Ice cream is awesome, I love it. However, it’s a challenge to buy healthy ice cream, thus I’ve experimented off and on over the years with making my own. My first attempts tasted good but were rock hard coming out of the freezer. This summer I decided to buy a Cuisinart ice cream making machine. In theory, a key to having soft ice cream is the churning to blend in air.
The machine I bought is: Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2qt Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker – ICE-30BCP1
This model costs between $75 to $130 depending on when and who you buy it from. I specifically bought the 2 quart machine because I figured if I’m going to bother with making ice cream, I’m going to make a decent amount at once.
This machine is brain-dead simple to use! Just off or on! No settings! Oddly this machine turns the drum / tub, not the mixing blade!
When it is finished, you’ll find that a layer of ice cream is frozen solid to the sides and bottom of the tub. Let it sit and warm up for a while, catch it at the right time and you have a nice enjoyable serving of ice cream. Don’t let it go to waste!
A key lesson to learn is: the freezer / mixer tub really needs to be completely cleaned before re-use or the mixer blade “sticks”. Always hand wash the tub, never put it in your dishwasher (the heat will destroy it).
Also critically important is to not add too much ice cream mix or the ice cream maker will start overflowing as it freezes.
The ice cream is very soft right after being made, but once it’s put in the freezer and allowed to freeze, it becomes very hard. This actually is an indication of “quality”. The higher quality an ice cream is the harder it will be immediately upon taking it out of the freezer. Something I’ve considered is using one “freezer” just for ice cream and keeping it at more like 20 degrees instead of zero degrees. Plan ahead when you want to consume it, let it sit out for 15 to 20 minutes to soften before attempting to scoop it.
After tweaking my recipe a few times, my current version is:
Two eggs
1/3 cup of Monk Fruit Sweetener
4 oz (1/2 cup) – Banana Milk
Stir those together to at least partially dissolve the Monk Fruit crystals
1/4 Tablespoon of Vanilla
1 can (13.5 oz) Coconut Heavy Whipping Cream
1 scoop of Maca
1 scoop Cocoa
1 scoop Whey protein
Dash of cinnamon
Shredded coconut (less than half of a Talenti jar)
Mix 30 to 35 minutes
Do not expect the ice cream maker machine to mix your ingredients. Make sure you mix them very well by hand first! Overall there is nothing special about my recipe, just put them in a container one item at a time and mix (by hand). I use a two quart (huge) glass measuring cup that has a lid, this also serves to store the finished ice cream in the freezer.
The best ice cream you can buy is “Alden’s Organic”. Alden’s is very expensive here in Aberdeen (about $12 for 1.5 quarts), thus you might think making your own ice cream would also be a way of saving money. No! My ice cream is very nearly identical to the cost of Alden’s, however my ice cream is healthier.
The eggs I use are “Vital Farms Organic Pasture Raised” which have been running about $8 per dozen.
The monk fruit sweetener I buy from Amazon “Microingredients – Monk Fruit Sweetener (with erythritol)”. A four pound bag costs $27. This is also what I use to sweeten my tea.
Banana Milk is a fairly recent discovery for me. Lots of milk alternatives (I can’t obtain real raw cow milk here) have a number of claims against them as to why they aren’t really healthy, but I’m not aware of anything wrong with “Mooala Organic Banana Milk”. A bottle (54 oz) is about $6.
Many recipes call for “heavy whipping cream” but I can’t buy any healthy whipping cream here in Aberdeen, thus I am using coconut whipping cream (other reasons are because I like coconut and it’s also healthier). The coconut whipping cream I’m using is “Nature’s Charm – Coconut Whipping Cream”. Each can is 13.5 ounces (400 mL) and costs $4.59 per can.
My whey protein is “Well Wisdom”. The best whey protein I’ve found.
My advice is to start with excellent ingredients if you expect excellent results.
While I intend to continue to use my Cuisinart machine, I wouldn’t recommend buying one.
That looks yummy, John. I haven’t had ice cream in two years. Unless you count mashed up frozen overripe bananas which give you the illusion of ice cream. This looks top notch.
I managed a theater in 2001 and there was a ice-cream shoppe across the street. They made their ice-cream IN HOUSE from a family recipe. It was THE BOMB!!! The couple that owned the shoppe told me that in the winter, when they were shut down, that if they ran out of THEIR batch the ONLY brand they would buy from the store is Blue Bell brand. It is made with good ingredients. Maybe not organic. But still VERY GOOD in my belly. lol
It has been ages since I've attempted making ice-cream from scratch. I can do all sorts of wonderful baked goods. My grandmother's cake and pie recipes are to die for. I do alright making them. Nana's is still the best. I especially love her chocolate buttermilk pie. That will make your tongue slap your brains out!!
Ok.... now I'm gonna have to spend the next 4 days in the kitchen.