Homemade Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

Since I started the blog, I've challenged myself to tackle some recipes that scared me.

Yeast breads was one of them.

Ice cream was another.

 

(Brownies pictures above are the peanut butter cheesecake swirl ones in this post)

 

With both, I learned that WHAT ON EARTH WAS I THINKING?  Scary?  Ha!  The only scary thing about baking is having to use self control when you are done.  Ice cream?  Yeast breads?  Not at all scary!

I was surprised by how simple the ice cream maker was to use and how easy the recipe came together.  Trust me, once you make it homemade, you will never want store bought again.  Baskin Robbins will become a thing of the past.  You are the new 31 Flavors.  This is the way to win brownie points as a sister, parent, friend . . .  

I have this idea for a new ice cream flavor, but before I embarked upon add ins and different textures and freezing times, I decided to have a trial run with just regular vanilla ice cream. 

It was so good.  Why was I worried?

In our weekly Bible Study we were talking about worrying.  Check out Chloe's post for more on that.  (It is a good one!)  Worrying is born out of uncertainty.  Is uncertainty bad?  Being uncertain is not a comfortable or fun feeling.  It's like everything is out of your control and there is no way to discern what is coming up. 

But as a Christian, my future doesn't have to scare me.  It does though!  All this uncertainty about where I want to go to college or if my friends will like me or how will I know who to marry - it can be consuming and it isn't good!  Sure, we need to plan and be conscious of those things, but they shouldn't become such a focus they weigh us down and turn our focus away from what we really should be focusing on.

Our human nature of uncertainty can and should bring us closer to God.  He is the only thing we can be certain about!  Uncertainty should be a billboard pointing us to Him, for His thoughts are higher than mine and He already has a plan of success for me.  All I have to do is listen to Him and obey.

I'm not saying this ice cream was a divine revelation, but there was uncertainty about it . . . however unfounded!  I am so glad I finally took the plunge and tried this because it was

1) so easy
2) so rich
3) so creamy

Nearly everyone thought it tasted similar to Freddy's Custard.  I think this recipe has more eggs than others, so it makes sense that it would be a little thicker than regular ice cream.  We also ate it a couple hours after it was churned, so it was much softer.  This is definitely a richer ice cream recipe but how else would you want it?  After you freeze it in the freezer, it becomes the traditional ice cream texture.

Homemade Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

Recipe Source: Rival Ice Cream Maker Recipe Booklet

Yield: 4 quarts

2-1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups milk (I used a mix of 1% and 2%)
4 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons vanilla
2-1/2 cups whipping cream
2-1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)

Whisk sugar, flour, and salt in a large saucepan/pot. Gradually add the first 5 cups of milk and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, whisking frequently. Once thickened, pour one cup of sugar mixture into beaten eggs and whisk until combined. Pour egg mixture back into sugar mixture and cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and refrigerate custard for 2 hours. 

Combine vanilla, cream, and remaining 2-1/2 cups milk in a large bowl. Pour chilled custard into bowl and stir with a wire whisk.

Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.  Enjoy!  

Notes:  Ours is a 6 quart ice cream maker and this recipe filled the can perfectly halfway, right to the fill line. You may have to make more or do two batches depending on size of ice cream maker. 

Have crushed ice and salt ready. 

This is the first time I've tried making real ice cream, but I have quite a few recipes using the banana based version.

Skinny White Chocolate and Blueberry Milkshake

Blueberry Banana Ice Cream

Skinny Orange and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?