I rarely buy kitchen gadgets unless they serve multiple purposes or can be used manually. I had looked at ice cream making machines, but decided they cost too much money with not enough function.
When I had a windfall of raw milk a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try to make ice cream, despite my lack of “machinery”. Two batches later, we ended up with a cold delicious treat made from fresh, pure ingredients. It takes a few hours, but very little of that is actual hands-on time.
If you have a hand mixer, homemade ice cream can be yours!
You will need:
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 cups of cream ( For an even richer ice cream, 4 cups of cream and no milk)
- 1 cup of organic sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- a dash of salt
- Optional: Fruit, nuts, chocolate, etc….the sky is the limit!
- a hand mixer
Directions:
1.) In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except your optional add-ins. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients for 1 minute.
2.) Put the bowl in the freezer and set a timer for 30 minutes.
3.) When the timer goes off, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and beat the soon-to-be ice cream for another minute. Return the bowl to the freezer.
4.) Repeat this every 30 minutes for 3 hours. It sounds like a lot of work, but in all, it’s only 6 minutes! Totally worth it.
5.) At the end of three hours, you will have a somewhat “slushy” texture. Now is the time to add your goodies. For best results, chop your fruit or whatever delicious thing you’re adding into small pieces. Add about 1 cup of deliciousness and beat the mixture for one minute. Return the bowl to the freezer, and this time set the timer for an hour.
6.) In an hour, use your mixer to beat the mixture again for a minute. If the texture is “flakey” instead of creamy, you can add a little bit more milk.
And that’s it!
Your homemade ice cream is ready!
If you have any ice cream left over, transfer it into a covered dish and return it to the freezer.
The next time you are ready to eat ice cream, set the bowl in some warm water to soften it slightly before dipping it out.
Have an ice cream social!
Don’t stop at simply serving ice cream. Dress it up!
You can find out how to make homemade chocolate syrup HERE.
You can use jam that didn’t set quite as much as you might have liked as a fruit topping.
For add-ins, chop them into small pieces before you mix them in. Try nuts, chocolate chips, a candy bar (organic of course!), or fruit.
If you have an ice cream maker, you can learn how to make delicious and wholesome ice cream HERE.