Homemade Ice Cream Recipes Experiments
Memories of Ice Cream Made In a Churn
I remember lazy hot summer evenings with fireworks after dark and barbecue before dark, my father on the ice cream churn and Mom whipping up Jello salads. My sisters and I often took turns at the ice cream churn as the crank got harder and harder to turn. That was some of the best ice creams I ever had. My mother had a recipe that has been passed down through at least 3 generations and cherished by all.
Recently I bought an electric ice cream maker. It is interesting, as you don’t have to add ice and rock salt to keep it extra cold. Instead, you place the main container in the freezer and it should get the ice cream good and cold as the churn turns. After trying mine out several times, I have to say that the container just isn’t getting cold enough to freeze the ice cream ingredients properly. It’s probably my freezer’s fault but I haven’t a lot of control over that. So I have come up with a few recipes and tips that help the little ice cream maker along.
Electric Ice Cream Maker Recipes I Made Up
I find that once I mix the ingredients, I have to chill it good and cold before I even start churning. Overnight is best. Then I add the ingredients to the churn and allow it to do its work for a half an hour to an hour or so. If the ice cream hasn’t solidified by that time, it just isn’t cold enough and needs more time in the freezer. This seems like a lot of effort, but the ice cream is so good that it is worth the extra effort, and how!
The recipes that came with my little ice cream machine called for whipping cream and lots of sugar. I made some but found it just too rich for my taste, so I made up a few recipes that work for me.
Ingredients
Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
Perfect Time for Ice Cream!
Vanilla Ice Milk
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1 cup milk
¼ cup vanilla yogurt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
With a whisk, whip the eggs and sugar thoroughly. Pour in the canned milk and whisk again. Add the rest of the ingredients and chill overnight.
Pour into the ice cream maker and allow churning for one hour. Add fruit if desired.
This ice cream will not be as stiff as the ones you buy in the store. It will be a little more like a custard or soft serve ice cream and should be enjoyed at once. After a week stored in the freezer it looses its fresh taste.
Chocolate Ice Cream
¾ cup vanilla yogurt
½ cup half and half milk
½ cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup milk
1 small package chocolate pudding mix
Mix up the chocolate pudding mix first with the 1/2 cup milk and chill before you begin. Mix all these ingredients together with a whisk and begin mixing in the ice cream maker. The ingredients can be chilled overnight but I found mine didn’t have to be. Between 30 minutes and 45 minutes in the ice cream maker are enough. Scoop the ice cream into a container and freeze. I like mine a little soft so I scoop up a dish right away.
Pineapple Sherbet Right From The Mixer
Not counting chill time
Pineapple Sherbet
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar, granulated
- 1 cup crushed pineapple, canned with juice
- 1/2 cup sugar, granulated
Cook Custard
- Heat first 4 ingredients in a saucepan over low heat just until scalding. Stir often. Do not allow the milk to boil. While that is heating, whisk eggs and sugar. Once the milk is scalding, mix a small amount into the egg mixture to temper the eggs and then pour the egg mixture into the milk and return to the heat. Cook the custard, stirring often, until the custard coats the back of a spoon. To test this, dip a wooden spoon into the custard and swipe your finger across the back of the spoon. If the two sides of custard do not run back together, it is coated.
- Pour this custard into a bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the custard to prevent a film from forming. Allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
- Next prepare your syrup. For this sherbet, I am making pineapple syrup, but you can use any fresh or frozen fruit to make a syrup to mix with your custard. Bring the pineapple and sugar to a boil and allow to cook for about 10 minutes. Chill the syrup in the refrigerator for 6 hours.
- Pour the custard into the ice cream machine and churn for 20 minutes. Stir in the syrup and return to the freezer to set up more if desired. This makes a great rainbow sherbet recipe if you divide the custard and add different flavors to the ice cream before freezing.
Good to the Last Spoonful
Variations
The Pineapple Sherbet recipe makes great Vanilla Ice Cream if you just leave out the pineapple syrup. I loved all these but the Pineapple Sherbet the best. It was fun to play with the different recipes and try tweaking each one to make it mine. It has made for an interesting summer of experiments. Give it a try yourself and let me know how they turned out for you.
Nutritional Information on Sherbet
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1/2 cup | |
| Calories | 260 |
| Calories from Fat | 72 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 8 g | 12% |
| Saturated fat 8 g | 40% |
| Unsaturated fat 0 g | |
| Carbohydrates 44 g | 15% |
| Sugar 32 g | |
| Fiber 0 g | |
| Protein 2 g | 4% |
| Cholesterol 30 mg | 10% |
| Sodium 70 mg | 3% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Cream Cheese Ice Cream
3 cups half and half milk
2 eggs
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8 oz package cream cheese, cubed and softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whisk the first 3 ingredients together in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and stir in softened cream cheese and vanilla extract. Stir until the cream cheese is completely melted. Place plastic wrap directly on the mixture to prevent a film from forming. Chill in the refrigerator at least 6 hours.
Pour the mixture into ice cream machine and churn about 20 to 30 minutes. Return to freezer to finish setting up. Serve with graham crackers.
I'm Glad I Bought This Ice Cream Freezer
I Love Ice Cream
I loved spending most of the summer experimenting with these recipes. I often added too much milk or not enough. Once I made a batch with too much canned milk and it tasted funny. The ones with too much milk didn’t freeze well and turned into slushies in the freezer. My one disaster was the Blueberry Sherbet. I added the Blueberry syrup right to the custard as it was freezing. The color the sherbet turned to was unappealing and the taste was slightly off. When I made the custard first and then added the syrup in swirls, it looked and tasted better.
Mostly it was just fun to make and eat ice cream all summer long. I love ice cream.
