As the summer heat begins to ramp up, the quest for things to cool you down begins. Swimming pools and frozen summer treats are my favorite way to cool off, especially during the days that reach over 100°F. Cold summer staples like popsicles, frozen drinks, and ice cream are perfect indulgences on a scorching summer day. Well, what if I told you that you could make your own ice cream using only 5 ingredients? Yes! With just 5 simple ingredients, you can make your own vanilla ice cream! The best part about making ice cream at home? You can stir in any ingredients like candy, cookies, pretzels, etc. to create your own ice cream flavor!

My newest YouTube video features this vanilla ice cream recipe! You can check out the video here:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups half and half
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• 2-3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Equipment:

• Medium saucepan
• Silicone whisk
• Medium mixing bowl
• Wire whisk
• Large mixing bowl
• Strainer
• Ice cream Maker

Directions:

1. To a medium saucepan, add 3 cups of half & half and 1 cup of heavy whipping cream. Place over the stove on a medium heat. Make sure to stir occasionally while the mixture comes to a simmer.

2. While the dairy mixture is heating on the stove, add 1 cup granulated sugar and 8 egg yolks to a medium size mixing bowl. Thoroughly whisk these ingredients together until they lighten in color. It will go from a bright yellow color to a pale yellow color.

3. Once the dairy mixture comes to a simmer, remove the pan from the stove. Slowly add 1/3 to 1/2 of the dairy mixture to the egg mixture. Make sure to whisk constantly. Once 1/3 to 1/2 of the dairy mixture has been added, whisk the remaining dairy mixture while adding the dairy and egg mixture back into the saucepan.

4. Place the saucepan back on the stove over a low or medium-low heat. Whisk frequently while the mixture cooks. Continue to whisk and cook the mixture until it slightly thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in 2-3 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.* Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl with a strainer placed on top. Next, add this mixture to an airtight container and let it cool without the lid on for about 30 minutes. Then, securely put the lid on top and place in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, I recommend closer to 24 hours, before adding it to our ice cream machine.

6. Now that the mixture has set in the refrigerator, add it to your ice cream maker and let it process according to your particular ice cream maker’s manufacturer’s instructions. Once that is done, remove the ice cream and place in an air-tight container. You can either serve the ice cream right away as soft serve, or you can pop it into the freezer for at least 2-3 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

Bonus: Apple Pie Ice Cream!

A quick, easy, and super delicious flavor is apple pie ice cream! All that you need to make this is freshly made vanilla ice cream, either a homemade or store-bought pie crust that has been baked and then crumbled into pieces, and one batch of my apple compote. A compote is simply fruit that has been cooked in a sugar syrup.

Mix the apple compote and crumbled pie crust pieces into the freshly churned vanilla ice cream. That’s all it takes to make delicious apple pie ice cream! Either by itself, or topped with homemade caramel, this is an awesome ice cream flavor that is perfect for the Fourth of July, or any time of the year!

Vanilla Ice Cream

Recipe by Carly PrestonCourse: DessertDifficulty: Easy

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups half and half

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 8 egg yolks

• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract*

Directions

• To a medium saucepan, add 3 cups of half & half and 1 cup of heavy whipping cream. Place over the stove on a medium heat. Make sure to stir occasionally while the mixture comes to a simmer.
• While the dairy mixture is heating on the stove, add 1 cup granulated sugar and 8 egg yolks to a medium size mixing bowl. Thoroughly whisk these ingredients together until they lighten in color. It will go from a bright yellow color to a pale yellow color.
• Once the dairy mixture comes to a simmer, remove the pan from the stove. Slowly add 1/3 to 1/2 of the dairy mixture to the egg mixture. Make sure to whisk constantly. Once 1/3 to 1/2 of the dairy mixture has been added, whisk the remaining dairy mixture while adding the dairy and egg mixture back into the saucepan.
• Place the saucepan back on the stove over a low or medium-low heat. Whisk frequently while the mixture cooks. Continue to whisk and cook the mixture until it slightly thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in 2-3 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.* Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl with a strainer placed on top. Next, add this mixture to an airtight container and let it cool without the lid on for about 30 minutes. Then, securely put the lid on top and place in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, I recommend closer to 24 hours, before adding it to our ice cream machine.
• Now that the mixture has set in the refrigerator, add it to your ice cream maker and let it process according to your particular ice cream maker’s manufacturer’s instructions. Once that is done, remove the ice cream and place in an air-tight container. You can either serve the ice cream right away as soft serve, or you can pop it into the freezer for at least 2-3 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

Notes

• *If using a vanilla blend or imitation vanilla, use only 1-2 teaspoons.

Thank you so much for checking out this post! I hope that you are inspired to make your own ice cream right at home, and to have a lot of fun with creating fun flavors! Please leave a comment below to let me know how your ice cream making experience was!