Cookies and cream is the recipe that gets kids to eat a protein pint, and the trick is to keep the base plain and add the cookies late. We tested it on the Ninja Creami Deluxe NC601, where CreamiFit took a Fairlife skim milk and whey isolate base to a creamy first spin, no re-spin, in a 158 second cycle. Pudding mix holds the water so the base stays smooth, and three chocolate sandwich cookies go in through a hole on a Mix-In cycle so they stay in pieces. Per serving, four per pint or six per XL tub, we estimate 105 kcal, 12 g protein, 10 g carbs and 2 g fat.
Tested recipe
Cookies and Cream Protein Ice Cream
A vanilla protein ice cream processed on CreamiFit with no re-spin, then run through Mix-In with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Freeze
- 24 h
- Process
- 4 min
- Total
- 24 h 9 min
- Servings
- 4 per pint
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (360 g) Fairlife skim milk, cold
- 1 scoop (31 g) vanilla whey protein isolate
- 1 tbsp (8 g) sugar-free instant vanilla or cheesecake pudding mix
- 1 tsp (5 g) vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp fine salt
- 3 cookies (33 g) chocolate sandwich cookies, broken into pea-sized pieces, for the Mix-In
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (540 g) Fairlife skim milk, cold
- 1 1/2 scoops (47 g) vanilla whey protein isolate
- 1 1/2 tbsp (12 g) sugar-free instant vanilla or cheesecake pudding mix
- 1 1/2 tsp (7 g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 4 to 5 cookies (50 g) chocolate sandwich cookies, broken into pea-sized pieces, for the Mix-In
Equipment
- Ninja Creami Deluxe NC601
- 24 oz Deluxe XL tub
Method
- Blend the milk, whey isolate, pudding mix, vanilla and salt for 20 seconds.
- Pour the base into the XL tub (or pint) up to the max fill line.
- Lid the tub and freeze it on a level surface for 24 hours.
- Remove the lid, lock the tub into the outer bowl, fit the paddle lid and press CreamiFit.
- Dig a hole about 1 1/2 in wide down to the bottom of the tub with a spoon.
- Drop the broken cookies into the hole.
- Reinstall the tub and press Mix-In.
- Scoop and serve.
Nutrition per serving (estimated)
- Calories
- 105 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 2 g
Tips
- Freeze flat. Set the tub on a level shelf and confirm the top is flat before processing. The Deluxe tubs are taller than the original pints and show a tilt more clearly; a sloped top gives you one creamy side and one crumbly side. Fill lines and leveling notes for all three pint systems are in our base ratio cheat sheet.
- Do not re-spin before the Mix-In unless you need to. On the NC601 the CreamiFit spin finished creamy with zero re-spins in our tests. If the top inch looks powdery, press Re-spin once, then dig the hole. If it is still crumbly after that, add 1 tbsp of milk before any second re-spin.
- Dig the hole to the bottom. The Mix-In program folds from the center outward, so cookies sitting on the surface end up in the top scoop only. A hole about 1 1/2 in wide that reaches the base of the tub distributes them through the whole batch.
- Break, do not crush. Pea-sized cookie pieces survive the Mix-In cycle; crumbs disappear and dry the ice cream around them. Freeze the broken cookies for 10 minutes first if your kitchen is warm, so they stay crisp.
- Serve within a few minutes of the Mix-In. Protein pints with so little fat soften fast at room temperature, and the cookies lose their snap once they sit in melted ice cream.
Variations
- Mint cookies and cream: add 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract and two drops of green food coloring to the blender before freezing.
- Birthday cake: swap the cookies for 2 tbsp of rainbow sprinkles and use a butterscotch or cheesecake pudding mix, keeping the vanilla base from our vanilla protein ice cream.
- Chocolate cookies and cream: use the base from our chocolate protein ice cream and add the same three cookies on the Mix-In cycle.
Storage and refreeze
Press the leftover ice cream flat with the back of a spoon, lid the tub and return it to a level shelf at 0 F. The base refreezes hard overnight. To serve again, run CreamiFit and check the texture; a refrozen protein base is drier than a fresh one, so re-spin once if it is powdery and add 1 tbsp of milk before a second re-spin. The cookie pieces soften after a refreeze and taste like cake crumbs rather than cookies, which some people prefer, so if you want crunch, keep a few extra pieces aside and add them on a fresh Mix-In cycle instead. Refrozen tubs are best within five days.
The model and pints we used
We used a 24 oz Deluxe XL tub on the Gen 2 Deluxe NC601, which measured 83 dB during the spin and has shown no paddle or lid lock wear in a month of use. The XL tubs fit the NC501 and NC601 only; our Deluxe tubs guide covers the two-packs and explains why original pints and Swirl pints will not lock in. For the pint version on an NC301 or NC351, see the pints guide. More recipes like this are in the protein and kids categories.
Creami Deluxe · Gen 2
Ninja Creami Deluxe 11-in-1 Gen 2 (NC601)
Model NC601 · Our score 8.9/10
- 11 programs including CreamiFit and the only Dairy-Free program
- Two 24 oz XL tubs, about 6 scoops each
- Oat base needed zero re-spins on the Dairy-Free program
Accessory
Ninja Creami Deluxe XL Tubs 2-pack
Model XSKPNTLD2
- Two 24 oz XL tubs with lids
- Fits NC501 and NC601 only
- Dishwasher safe top rack
Frequently asked questions
Cookies blended into the base dissolve, turn the whole pint grey and absorb water, which made our test tub icy. Added through a hole after the CreamiFit spin and folded in with the Mix-In program, they stay in distinct pieces. The Mix-In paddle turns slower and does not pulverize them.
No, not on the NC601 in our testing. CreamiFit took our protein base to a creamy result on the first 158 second spin with zero re-spins, where the Lite Ice Cream program on the NC351 needed one. If your tub froze unevenly or your freezer runs warmer than 0 F, press Re-spin once before the Mix-In step.
Yes, in an original 16 oz pint with the pint quantities. Those models do not have CreamiFit, so run Lite Ice Cream, re-spin once if the result is powdery, then dig the hole, add the cookies and run Mix-In. The 24 oz XL tub does not fit the NC301 or NC351 outer bowl.
Three per pint or five per XL tub is the limit we found. Beyond that the crumbs soak up the moisture around them and the ice cream between the pieces turns dry. Break the cookies into pea-sized pieces rather than dust, and always put them in a hole to the bottom so the paddle reaches them.
