A rich, creamy-smooth vanilla bean ice cream that’s easy to make. Perfect for topping any dessert and even better indulging its intense vanilla flavor, alone.
Okay so you probably have heard from me a million times that I looove chocolate but guess what? I would pick vanilla ice cream over chocolate ice cream ANY day! Especially vanilla bean.
I’m sure you’ve tried it and if you haven’t, you really should try your own. And no, you don’t need an ice cream maker to make it. You can follow this link if you want to learn how to make it without a machine and begin this bag technique once you reach step 6 from the recipe directions below.
But do you know what else is below this post?
A GIVEAWAY!! Nielsen-Massey is giving one lucky winner a gift basket valued of over $200 of their products!! This looks so good (whispering) even I want it too! 😉
And speaking of good, did I tell you how great this ice cream is? I started it Saturday night while I stayed home and vegged out. By the way, my version of vegging out is not so much to sit in front of the TV, unless the Real Housewives is on and in that case, the whole world must stop so I can watch. But my version is to bake in my oversized pj’s, hair up in a bun, with no make-up, on a night of no interruptions… PURE. BLISS. Aaand I was home alone while my better half was at the house boxing up the last bit of our stuff from when we moved last December, even better! No correction; it was great!
However, it’s hard to compare it’s greatness though with this ice cream. Yesterday, Wes and I went for a little hiking trip up state NY and boyyy was it humid up in those trees. Left me feeling mighty sticky icky. (Ha! TMI!) Afterwards, we drove all the way to Long Island just so I could go to my favorite dollar store. Yes, I said dollar store. I went so I can reminisce the feelings I had when I used to shop for all the little knick knacks I would get for this blog. I miss those moments. THEN, as if our day wasn’t long enough already, we stopped by the house back west (Queens) to pick up more boxes to bring back to our apartment. It was, the longest day ever!
But grabbing that bowl of ice cream when we got back into the city, made up for all the running around! Funny though, earlier I told Wes he couldn’t have a single bite because I needed it for other recipes but then I jumped to it as soon as I got home. I literally enjoyed every last soothing bite. It’s a shame these photos don’t really enhance the vanilla beans in the ice cream. Trust me, it’s there. All 2 pods worth of beans.
Print
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 1 1/2 quarts 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups fat-free milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 vanilla beans, seeds scraped
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In medium saucepan, bring milk, cream, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and vanilla beans and their pods just to a boil.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until think.
- Once milk/cream mixture has come to a light boil, turn off heat and temper the eggs by mixing 1/3 of the milk/cream mixture into the eggs, whisk and repeat another 1/3 until everything is mixed together.
- Return mixture to the saucepan and using a wooden spoon, stir continuously over low heat until the mixture thickens and covers the back of the spoon. Note: do not allow the mixture to boil as this will cook the eggs.
- Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Discard any remnants of egg product and vanilla pods. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla extract. Chill in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
- Pour mixture into the ice cream machine and allow it to churn for 15 to 20 minutes or according to manufacture’s directions. Place ice cream in a chilled bowl or pan, cover and allow to freeze for 2 to 3 hours for firmer consistency, if desired. ENJOY!
Notes
Whole milk may be substituted for fat-free milk.
To reduce vanilla taste, use 1 vanilla bean and/or reduce vanilla extract to 1 1/2 teaspoons.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes