Naturally Sweetened Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Rich and creamy vanilla bean ice cream made with real vanilla and naturally sweetened with maple and honey. Churned in the ice cream maker for the smoothest texture.
Equipment
- 1 Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups whole milk
- 2.5 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup non fat milk powder
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 large egg yolks
- small pinch fine sea salt
- 1 vanilla bean split with seeds scraped
- or substitute 2 teaspoons vanilla extract added after chilling
Optional Flavors To Try:
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract SO GOOD
- 1/4 tsp almond extract for a cake batter flavor. Add almond + the vanilla beans
- 1 tsp vanilla extract add this + the vanilla bean pod for a more intense vanilla flavor
- Broken up homemade cookie pieces that are slightly underbaked
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, add the milk, cream, milk powder, maple syrup, honey, salt, vanilla bean seeds, and the scraped pod. Whisk until everything is well combined.
- Place the pan over medium high heat and warm the mixture until it reaches 175 F. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula so it doesn't burn. This takes about 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly whisk in about one cup of the warm milk mixture, repeating two more times until the yolks are warmed gently without cooking.
- Return the saucepan to medium low heat. Slowly pour the tempered yolks back into the warm milk mixture while whisking constantly.
- Cook the mixture while stirring continuously until it thickens and reaches one 180 F. This usually takes about 10 minutes. Don't walk away from this!
- Pour the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a heat safe bowl to remove the vanilla pod and any small cooked bits.
- Cover bowl with plastic and refrigerate until fully cold, about four hours or overnight. Stir in almond extract or peppermint extract or vanilla extract once the custard has chilled if using.
- Pour the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and churn according to your machine instructions. Fold in any mix ins during the final minute of churning.
- Transfer the churned ice cream into a freezer safe container and freeze until firm and scoopable.
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