I’ve made ice cream on here twice before – there was the strawberry shortcake ice cream and also the chocolate ice cream – both made without machines since I don’t own one. This new flavor comes with a little story.
I’ve said this before but I think that ice cream flavor choice reveals a lot about a person. Maybe it’s because of our McDonald’s ice cream cone obsession (only 170 calories!), but my husband starting requesting that I buy vanilla ice cream. I thought this was super lame, even though vanilla is actually America’s favorite flavor. I bought the vanilla and when we’d make bowls, I’d jazz mine up. Husband started complaining that he, too, would like a jazzed up bowl of ice cream. Fine. Chopped almonds, maple syrup, and a dash of cinnamon made for one heck of an after dinner treat, and now he sheepishly asks if I’ll make his jazzy ice cream a little too frequently.
Could I make this process easier? Yes. America’s Test Kitchen has a recipe for (no machine) vanilla ice cream and with some tweaks I made it my own. Though I’ve made this vanilla in the past, I think the maple syrup did something to the texture – it’s WAY creamier than I’d remembered. As we partook of our ice cream after dinner tonight I asked my husband if he liked my version better than store bought ice cream. He said that it tastes “real” (he means rich) so he can eat less of it and be satisfied. It IS rich, beautifully so, and it’s just so dang easy to make that I keep coming back to this recipe and coming up with new combos. Considering I could absolutely drink maple syrup from a glass, I had a feeling this would be good, and I was right!
Maple Almond Ice Cream – No Machine
Makes 6 cups
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk
3 tbsp. white chocolate chips
big pinch kosher salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract (don’t use imitation here)
1/4 c. sour cream
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/3 c. finely chopped roasted almonds
big pinch cinnamon
1. Microwave condensed milk and white chocolate in a large mixing bowl for 30 seconds. Whisk to smoothly combine and set aside to cool slightly (about 10 minutes).
2. Add salt, vanilla and sour cream and whisk until smoothly combined.
3. Beat heavy cream with electric mixer on medium speed until thickened, then beat on low until billowy and soft peaks form.
4. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the condensed milk mixture and whisk until well combined.
5. Add the rest of the whipped cream and fold gently (cut down through the middle of the mixture with a rubber spatula and pull spatula toward you, scraping up the side of the bowl and lifting the mixture over the top. Turn the bowl and continue with folding).
6. Lastly, add the syrup and almonds and fold very gently until dispersed through mixture. Pour into tupperware and freeze at least three hours (will keep at least a week).
*When I say it will “keep” for a week, I mean that it will be BEST for the first week. It won’t actually go bad, or anything, so keep enjoying till the last bite is gone (even if that’s two weeks!).
