Peanut Butter obsession turns to ice cream

One word: Yum. Second word: Amazing. Three more words: Must Make Again.

Oh my gosh! This was so good! I made the base yesterday and the ice cream today. This was a different base than I've made before. No eggs - instead the thickener is corn starch. It didn't get quite as thick as I expected {maybe because my cornstarch is old?}, but it was thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and made for a yummy ice cream.
PB ice cream w/ Chocolate Covered PB Cracker Sandwiches
(Source: The Kitchn)
makes 1 quart

1 1/2 c. whole milk [I used skim]
1 T. cornstarch
2 oz. cream cheese at room temperature [I used 4 oz. light cream cheese]
2 c. heavy cream [I used fat free half and half]
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 1/2 T. light corn syrup [I used dark]
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. creamy natural peanut butter [in addition to the creamy PB, I also added the rest of my almond butter]
1 container Trader Joe's Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers, frozen solid and chopped in half

In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch. Whisk thoroughly so the cornstarch doesn't clump up. In another large bowl, whip the cream cheese until smooth. {After mixing, my version had very small chunks of cream cheese, probably because I hadn't let the cheese fully warm to room temperature.}

In a large saucepan, combine the remaining 1 1/4 cups of milk with the half and half, sugar and corn syrup. Bring the milk mixture to a boil and simmer over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves — about 4 minutes. You may need to pull the mixture half off the burner so it doesn't boil over.

Take the milk mixture off the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute - no more [I did more]. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Whisk in the salt. Chill completely - overnight, ideally.

After mixture is completely chilled, pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker. Add the peanut butter in big spoonfuls and then freeze the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When it's frozen, scrape the ice cream out of its freezing chamber and into a large bowl. Fold in the frozen, halved peanut butter crackers.

{take note of the gigantic spoon}

Pack the ice cream into a plastic container. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

{Huge spoon = perfect sample size}{Delectable summer treat}