Do you think Nancy Meyers knows how many lives she changed when she wrote peanut butter and Oreos into the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap? Mine, for one, and probably millions more. Certainly more than when she had Meryl Streep make croissants in It’s Complicated (and in an absurdly short period of time, I might add). Probably way less than when Steve Martin had a meltdown over the quantity disparity between packages of hot dogs and hot dog buns in Father of the Bride. That one still hasn’t been resolved.

Hi, I guess I am a Nancy Meyers completist.Anyway, since I started baking, I’ve thrown peanut butter and Oreos into many recipes because they just *work.* This salty, creamy, bittersweet combination is one of the easiest ways to take a dessert from fine to fabulous.

Exhibit A: my most popular recipe of last year (and all time), Peanut Butter Oreo Magic Bars. Regular magic bars are good. Oreo-Peanut Butter Magic Bars though? Ho-ly crap. Seriously, I’ve never once made a peanut butter and Oreo recipe and regretted it. Not once. They are a perfect pair. Period. End of story. Sorry friends with peanut allergies, I’ll get you next time.

*gets off soap box Costco-sized box of Oreos*Today’s offering is one you probably saw coming from a mile away: No-Churn Peanut Butter Cookies & Cream Ice Cream! Of course—of course!—I was going to combine them in an ice cream someday. And by someday, I mean today, which just so happens to be National Ice Cream Day. I swear I didn’t plan it like that.

The base of No-Churn Peanut Butter Cookies & Cream Ice Cream is rich, peanut buttery and incredibly easy to make. It’s made from just two ingredients: sweetened condensed milk and whipped heavy cream. Together they make for a thick, rich, airy and decidedly not-icy ice cream, no machine required. Here, I added a touch of salt, some vanilla and 1/3 cup of creamy peanut butter to the sweetened condensed milk before folding in the whipped cream. Just a warning that this is very difficult not to eat right out of the mixing bowl, but patience is a virtue and you should (mostly) hold off because Oreos.Oh yes, it’s the big chunks of Oreo cookie that are the real magic here. That’s one thing I have a lot of feelings about: big chunks of cookie instead of cookie crumbs in my cookies & cream. It’s not called crumbs & cream, am I right?!

The “secret” (not a secret) to getting big chunks of cookie in your scoops? Quartering the Oreos before folding them into the base. The pieces will seem too big, but I promise they’re not. They’ll soften slightly while the ice cream freezes so that, when scooped, each portion gets some big pieces and some little, which is absolute heaven for a texture person like myself.Actually, this whole situation is heaven. Cold, creamy, sweet & salty, Oreo-studded heaven piled in a cone.

No-Churn Peanut Butter Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
makes about 8 cups

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup creamy-style peanut butter (not natural)
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
24 Oreo cookies, cut into quarters

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter, salt and vanilla.

In a separate medium-large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. Stir 1/3 of the whipped cream into sweetened condensed milk mixture just until combined. Gently fold in the another 1/3 of the whipped cream, followed by the last 1/3. Carefully fold in quartered Oreos.

Transfer ice cream into a 9×5″ loaf pan, or other 8 cup vessel. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the ice cream. Cover plastic wrap with aluminum foil. Freeze ice cream for 6 hours or overnight, until completely frozen. Scoop and enjoy!