One of my many all-time favorite things to do growing up was help make homemade ice cream. I used to love to sit around and watch the ice cream churn in the old-fashioned, White Mountain ice cream freezer. Then the next best thing was eating it...of course! My mom would always make peanut butter ice cream. My aunt would make the teaberry-flavored ice cream...mmm. There was also usually someone in the family that would make a freezer of vanilla and a freezer of chocolate.
As a gift for Mother’s Day 2015, my boys’ got me the ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid Mixer. (I think they were just trying to drop the hint that they wanted more ice cream.) I began researching different recipes: flavors, different methods of making ice cream, do I want to use eggs or go eggless, what kind of milk product to use, etc. There were a bunch of ideas to choose from and different ways to make it. My husband and I looked over the recipes. Finally, we agreed on three different flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Mint Chocolate Chip. I wanted to start out simple and go from there, so I wanted something that I just needed to “stir and dump” with no cooking involved. So, we went with eggless recipes to avoid cooking the mixture.
At this point, I was not too concerned with the type of milk that I would use for the ice cream. Through research, I did discover that the less sugar and fats in the mixture, the "icier" the ice cream would be. The more “fat-packed" and sugary the mix is, the more it would likely be a more dense ice cream. So, for the vanilla recipe we chose a simple and healthier mix that used more half and half compared to some that require more heavy cream. Our Mint Chocolate Chip recipe was half heavy cream and half 2% milk. But the chocolate was just heavy cream.
I also decided to try and make a batch of ice cream that didn’t need to be churned. That is another reason why this particular chocolate recipe was chosen. This chocolate recipe is by far the easy ice cream I have ever seen made.
To make this recipe, first, take two cups of heavy cream and whip it until stiff peaks form.
In a separate bowl, combine the chocolate syrup and a can of sweetened condensed milk.
Then fold the chocolate syrup milk mixture into the whipped cream.
After it was well incorporated together, turn it in a plastic Tupperware Ice Cream container and place in the freezer (we put it in our deep freezer) overnight. That was it! It was that easy.
The Mint Chocolate Chip and Vanilla recipes were a little more involved. There is a little more preparation involved when using the Kitchen Aid attachment. This is because the ice cream freezer must be placed in the freezer at least 15 hours before use, so that the mixture will freeze when churning.
For the Mint Chocolate Chip recipe, combine the heavy cream, 2% milk, vanilla extract, mint extract, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Green food coloring was then used to get the ice cream to the desired color. It took about 10 drops for our mixture.
Set up the Kitchen Aid Ice Cream attachment and start the mixer at a speed number 2. Slowly pour the ice cream mixture into the churning ice cream freezer. I let it churn for about 15 minutes before adding the chocolate chips to the ice cream. Continue to churn for another 15-20 minutes or until the ice cream has a soft serve consistency.
After this consistency is reached, turn the ice cream out into a freezer container and place in the deep freezer for at least another two hours to allow the ice cream to set. This ice cream is like the premium style ice cream that you would buy in the store.
For the Vanilla recipe, it is really similar to making the Mint Chocolate Chip. There is still preparation involved with getting the Kitchen Aid attachment frozen before use. Once the attachment is ready for use, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and churn the same way as with the mint recipe. This ice cream has a lighter and more icy consistency - almost like an icy milk, but in a good way!
Another tip I have to share is that the colder the ice cream mixture is to start with, the better it will churn when placed in the ice cream freezer. So, mix up the recipes as quickly as possible. You could also make it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator, pulling it out after the freezer is set up and ready to start churning.
As you can tell, making ice cream can be a long process, requiring several hours to prepare. This may be true, but as it has been said, “All good things take time!”This is definitely a good thing worth waiting for! Plus a great Family Fun Night Activity!
Easy Chocolate Ice Cream
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cups chocolate syrup
Beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
In a large mixing bowl, mix milk and chocolate syrup together.
Fold cream into the chocolate mixture.
Pour the combined mixture into a freezer container or a lined 9 X 5" loaf pan lined with aluminum foil can be used. Then cover and freeze for at least 6 hours, until firm.
Vanilla Ice Cream
2 qt. Half and Half Cream
1/2 pt. Heavy Cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After the ice cream has thickened to the consistence of soft serve ice cream, spoon into a container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
3 drops green food coloring (this is optional and additional coloring can be added)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (miniature work best)
In a large bowl, mixture together milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After about 10 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened to the consistence of soft serve ice cream, spoon into a container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
1 pinch salt
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After the ice cream has thickened to the consistence of soft serve ice cream, spoon into a container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
3 drops green food coloring (this is optional and additional coloring can be added)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (miniature work best)
In a large bowl, mixture together milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After about 10 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened to the consistence of soft serve ice cream, spoon into a container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
