This recipe starts with Jeff's Shot of Coffee Ice Cream, which is just right on its own for a summer dinner party. Or use it as the foundation of his playful cookies 'n' cream variation.

Makes 8 servings.

Homemade version
16 to 20 Oreo cookies, chopped

Shot of Coffee Ice Cream

Ingredients
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp plus 1 tsp instant espresso powder
1⁄2 cup whole Italian roast coffee beans
8 fresh egg yolks
1⁄2 cup light corn syrup

Preparation
1 Shot of Coffee Ice Cream: Pour the cream and milk into a stainless steel bowl and place over a steaming pan of boiling water. When the mix gets hot, a film will form over the surface.
2 Add the sugar, vanilla, espresso powder and coffee beans; let cook for about 5 minutes, bringing all the flavors of the coffee together.
3 Stir in the egg yolks with a whisk to make sure all of the yolks are blended into the mix; let steep for about 10 minutes more, stirring every few minutes so it cooks evenly. Remove from the heat and let the mix cool to room temperature, then chill completely in the refrigerator.
4 You can make the ice cream now, or for a fuller and more developed flavor, cover and let the mix rest overnight in the refrigerator. Before making the ice cream, remove three-fourths of the coffee beans with a slotted spoon. I like to leave some in because it's fun to get a few coffee beans in a scoop of the ice cream. If this doesn't appeal to you, remove all of the beans. Add the corn syrup and then pour the mix into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Scoop the mix into a chilled bowl and fold in the chopped Oreo cookies. Place the ice cream in a container and then in the freezer to cure and harden.

Easy mix-in version
Replace the Shot of Coffee Ice Cream with 1 quart premium store-bought coffee ice cream. Soften the ice cream and place in a mixing bowl. Fold in the chopped Oreo cookies. Return ice cream to container and put in freezer to cure and harden.