Tag: Ice Cream

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

The temperatures may not feel like it, but today, Labor Day, marks the end of the summer (albeit unofficially) for many. After the heat and humidity we’ve had this summer I say bring on Fall and the lower temperatures. The trees in my yard have been suffering from what I have coined “summer foliage.” The leaves are turning brown and falling due to a combination of a lack of rain and the heat. How can so many people really think that climate change doesn’t exist? Anyhoo… If you are looking to hold on to summer a bit longer and all the cold treats that come with it, then whip up a batch of these super simple Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches to enjoy on those days that are still unbearably warm.

While you could use your favorite brownie recipe to make these, I opted to use a box mix. Ideally you would like two 9-inch square pans to make these so that after you prep your brownie batter you can divide it amongst the two pans to bake. But, if you only have 1, after you prepare your batter divide it in half and bake the first half and let it cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing it to bake the other half. Either way, allow the brownie layers to cool completely before moving on to the next step.

Once the brownie layers had cooled, I lined one of the 9-inch square pans with plastic wrap leaving an overhang on all sides. I placed one of the brownie layers in the pan with the top side facing down and then spread ice cream over it in an even layer and then topped it with the other brownie layer, top side facing up. I covered it with plastic wrap and placed it in the freezer overnight. Truthfully, you only need to freeze it for a minimum of two hours.

The next day I inverted it onto a cutting board, removed the plastic wrap and sliced it into 9 brownie ice cream sandwiches with a serrated knife. To make slicing it easier, I ran the knife under hot water prior to slicing. Once they were sliced, I had to work fast as the ice cream was starting to melt a little. I decided to leave three of them as is, topped three of them with chocolate syrup and chopped walnuts and the last three I coated with sprinkles around the sides. I placed them on a baking sheet and put them back in the freezer for about 20 minutes so they could firm up.

And finally, I wrapped each in plastic wrap to store in my freezer to enjoy for the warmer days that I am sure will still come!

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 18 to 18.75 oz box brownie mix

1 qt. vanilla ice cream (or any flavor of ice cream, gelato or sorbet you like)

Chocolate Syrup, optional for decorating

Chopped Walnuts, optional for decorating

Rainbow Sprinkles, optional for decorating

Directions:

Preheat the oven to the temperature on your brownie mix.

Prepare the brownie batter per the directions on the box and divide in half. Bake in two 9-inch square pans or bake one half and then the other. If using only one pan, let the first brownie layer cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely and then bake the other half.  If using two pans, allow the brownie layers to cool completely in the pans before removing. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are set and a tester inserted in the center comes out with crumbs.

Line a 9-inch square pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on all sides. Place one of the brownie layers in the pan with the top side facing down. Spread the ice cream over the brownie and then top with the other brownie layer with the top side facing up. Gently press down the top brownie layer. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours.

Invert onto a large cutting board and remove the plastic wrap. Use a serrated knife to cut into 9 ice cream sandwiches. To make slicing easier, run the knife under hot water.

If decorating…

To top the brownies with walnuts, spread a teaspoon or two of the chocolate syrup on the top of the brownies and then sprinkle with some of the chopped walnuts, pressing them down lightly to adhere.

To add sprinkles to the sides, pour some sprinkles onto a plate and then press each side of the ice cream sandwich into the sprinkles.

Once the brownie ice cream sandwiches have been decorated (or just sliced if you are not decorating) place them on a baking sheet and back in the freezer for 15-20 minutes so they can set. Remove from the freezer and wrap each in plastic wrap and store in the freezer until ready to enjoy!

No Churn Key Lime Ice Cream

Today marks the unofficial end of the summer. While the calendar may say that we still have a little over two weeks left to the season, with schools back in session, pumpkin spice everything popping up in stores and some cooler temps there is no doubt that Fall is just around the corner. That’s fine by me as it is my favorite season. It’s been quite some time since I posted an ice cream recipe, just under two years and surprise surprise it was for a No Churn Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream, so I decided that this unofficial end was the perfect excuse for another ice cream recipe. A flavor that can help to extend the feeling of summer… A No Churn Key Lime Ice Cream.  

