream after churning is done, and mix by hand. Enjoy immediately for a soft-serve consistency, or store overnight for a harder texture.

Enjoy!!