Rich Creamy Vanilla Frozen Dessert (Printable Version)

Create rich, creamy vanilla ice cream with simple ingredients. Perfect frozen treat for warm days.

# What You'll Need:

→ Base

01 - 2 cups heavy cream
02 - 1 cup whole milk
03 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - Pinch of salt

→ Flavor

05 - 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

→ Enrichment

06 - 5 large egg yolks

# Directions:

01 - In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, whole milk, granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture is hot. Do not allow it to boil.
02 - In a separate mixing bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks until smooth.
03 - Gradually pour about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly. This gradual addition prevents the eggs from scrambling.
04 - Return the tempered yolk mixture to the saucepan. Stir continuously over medium-low heat until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, reaching 170–175°F.
05 - Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the pure vanilla extract until evenly incorporated.
06 - Pour the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked egg bits. Allow it to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
07 - Once thoroughly chilled, pour the custard into an ice cream maker and churn following the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches a thick, creamy consistency.
08 - Transfer the churned ice cream into a freezer-safe container, cover tightly, and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • The custard base creates a silkiness that store bought ice cream never quite achieves.
  • You control every ingredient, which means no weird stabilizers or fillers hiding in your dessert.
02 -
  • If you scramble the egg yolks during tempering, you poured too fast, so start with a tiny drizzle and build up courage gradually.
  • Under churning leaves the texture grainy while over churning turns it buttery, so stop when it resembles soft serve consistency.
03 -
  • The custard must be completely cold before churning or the ice cream maker will struggle and the texture will suffer.
  • A splash of vodka mixed into the chilled base before churning keeps the final product softer and more scoopable straight from the freezer.

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