vanilla-bean-ice-cream-with-chocolate-shavings

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup cane sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
Pinch of Hand Harvested Fleur De Sel salt

Do you prefer a custard style ice cream or a classic vanilla bean with cream, sugar, real vanilla, and a pinch of salt? I grew up eating Breyer’s Vanilla Bean and have fond memories of making homemade Chipwich sandwiches with my mother’s TollHouse chocolate chip cookies. Now that school has started, make some homemade ice cream and cookies for your kids. It will be something they will remember too.

The real vanilla bean speaks make all the difference in the taste. Most people do not know how to use real vanilla beans or will not buy them due to the cost. Vanilla extract does make your desserts and baked goods taste better but they do not have the real vanilla bean flecks. Vanilla Bean Paste does and you should use it instead of vanilla extract in most things, especially ice cream.

My husband made this simple vanilla bean ice cream to scoop on the raspberry peach crumble I made to remember my father’s birthday. He loved raspberries and chocolate desserts. We were shocked at how good this ice cream turned out. It is better than Breyers which is so hard to top.

All you do is add the ingredients into the blender, give it a good couple pulses to dissolve the sugar, and pour it into your ice cream maker. Within 20 to 25 minutes you will have fresh homemade ice cream on the soft serve side. If you prefer a thicker, firmer ice cream, let it freeze in a glass dish with an air tight lid for several hours. Press a piece of plastic over the ice cream to prevent any ice crystals if you plan to store the ice cream for a week. Most likely it will not last a few days since it is so good!

You can add a scoop on top of your favorite pie or crumble. Add chocolate shavings or a yummy caramel and chocolate sauce on top. I personally love banana splits with a just ripe banana, almond or pecan pieces and plenty of cherries on top. Vanilla goes with everything. No wonder Vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream.

Directions

1) Add 2 cups heavy cream, 2 cups whole milk, 3/4 cup cane sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla paste, and a pinch of Hand Harvested Fleur De Sel salt in a blender or whisk together in a bowl. Blend until the sugar has dissolved. Taste.

2) Pour into your ice cream maker and follow the instructions. My Cuisinart took 20 minutes to churn. The ice cream will be creamy and can be enjoyed immediately or frozen.

3) Pour into a glass, freezer safe container with a lid. Press a piece of plastic over the ice cream if you plan to freeze for several days. This will keep ice crystals from forming on the top layer of the ice cream.

4) Serve with some chocolate shavings you can make with your vegetable peeler. Or add some cracked peppermint pieces for a little crunch and minty flavor. Or serve on top of a warm pie or crumble. It is delicious A la Mode. Enjoy!

If you would like to make a chipwich ice cream sandwich with cookies that do not contain any eggs, use my oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. You will not know they are eggless cookies and they are delicious with ice cream.