If you love a classic key lime pie you are going to love this ice cream. It has all the ingredients of the traditional pie (key lime juice, lime zest, sweetened condensed milk), whipped cream (folded into the mixture as opposed to piped on top) and graham cracker crumbles. And best of all you don’t need an ice cream machine to churn up a batch of it. Just mix all the ingredients together and transfer it to loaf pan and then freeze until firm.  

No Churn Key Lime Ice Cream

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crumble:

4 graham crackers, crumbled

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 teaspoons sugar

Ice Cream:

1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon key lime or regular lime zest

1/3 cup key lime juice*

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups heavy whipping cream

*Can use fresh key limes or Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Juice

Directions:

In a small bowl combine the crumbled graham crackers, sugar and butter and mix together until well combined. Reserve 1 tablespoon and set aside

In another medium bowl whisk together the condensed milk, lime zest, key lime juice, vanilla extract and salt and set aside.

Using a hand mixer on medium speed beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.

Fold the whipped cream and graham cracker crumb mixture into the condensed milk mixture until everything is combined and no streaks of either mixture remain.

Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the reserved graham cracker crumb mixture on top. Cover with a piece of wax paper and aluminum foil and freeze for at least 6 hours.

Recipe from Southern Living

No Churn Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

One thing I have yet to come across during the season of pumpkin spice craze is pumpkin spice ice cream. Now, I am sure if you go to a specialty ice cream shop you may find it, but what I am referring to is a pint or carton of it at your local grocery store. I have seen pumpkin cheesecake, but, never just plain old pumpkin. Quite a few years ago I actually made a pumpkin ice cream using my ice cream maker but recently while chatting with a friend she mentioned the same thing, that she wished they would sell a pumpkin spice ice cream and that got me thinking to tweak my original recipe to create a no-churn version.

I began by placing a metal bowl and the beaters of my hand mixer in the freezer for about 30 minutes. While those items chilled I combined a can of condensed milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract in a large bowl and whisked them together until they were well blended. Once the bowl and beaters were chilled I used them to beat heavy cream until stiff peaks formed making sure not to overbeat the cream. Next, I gently folded in the whipped cream to the pumpkin mixture. I added about half of the whipped cream at first and then the remaining half and continued folding the two mixtures together until no streams of either remained.

Once the two mixtures were combined I transferred it to a metal loaf pan. I smoothed the top and then placed a piece of wax paper directly on the surface so ice crystals wouldn’t form on the ice cream. I wrapped the pan with aluminum foil and let it freeze overnight.

The following day I removed the aluminum foil and wax paper and let the ice cream sit at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping some out to enjoy.

And while I loved it and it tasted just as good as my original ice cream maker version, I will point out that due to the addition of real pumpkin you will get an authentic pumpkin taste with this ice cream. Not just the pumpkin spice flavor that many people prefer over actual pumpkin.

No Churn Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups cold heavy whipping cream

1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a medium bowl beat the heavy cream using a hand held mixer until stiff peaks form, do not overbeat. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the condensed milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract in a large bowl until well combined.

Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture for a few folds and then add in the remaining whipped cream. Continue to gently folding the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture until no streaks of either remain.

Transfer the mixture to a 9×5-inch metal loaf pan. Smooth the top and place a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper directly on the surface and then cover with aluminum foil.

Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight. When ready to scoop, remove the aluminum foil and the plastic wrap (or wax paper) and let sit for a few minutes at room temperature.

No Churn Passion Fruit Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM! Happy 1st (official) day of summer. I say official, because I am sure there are plenty of people who feel that Memorial Day is the kick-off to summer. Which, I don’t completely disagree with, but, the weather in my neck of the woods has been saying otherwise. There have been some warm days, but, quite a few days have felt like we are back in April with the rain, wind and chill in the air. As you know, April showers bring May flowers, well, we are well into June now Mother Nature so we don’t need so much of the rain. Hopefully she’ll listen. So, what better way to kick off summer than with some homemade ice cream. Last year I shared with you a No Churn Coffee-Caramel Ice Cream to kick off the summer and this year I am sharing with you a No Churn Passion Fruit Ice Cream. YUM! Passion Fruit happens to be my favorite Chobani Yogurt flavor. That’s where the idea for this ice cream flavor came about. I figured if it tasted good as a yogurt it ought to taste just as good as ice cream (and I was right.)

