Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Who can say “No” when it comes to Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream? No one in my house, that’s for sure! Just the sound of the ice cream maker whirling away makes everyone come running to the kitchen. And then to know it is being made with fresh-picked strawberries from a local berry farm…well, it doesn’t get any better than that!

For Mother’s Day, my family gave me a new ice cream maker. The first one I had was a wedding gift and we had it for more than 25 years. It was an old-fashioned ice cream churn. We would put the ingredients in the canister, then place that in the surrounding tub and lastly we filled around it with ice and rock salt. Plug it in and let it churn for 30 minutes or so. Sometimes it would seize up and we had to get it churning again, but it always made great ice cream. It really had to be used outside because it was noisy and a bit messy, but we made lots of great summertime memories while making ice cream together at family gatherings.

The new one is much simpler. The ice cream maker is small and compact and sits on the counter in my kitchen. This Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker has quickly become one of my favorite appliances.

This delightful machine makes ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet. It is easy to use and easy to clean…that’s right! It only has three parts, the freezer bowl, the plastic paddle in the center and the lid. That is it! A quick rinse with warm soapy water and you are done.

You can find This 1.5 Quart Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker for $69.95 at cuisinart.com, one of the most trusted brands in cooking supplies and kitchen appliances- and one of my favorite places to find helpful kitchen tools.

Here is a basic vanilla ice cream recipe we have made several times. Simply add diced strawberries to it to make the most delicious Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream for your family.

Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

How to make Homemade Ice Cream?

• Put the cold milk and cream in a large bowl.
• Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix well with a whisk.
• Turn on the ice cream maker. Now pour this delightful mixture into the top of the machine.

• Allow it to turn for about 20 minutes and it will look like soft custard.

Now take a spoon and taste it…ahhh, tastes like summer! At this point, you can add whatever flavors you love. I have made different flavors by adding chunks of chocolate chip cookies, sliced peaches, buttered pecans, or fresh strawberries, just to name a few. We love them all!

My husband and I picked fresh strawberries at a local berry farm, so I added finely chopped strawberries to the vanilla ice cream as it was churning.

• Allow the fruit and ice cream to churn for another 5 minutes and then you can serve it immediately. It will be soft and creamy. If you like ice cream a bit more firm, remove the lid and the plastic paddle and place the whole freezer bowl in the freezer. When you are ready for dessert, scoop it into a bowl and enjoy!

The possibilities of delicious desserts to serve with homemade ice cream are endless.

Try these dessert recipes if you are looking for something to serve with your homemade ice cream:

• Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Judy’s Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
• White Texas Sheet Cake