Easy Strawberry Ice Cream
Fresh, fruity Strawberry Ice Cream- a creamy, easy and delicious way to enjoy two of summer’s greatest delights; ice cream and strawberries!
Guys. I don’t think that words will begin to convey the love I have for my ice cream maker right now. This Ice Cream Week has taught me several important lessons: 1) I am never buying carton ice cream again. 2) Ice cream that is really thick…can be very messy. Put in the machine with caution! 3) I love ice cream to a degree I did not even know was possible.
This fresh strawberry ice cream…it is so light and creamy that it was almost impossible to resist eating all of the ice cream while it was still in the bowl mixing. To be completely honest, before this summer I did not even think I liked strawberry ice cream. As a kid, I ate it when it was in the Neopolitan style, but I never really enjoyed it.
I have never really been able to enjoy foods if they have chunks in them…like if there are strawberry pieces in ice cream, or corn kernels in cornbread or muffins. Ick. I am definitely a texture person. This summer though, I tried strawberry ice cream that did not have strawberry pieces in it. Mind. Blown. It was so good. It also meant that I needed to make my own version :) Although I did include strawberry bits in this ice cream, they are completely optional. My sister, who feels the same way about strawberry chunks in ice cream, asked me to make this again without the strawberry bits.
My feelings for strawberry ice cream are a whole different story now. Strawberry has moved up to the top 5 for me for favorite ice cream flavors! I love that this ice cream remains soft even while in the freezer, making it easy to eat by the spoonful…or scoop into a bowl, though I definitely preferred the more instantly gratifying spoon-to-mouth method :) Once you try it, you will understand…and keep reaching back for more!
Check back tomorrow to see how Ice Cream Week wraps up, with some delicious special treats that highlight a few of this week’s fun flavors!
Strawberry Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons seedless strawberry jam
3-4 strawberries, finely diced
Directions:
Make sure your freezer bowl for your ice cream machine is properly frozen, for at least 24 hours.
In a medium bowl, combine the milk, sugar and salt and whisk to combine until the sugar crystals are dissolved. At this point, add in the strawberry jam and whisk to incorporate it into the mixture. It may not seem like it will easily, but after a minute or two the jam will be broken up into small enough pieces and will be dissolved into the milk mixture.
Add in the vanilla and heavy cream, and stir to combine them. Once everything is combined, stir in the diced strawberries and 3-6 drops of red food coloring until the ice cream base is tinted pink.
Cover the bowl and let refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.
When you are ready to make the ice cream, stir everything in the bowl to redistribute the strawberry bits and pour it into the ice cream maker. Freeze according to machine directions; mine took about 18 minutes to reach the consistency I wanted.
Take out of the ice cream machine, and serve immediately for very soft serve style ice cream. Store in the freezer to let the ice cream get a bit harder.
Check out what other yummy treats Ice Cream Week has served up!
Posted on 7/24/14 by Kiley