While I came across quite a few different recipes for this ice cream, I opted to go with one that required only 3 ingredients and less than 15 minutes of prep time. I purchased frozen passion fruit pulp from my local supermarket. To defrost it, I placed it in my refrigerator for about a day. Once it was defrosted I combined it with a can of sweetened condensed milk, whisking the two together until they were well combined. In another bowl, using my hand mixer, I whipped extra cold (I placed it in the freezer for 10 minutes) heavy cream until stiff peaks formed. I then added in the passion fruit mixture and beat everything together until just combined. I transferred the mixture to a loaf pan and placed a piece of wax paper directly on the surface before covering the pan with aluminum foil and then placing it in the freezer. And of course, I snuck a taste of it beforehand and it tasted just like my favorite Chobani yogurt, without the pesky little black seeds

After letting the ice cream set in the freezer for a few days (I am sure it was ready after a few hours, but, I happen to make this in the middle of week and was busy some doing baking and other things and totally forgot it was in freezer) I scooped myself a scoop or two and enjoyed it.

Passion Fruit Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. package of Passion Fruit Pulp, defrosted

1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup of cold heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Place the heavy cream in the freezer for 10 -15 minutes.

In a medium bowl whisk together the defrosted passion fruit pulp and sweetened condensed milk.

In another medium bowl beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add the passion fruit mixture and continue beating until the two mixtures are combined.

Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan and place a piece of wax paper directly on the surface and the cover with a piece of aluminum foil before placing in the freezer. Free for at least 2 hours and up to two weeks.

Recipe from Olivia’s Cuisine

Homemade No Churn Coffee-Caramel Ice Cream

It’s the first day of summer and while the day started off rainy the sun has finally made an appearance. Are you ready and excited for the summer? I’ve been doing a good amount of yard work to get my yard ready. It seems like wherever I look there is a weed to pull or a tree/bush to trim back, it just never ends. Summer is synonymous with one of my favorite treats… Ice Cream. Granted, I can eat ice cream in the winter, but, the warmer days are definitely prime time for an ice cream treat. I was racking my brain to think of an ice cream flavor to make but I was coming up empty. I think I have too many things running around in my mind and a slew of mental to-do lists to focus on one thing. And then, just in time, the current issue of Food Network magazine showed up in my mailbox and wouldn’t ya’ know they had 3 recipes for no-churn ice cream. Granted, I do have an ice cream maker, but, the simpler the better sometimes (usually all the time to be honest.) I settled on trying the No Churn Coffee-Caramel Ice Cream. A little disclaimer, the original recipe included toffee chips with I decided to omit.

The prep time for making this ice cream took me less than 10 minutes. In a large bowl I whisked together condensed milk, espresso powder (I used Café Bustelo Espresso Instant Coffee), heavy cream and salt until it was smooth. You will have speckles from the espresso powder, don’t worry, once you incorporate the whipped heavy cream the speckles will go away. Speaking of the whipped heavy cream, in another large bowl beat heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold half of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture until fully combined and then fold in the remaining whipped cream until completely incorporated. I tasted the mixture at this point and it tasted like my favorite coffee flavored ice cream…. YUM! I would have been happy to just put this in the freezer, but, I decided to follow the recipe and added in dulce de leche (a milk-based caramel) and then swirled it in the mixture. I transferred the mixture to a 9×5 metal loaf and dotted the top of the mixture with more dulce de leche. I covered the pan with plastic wrap and then placed it in the freezer.

The next day I enjoyed a scoop or two and it was delish! The coffee and dulce de leche flavor go together so well. I’ll definitely be making this again a few more times during the summer (and winter.)

