Everyone loves ice cream!  Why you ask?  There are soooooooo many flavors to choose from, it’s refreshing on a hot summer day (but can be enjoyed year round), you can eat it anywhere, it goes with almost any dessert, you can make it at home….really the reasons to enjoy ice cream are endless 🙂

I enjoy making ice cream with my KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker and trying different flavors.  I’ve definitely had a few batches that didn’t turn out how I wanted but let’s be honest, I ate them anyway 🙂  Who would throw away perfectly good ice cream?  I do, however, have 3 favorites I would like to share with you today.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Pistachio Ice Cream

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream is incredibly flavorful and refreshing!  There is an entire pound of strawberries in this batch of ice cream, so it’s definitely fruity.  You’ll start by hulling and chopping the strawberries, and combining them with honey, sugar, and lemon juice.  Let this sit for about 20 minutes to allow the strawberries to release their juices/flavoring.

You can either use a food processor, blender, or potato masher to mash the strawberry mixture.  I prefer to use a food processor but use whatever is easiest for you.  Don’t puree the mixture just get rid of most of the chunks.

In a separate bowl, combine the whipping cream, half and half, and vanilla extract.  This gets added to the strawberry mixture.  Stir to combine.

Remove the frozen ice cream bowl from the freezer and lock in place on the stand mixer (make sure the bowl has been in the freezer for at least 12-15 hours).  Add the ice cream paddle and turn the mixer on to the “stir” setting.

Slowly pour the strawberry/cream mixture into the ice cream bowl.  Let the mixture churn for about 20-25 minutes.  You’ll be able to notice the consistency change, so you’ll know when it’s done.  Use a rubber scraper to remove the ice cream to a bowl.

The consistency will be more like soft serve at this point – go ahead and enjoy it this way if you want!  Otherwise, cover the bowl and place in the freezer for 3-4 hours to harden and thicken before serving.

The recipe can be found here.

Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream is hands down my favorite ice cream and the best I’ve ever made!  It’s thick, creamy, full of pistachio chunks, and has the perfect nutty flavor.  I also love the subtle green color of the ice cream.  If you’ve never had Pistachio Ice Cream before I highly recommend giving it a try 🙂

Start by combining the whipping cream, vanilla extract, sugar, and pudding mix in a bowl.  Whisk together and place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to chill.

Remove the frozen ice cream bowl from the freezer and lock in place on the stand mixer (make sure the bowl has been in the freezer for at least 12-15 hours).  Add the ice cream paddle and turn the mixer on to the “stir” setting.

Slowly pour the mixture into the ice cream bowl.  Let the mixture churn for about 10-20 minutes.  You’ll be able to notice the consistency change, so you’ll know when it’s done.  Use a rubber scraper to remove the ice cream to a bowl.

Fold in the chopped pistachios and either eat immediately as soft serve or cover and freeze for about 2-3 hours to harden.  I typically eat this as soft serve because I can’t wait a few hours 🙂

The recipe can be found here.

Homemade Cookies & Cream Ice Cream is a classic that everyone loves.  It’s creamy vanilla ice cream with chunks of crushed Oreos cookies, and is basically amazing.  I probably put too many Oreos in this recipe considering I used an entire package, but who ever said too many cookies was a bad thing?

Start by combining the milk, sugar, and salt in a bowl, and whisk until fully dissolved.  Add the cream and mix well.  Then cover and chill for about 90 minutes.

Place the Oreo cookies in a plastic bag and use a rolling in or your hand to crush into little pieces.

Remove the frozen ice cream bowl from the freezer and lock in place on the stand mixer (make sure the bowl has been in the freezer for at least 12-15 hours).  Add the ice cream paddle and turn the mixer on to the “stir” setting.

Slowly pour the mixture into the ice cream bowl.  Let the mixture churn for about 20-25 minutes.  You’ll be able to notice the consistency change, so you’ll know when it’s done.  Use a rubber scraper to remove the ice cream to a bowl.

Fold in the crushed Oreo cookies.  I think the consistency is a little too soft to eat at this point so I would recommend covering the bowl and freezing for about 2-3 hours to harden.  But there is nothing wrong with eating it right away, out of the bowl 🙂

The recipe can be found here.

I hope you enjoy these recipes – make a batch on a hot summer day, host an ice cream social, keep on hand for a movie night at home – the options are endless!  If you’re really ambitious you could try your hand at homemade ice cream cones…if you do, let me know how they turn out and share the recipe 🙂

Happy Cooking!

 

 

 

 

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