Dulce de Leche-Cookies 'n Cream Fudge : A Mouthful

I'll gladly admit it: I love ice cream. I could be really fancy about it and add that my favorite summertime treat used to be blood orange sorbet, but I won't. I'm here to talk about the one you scoop from the tub, and decorate with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles and--obviously--a maraschino cherry. As a child, I had three favorite ice creams, and the fact that I can no longer find two of them makes them even more desirable in my mind. Although, when I get nostalgic, I go over to the ice cream shop approximately one minute away from my apartment and get some Nutella or candied chestnut ice cream. Wait, which place am I talking about? Because I have four distinct ice cream places one minute away. Really.

In any case, my favorite ice creams were the store-brand ones. President's Choice, to be precise. "PC", as insiders call it, is a pretty funny brand--it's Canadian, but some strange bilateral treaty made it available in Jewel grocery stores in the early 1990s. That meant our local Jewel was always stocked with Stracciatela ice cream and, seasonally, Candy Cane ice cream. Unless you hate candy canes--and I know some of you out there do--this is a treat if there ever was one. Just one bite and you'll be screaming "Christmas!" and running around trying to hang stockings up anywhere you can.

Now for the third favorite, which contrary to the second is probably shared by many: Cookies and Cream. The sight of black and white itself in a scoop made me swoon, and even though my preference goes towards cookie dough nowadays, I still hold a soft spot in my heart for Cookies and Cream. Then again, who holds a hard spot in their heart for any kind of ice cream? You would have to be a little strange.

So when I came across this recipe for Cookies and Cream fudge by Sinful Southern Sweets, I pictured a solid version of the ice cream, chewy and delicious. No, I'm not referring to astronaut ice cream, although I loved that too--only chocolate and vanilla however. Strawberry? Not so much.

Back to the fudge: I made it as soon as humanly possible, and something strange happened. I carefully kept the whole mixture on low heat as it cooked, and stirred until my arm almost fell out, but the whole thing sort of caramelized. Sort of disappointed in myself, I decided to taste it only when it was set and ready to be cut into pieces. One taste of this edible marble (don't you agree it looks like marble? I would willingly make a countertop out of it) and I was blown away. This wasn't only cookies and cream: this was cookies and cream with dulce de leche. Best of both worlds, I tell you. I'll make it again, and who knows, maybe it'll come out nice and white. For now, though, I'll keep my hybrid fudge--and suggest someone makes an ice cream flavor out of it.

Cookies and Cream Fudge

from Sinful Southern Sweets

18 ounces baker's white chocolate

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 c. coarsely crushed Oreos

In a heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt white chocolate, condensed milk and salt. Bring to a boil and cook until mixture reaches 234 °F. Watch it closely!

Remove from heat and stir in crushed cookies.

Spread into a square or rectangular pan (mine is rectangular but smaller than 9x13) lined with wax paper. Chill until firm.

On a cutting board, peel fudge away from wax paper and cut into bite-sized squares. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for a few days.