Looking for more ice cream flavors to try… Check out some of my previous ice cream posts:

Malted S’mores Ice Cream

Blueberry Vanilla Ice Cream

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream

 

No Churn Coffee-Caramel Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3 / 4 cup sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

1 1 / 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Pinch of salt

1 / 3 cup dulce de leche

 

Directions:

In a large bowl whisk together the condensed milk, espresso powder, 1 tablespoon heavy cream and salt.

In a separate large bowl beat the remaining heavy cream with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula fold half of the mixture into the condensed milk mixture until combined and then fold in the remaining heavy cream until completely incorporated and no white streaks remain. The color will look like coffee with milk added in.

Dot the mixture with the dulce de leche and using the rubber spatula swirl the dulce de leche into the mixture. Transfer to a 9×5 metal loaf pan and then top with more dulce de leche. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Recipe from Food Network

Blueberry Vanilla Ice Cream

With berries in season there’s so many delicious treats you can make with them… Pies, Cakes, Muffins and probably something that doesn’t come as quickly to mind… ice cream! Ever since I got my ice cream maker a few years ago I am always trying to come up different flavors to make – Pumpkin, Lavender Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Chip – some common and some not so common. I’ve even made Hibiscus Sorbet. So, with a fridge full of blueberries I decided to make a vanilla ice cream base and then swirl in a blueberry compote, hence Blueberry Vanilla Ice Cream.

To make the vanilla ice cream base I combined milk, sugar and salt in a medium bowl and blended it with a hand mixer on low speed until the sugar was dissolved. I then stirred in heavy cream and vanilla bean paste (you could use vanilla extract.) I covered the bowl and refrigerated it for about 5 hours (you could do as little as 1 to 2 hours, you just want to make sure that the mixture is cold.)

Meanwhile, to make the blueberry compote, I combined blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and let the mixture simmer until some of the blueberries burst and the mixture began to thicken. I removed it from the heat to let it cool and then covered it and refrigerated it as well.

Once the ice cream and compote were properly chilled it was time to combine them to make the Blueberry Vanilla Ice Cream. Per the instructions of my ice cream maker, I turned it on and poured in the vanilla ice cream base and let it churn for about 15-20 minutes until it had a soft creamy mixture. With the machine still running, I then poured in the compote and let the machine run for about another 30 seconds until the compote had swirled through the ice cream and was lightly incorporated. I then transferred the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and placed it in the freezer so the ice cream could firm up – about an hour.

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And then it was time to enjoy… And one simple sentence sums up the flavor…. There’s nothing like homemade!

But, if you don’t have an ice cream maker here are two quick ideas on how to make your own Blueberry Vanilla Ice Cream. Use the compote as a topping on your favorite vanilla ice cream. Or take it one step further and soften a pint of your favorite vanilla ice cream and then add it to a large bowl and using a rubber spatula fold the compote into the ice cream. Place the ice cream in a freezer-proof container and place it back in the freezer so it can firm up, about 1-2 hours.

 

Blueberry Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

For the vanilla ice cream

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract*

*can substitute vanilla bean paste

 

For the blueberry compote

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

 

Directions:

For the vanilla ice cream; In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed (or by hand use a whisk) to combine the milk, granulated sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.

For the blueberry compote; In a small saucepan combine the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice and simmer over medium-low heat until the blueberries begin to burst and the sauce thickens. Let cool, cover and refrigerate.

Follow the directions for your ice cream maker to churn the vanilla ice cream. Once the ice cream thickens slowly pour in the compote and continue to churn for about 30 seconds to lightly incorporate the compote into the vanilla ice cream.

Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-proof container and freeze for about 1 to 2 hours to firm.

Vanilla ice cream recipe from Cuisinart

 

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Happy National Ice Cream Day!!! While I can pretty much eat ice cream any time of the year – frigid temperatures do not deter me from enjoying this creamy treat – summer is the ideal time to enjoy it. Which makes July the perfect month to celebrate National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month National Ice Cream Day!

