Vanilla Ice Cream (With Cookies N' Cream Variation)

Liked by both vegans and non-vegans. From Vegan Dad blog.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 2 cups

Ingredients

• 2  cups soymilk
• 1  vanilla bean
• 1  cup sugar (probably could be reduced to 3/4 cup)
• 2  tablespoons arrowroot
• 15  ounces coconut milk, stored in a cool place
•  soy  coffee creamer or  soymilk

Directions

1. Place soy milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Slit vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the insides into the soy milk. Add the bean as well and simmer for about 20 mins (I don't think any longer will add any more vanilla flavour).
2. After 20 mins the milk will have reduced by about 1/2 cup. Measure and bring liquid back to 2 cups. Add sugar and bring to steaming over medium heat.
3. While soy milk is heating back up, skim coconut cream from the coconut milk and add enough soy creamer (or milk) to bring the volume to 2 cups. Whisk smooth, then take about 1/2 cup of the mixture and mix with the arrowroot, making sure it is totally dissolved.
4. CHEAPER VERSION.
5. replace vanilla bean with 2 tsp vanilla extract (the real stuff). Skip steps 1 and 2, and add the vanilla at the end with the coconut cream.
6. COOKIES n' CREAM VARIATION.
7. crumble 12 chocolate sandwich cookies and add to mixture during the final three to four turns of the machine. You can probably get away with reducing the vanilla to 1 tsp, too.
8. When the milk is steaming, slowly whisk in arrowroot mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick and glossy. Whisk in coconut mixture. It should still be glossy--if not, cook until it is.
9. Remove from heat and let cool. When cool, remove vanilla bean, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
10. Make ice cream according to the directions that came with your maker.