Nothing screams summer quite like ice cream! Making homemade ice cream is the perfect summer cooking activity to do with your kids and we’ve got our favorite easy recipe to share!
Vanilla ice cream recipe
Growing up I remember my mom making homemade ice cream every summer so I’m happy to continue this tradition with my own kids. They declare this ice cream their very favorite and the best they have ever had. It’s really creamy, super tasty, and with only 4 ingredients, it is simple to make!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups half-and-half cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
- Combine heavy whipping cream and sugar in saucepan. Warm mixture over medium heat and continue stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Remove from heat and stir in half-and-half and vanilla extract.
- Pour mixture into ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturers instructions.
- Transfer the finished ice cream to an air tight container and freeze in freezer for 2-3 hours.
No ice cream maker? No problem!
To prepare this recipe without an ice cream maker put a 13×9 dish in the freezer until cold. Prepare ice cream mixture as directed and transfer into prepared dish. Freeze until edges of mixture begin to set (about 30 minutes). Using a hand mixer, beat mixture until smooth. Freeze, covered, until firm (about 3 hours longer), beating again every 30 minutes.
Mix it in or top it off
With the basic vanilla recipe you can create all sorts of different ice cream flavors. After churning, but before freezing, you can stir in chocolate chips, caramel sauce, cookie dough pieces or even crushed cookies. Or, just stick with the vanilla and add some fun sprinkles on top!
