Ice cream is a delightful dessert loved by both children and adults. It’s refreshing during the summer and great comfort food during the winter. It comes in different flavors and it’s such a fun thing to make! You can be as creative as you want when you’re making ice cream and the whole family can get involved in the process. Still, it’s a bit hard to know where to start when you’ve never done it before.
This is why, in this article, we will give you our top 5 recipes for making ice cream using different ingredients! It will make the process easy and fun, and you’ll be making your own ice cream in no time!
So without further ado, let’s get to it!
1. The classic vanilla recipe
What you’ll need:
- Milk
- Heavy cream
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Egg yolks
How it’s done:
Mix up the milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Get a larger saucepan and heat the mixture at medium heat. Make sure to stir as frequently as possible, and once the sugar is dissolved, gradually start adding the egg yolks into the mix. After you’ve done this, keep on stirring on the medium heat for about 10 more minutes. Finally, pour the mixture through a mesh colander to purify it, place it into a damp bowl, and freeze for about 12-24 hours before serving.
This is, of course, just the basics! You can add anything into the mixture before you freeze it. Chocolate chips, m&ms, literally anything you want! A plain vanilla ice cream can become a completely new and unique recipe if you’re creative enough!
2. Coffee heaven
What you’ll need:
- Milk
- Heavy cream
- Sugar
- A vanilla bean
- egg yolks
- espresso powder
- dark chocolate
How it’s done:
The process is quite similar to the vanilla ice cream. You could say that the basis for ice cream making is the same for any kind of ice cream. You mix the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla and gradually add large egg yolks while stirring at medium heat. After you’re done you can add the espresso powder and shredded dark chocolate into the hot mix and then proceed to freeze it in the freezer. The measurements will of course depend on your needs but make sure to get the proper ratio.
The coffee adds an amazing flavor to the ice cream, just make sure not to overdo it. You want it to have a slight coffee aroma, so your whole family can enjoy it including your youngest family members.
3. Lemonade ice cream
What you’ll need:
- Milk
- Egg yolks
- Sugar
- lemon extract
- lemon zests
- lemon juice
How it’s done:
We can all agree that there’s nothing better than drinking lemonade and eating ice cream during the hot summer days. Well, have you thought about mixing it all together to make a lemonade ice cream? The process is quite simple: heat the milk until it boils, add it to the sugar and egg yolk mixture and cook over low heat until it thickens. Add the lemon components and let it cool off. Once it’s cold, you can add some more lemonade to make the flavor stronger.
All in all, a lemon ice cream will be a favorite in your household! It’s a classic recipe that anyone looking to make ice creams needs to learn.
4. Ice cream sandwiches
What you’ll need:
- Butter
- Chocolate chips
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Cocoa
- Baking soda
- Some premade vanilla ice cream
How it’s done:
Now, this is one of the more complex recipes on this list, but it’s also absolutely essential to learn! Your kids will adore it, and once you get the gist of it, it’s not that difficult either!
Well, to start you should preheat your oven to 160C (320F for our American ice cream lovers), and prepare everything you need for baking. Then, heat the butter and chocolate and let it cool off. Proceed to whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla until you get a proper mix. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and cocoa powder nicely and then add the warm chocolate and butter mixture. Make sure to stir until it’s all smooth and uniform. Put it all in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes. Leave it all to cool off and then proceed to cut it and make the sandwiches by putting the homemade ice cream in between the dough.
All in all, this is much easier to do when you have the proper tools. Luckily for you, there is a huge database for all the ice cream related info you may need at www.icecream-pro.com. Since it’s made with pros in mind, it will certainly have all the necessary advice for your ice cream making needs.
5. Vegan ice cream making
What you’ll need:
- Coconut milk
- Syrup of your choice
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla extract
- Flavoring of your choice (chocolate, peanut, fruit, basically anything!)
How it’s done:
Pour of coconut milk into the saucepan, and make sure to set aside at least half a cup. Add the syrup of honey and heat the mixture until it’s well-mixed together. Add the cornstarch to the coconut milk you’ve left aside and mix until it’s all smooth. Then proceed to add it into the warm syrup-milk mixture and whisk gently. After you’ve done this, start gradually increasing the heat while stirring it frequently. Don’t let it boil, but make sure it’s thick enough when you’re done. Put it into the ice cream machine and churn until you get the wanted consistency. Lastly, put it into the freezer and wait for at least 5 hours before serving it.
All of this is your base, you can add anything you want into the mix be it vanilla beans, cocoa powder, or perhaps a fruit extract. It’s incredibly tasty and it’s much healthier than its non-vegan alternative!
*BONUS: Making a healthy ice cream treat for your furry best friend!
We all know that dogs love ice cream! Unfortunately, the ice cream made for humans can be extremely harmful to the dog’s health. This is why you should consider making a dog-friendly ice cream alternative!
What you’ll need:
- Banana
- Peanut butter
- Strawberries
- Low-fat yogurt
How it’s done:
Mash the banana with a fork until it gets pureed. Add peanut butter and yogurt and stir it until it’s smooth. Then, proceed to mash the strawberries and add them into the peanut butter mix. Store it in a freezer and make sure to leave it overnight. Warm it up a little before giving it to your dog. This mixture is also safe for cats to eat, but they’re not likely to enjoy it as much as your dog.
It’s incredibly healthy, but make sure to portion it properly so your dog doesn’t end up eating too much too quickly. It’s super refreshing, and it will stop your furry friend from puppy eyeing you while you’re enjoying your own icy treats.
