My love for Cookies & Cream ice cream has been with me, most likely, since birth. It is, and always will be, my favorite ice cream flavor. It is simple and classic and creamy and perfect. I love when the Oreo cookies soften and meld into the base. The flavor! It. Is. So. Good!
Growing up, we lived on a dead-end street. At the end of the street was a parking lot and warehouse where they housed the ice cream trucks for our area. As a kid, it seemed like there had to be over 50 ice cream trucks parked there, but really, it was probably 20-25. During the day, they were all gone on their various routes, making sure all the kids in the area had ample chances to get as many sweets as possible. The drivers would return their trucks at the end of the day, and either restock them then, or in the morning, prior to leaving again. I always imagined them saying good night to their trucks, tucking them in, and making sure they had everything they needed. It brought me great comfort knowing the trucks had one another. That if one truck got scared in the night, they were surrounded by others to give them comfort. I was a kid, what can I say?
I became obsessed with this facility. Every time we drove by, my face was pressed up against the window, imagining just how much ice cream was inside. In my mind, I had it all layed out: ice cream over here, candy over there, and chips and soda in the corner on the opposite end. I was consumed because even though the trucks were literally parked on our street, they NEVER came down our street. Was it because they didn’t think any kids lived on it? Was it a hassle to have to turn around at the bottom of the hill? Was our street not on someone’s route? It. Was. Torture. So often I could hear the ice cream truck song in the distance, always knowing some kid was getting ice cream and I was stuck inside without. In hindsight, perhaps I could have asked one of my parents to take me down there to ask them to venture down our street, but I didn’t have the courage or foresight to do this.
This went on for years, which made me even more consumed.
I’ll never forget the moment when I heard the ice cream truck jingle louder than usual. I was playing Super Mario World on n64 when the ice cream truck song sounded like it was right outside our front door. I peeked out the window and to my great surprise and awe an ice cream truck was rolling down the street. I collected my allowance as quickly as I could and flew down the stairs just in time for them to stop. The man said he came down by mistake, but had a fully stocked truck, and asked if I wanted anything. DID I WANT ANYTHING??? I literally thought no one would ever ask! Did I want anything? YES!!! EVERYTHING!!!
In that moment my love for Cookies & Cream was solidified. I ordered 3 Oreo ice cream cookie sandwiches and spent the rest of the money on various candy. I remember feeling this was the best day of my life. I thanked him profusely and asked him to come back as often as possible. I raced upstairs and ate my ice cream sandwiches in our sunny backyard. Time stopped and I couldn’t have been happier.
When I started my ice cream business, making a Cookies & Cream ice cream that tasted just as good as it did that day was my goal. I think I did just that. It was one of my top sellers when I was selling pints in grocery stores because I put so much love into each pint and topped each one with a whole Oreo. In fact, folks still reach out letting me know how much they miss it!
If you’ve made it, I hope it’s brought back fond memories to you as well.
If you made it this far, thank you for coming on this journey with me! I hope it has inspired you to churn up a batch of Cookies & Cream in the not so distant future! ❤️
Here is the link to my recipe: https://payhip.com/b/7MVYj
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