I love texture when it comes to most things, i.e. nuts in brownies, sprinkles on cupcakes (and ice cream of course), so it’s no surprise that while I do enjoy plain old vanilla and chocolate ice cream I am partial to those flavors that have some sort of bite to them. Hence me making Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Well, the other reason for me making this particular flavor… Once the weather gets warmer mint grows wild around my yard. Usually I ignore it and let it grow as it is a good deterrent with squirrels digging holes everywhere in search of food, but this year I got the idea to make mint chocolate chip ice cream with it.

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After collecting and rinsing 2 cups of fresh mint leaves…

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I combined them along with whole milk, sugar, cream and salt in a saucepan and simmered the mixture over medium heat, stirring it occasionally until the sugar dissolved. I then removed the pan from the heat and let the mixture steep for 30 minutes.

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Following that I strained the mixture and returned it to the saucepan and heated it on medium-low heat

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I took a cup of the warmed milk and slowly added it to a bowl with whisked egg yolks; while adding the milk I whisked the mixture constantly to temper the eggs. If tempering is not done properly you can end up with scrambled eggs.

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Once the eggs where tempered I added them to the remaining milk mixture on the stove and stirred the combined mixture constantly to form a custard.

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Following that I strained the custard through a sieve into a medium-sized bowl. After letting the custard cool for a few minutes I covered it and refrigerated it overnight. I was a bit concerned when I saw that my custard was yellow – I feared that my ice cream was going to be this color. Green & white are cool for mint ice cream, but yellow not so much!

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The following day I transferred the mixture to the bowl of my ice cream maker and once it started to firm up I added in chopped semi-sweet chocolate to the ice cream.

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And finally I transferred the ice cream to an airtight container to place it in the freezer so the ice cream could firm up.

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Final outcome… Well, thankfully it didn’t end up being yellow! The flavor is definitely different than store bought mint chocolate chip ice cream. It has more of an earthy flavor and doesn’t have the aftertaste that I find with some store bought ice creams. Also, since the base was custard and not a liquid like I normally make for ice cream it was definitely much creamier and reminded me of ice cream that you sometimes get from “old-time” ice cream shops. I definitely want to try to make this again, but, I think I would use less mint leaves and sugar and instead of making custard I would steep the leaves in milk similarly like when I made Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream.

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Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh mint

1 cup whole milk

1 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

Pinch of table salt

6 large egg yolks

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Combine the mint, milk, sugar, cream and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes.

2. Strain the milk mixture through a sieve into a large bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the mint. Return the milk mixture to the saucepan and place medium-low heat.

3. Set the sieve over a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly add 1 cup of the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly, until combined. Return to the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to custard and coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes.

4. Remove the custard from heat and strain. Let sit until slightly cool, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours and up to overnight.

5. Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Fold in the chocolate. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 4 days.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

By far my favorite sweet treat is ice cream and I firmly believe it’s never too cold to enjoy it. With all the amazing flavors that are available from so many different brands there is always something new to try. It’s been a while since I have made my own ice cream using my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker but recently the idea of making Pumpkin Ice Cream began floating around in my head. And since I always have a can or two of canned pumpkin puree sitting in my pantry I finally got around to making it and I only wish I had it made it sooner. It was that good!
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To create this ice cream I used an electric mixer to blend together whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree until the sugar was dissolved. I then covered this mixture and refrigerated it overnight. The following day I poured the pumpkin mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and allowed it to churn for about 15 minutes – until the mixture was thickened.
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Ideally I wanted the ice cream to have a firmer consistency so I transferred it to a ice cream container and placed it in the freezer.
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And after a few hours it was perfect!
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Pumpkin Ice Cream

Yield Approximately 5 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch salt

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and using a handheld mixer mix all ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight. Once the mixture is cold enough follow the instructions for your ice cream maker to make the ice cream.

Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream

It’s officially the first day of summer (YAY!) After the epic snow fall from the past winter the warmer days ahead are definitely being welcomed with open arms – although, I could do without the humidity that those days also bring. By far my favorite seasons are spring and fall. But, I digress. I think one treat that most of us can agree on that is a summer staple is ice cream – I particularly can eat it in the dead of winter with no problem though. Hence, me wasting no time in churning out a few batches of ice cream back in January soon after getting my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.

A week or so ago while I was doing something on my computer, maybe working on a blog post, I came up with the idea of Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream. I have plenty of dried lavender left over after making Lavender Cupcakes back in April, which is sitting in a container on my counter right in my field of vision while I am cooking so it’s no wonder that it has been on my mind. You always see lavender and vanilla combined in all sorts of home items so I figured that melding the two flavors together in ice cream should be a winner – and fortunately I was right!

To create the ice cream I followed a recipe for Simple Vanilla Ice Cream with one simple modification. I soaked three tablespoons of dried lavender in the one cup of milk the recipe called for for about six hours – this is exactly what I did to get the lavender flavor for the cupcakes. Following that I strained the milk using a fine mesh sieve and then continued with the recipe. Combining the milk with sugar, salt, heavy cream and vanilla paste (I substituted this for vanilla extract to get that authentic vanilla bean flavor along with the black specks of ground vanilla beans.) I refrigerated the mixture overnight and I poured the mixture into the ice cream maker and let it do all the work. And about 20 minutes later it was done!

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I wanted the ice cream to have a firmer consistency so I transferred it to this nifty ice cream container that I recently picked up at my local Home Goods and placed it in the freezer for about another hour or so. Of course I did a quick taste test before freezing it and was very happy with the results.

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After sitting in the freezer for a bit I was finally able to enjoy a nice bowl of my Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream!

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Below is the original recipe for Simple Vanilla Ice Cream and the modifications I made to create Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream.

 

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

A pinch of salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.

2. Turn on the Cuisinart ice cream maker; pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer for about 15 minutes before serving.

For Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream:

Soak 3 tablespoons of dried lavender in the milk for 6 to 8 hours in the refrigerator. Following that strain the milk through a fine mesh sieve and continue with the recipe substituting vanilla bean paste for the vanilla extract.

 

Homemade Ice Cream

Happy New Year! I figure it’s not too late to say that as we are barely halfway through the month. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and that the new year is treating you well thus far. For my first post of 2014 I’d like to share with you some cold and creamy treats I made with my newest kitchen “toy” – an ice cream maker. I absolutely love ice cream and have always wanted an ice cream maker but it never really seemed practical to own one – especially since there are so many delicious flavors on the market thanks to Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s. But, then I got a daily deal email from Williams-Sonoma featuring a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker at an unbelievable price that had decent reviews so I figured why not… Merry Christmas to me!

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I decided to stick with something basic and simple the first time I used it – Vanilla Ice Cream. After refrigerating a mixture of whole milk, sugar, salt, heavy cream and vanilla extract overnight I poured it into the bowl of the machine and let it do all the work.

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Within minutes the ice cream was coming together.

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After about twenty minutes I had homemade Vanilla Ice Cream which went perfectly with a homemade Apple Pie a friend’s mom made.

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For my second batch of homemade ice cream I decided on Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream – an ice cream with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, how could it not be good?

To begin I mixed together peanut butter, sugar, whole milk, heavy cream and vanilla extract and then poured it into a Tupperware container and refrigerated it overnight.

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The next day, before starting on the ice cream, I chopped up fifteen miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to add into it.

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Now I was ready to begin…

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I poured the peanut butter mixture into the machine and let it run for about fifteen minutes before adding in the chopped up peanut butter cups.

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After running for an additional five minutes the ice cream was done and it was even more delicious than the vanilla one!

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Overall I’m loving my new toy… clean-up is a breeze and I always leave the two mixing bowls in the freezer so I never have to worry about them being ready to use. If you’re wondering where I found the recipes for these two ice creams, the machine actually came with a recipe book that I am definitely making good use of. Granted, the machine can be a tad bit noisy, as I did read in some reviews, but, it’s not loud enough to make you not want to use it!

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