Saturday, December 16, 2017

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM FOR THE HOLIDAYS

My family loves ice cream!  Unfortunately, because my son and daughter have a peanut food allergy eating some isn't as easy as picking up a carton at the grocery store or going out to an ice cream parlor.  Most manufacturers create lots of flavors featuring peanuts on the same production lines as those that don't include them as ingredients creating contamination risks with everything that comes out of their facility.  Because my kids food allergies are severe enough that microscopic exposure from ingesting a peanut contaminated product can cause life threatening anaphylactic shock we just avoid purchasing ice cream altogether.

That doesn't mean my family can't enjoy ice cream though.  We just have to make it ourselves!  So we absolutely include ice cream as one of the treats enjoyed during the holidays.  It is just homemade for us.

One of the ways we make this homemade desert is by using an ice cream ball.  There are a variety of models available that you can find at retailers such as Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, LL Bean, Mindware, REI and Walmart among others.  You can get some exercise and have some fun playing with these ice cream balls while making yourself a tasty desert.



First gather up the ingredients that makeup the ice cream.  We normally make the vanilla variety. Start off with one 14 oz can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk.  We mix that together with 4 cups of light cream and 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract.  Pour that mixture inside the container located on designated side of the ice cream ball.  Then add ice and rock salt into the chamber on the opposite side of the ball that has a chamber which surrounds where the ingredients are held.  Rock salt is used in the process because it facilitates a cold saltwater slush surrounding the container your ingredients are held in that helps promote the appropriate temperature to get them to transform into ice cream.  I know it sounds weird to add salt because that is normally associated with melting things like snow off roads, but trust me it really works!

Now the real work starts!  The ball needs to be rolled, shaken and tossed for twenty minutes.  My kids have a lot of fun playing catch with it and rolling it around the kitchen or dining room floor.  Shaking it around like a maraca is also important to assist getting a good mixture of the ingredients to provide a nice texture as the ice cream forms.  We normally open the ingredients chamber about 10 minutes in and stir things then go back to moving the ball around for another ten to fifteen minutes. The ice and salt never touch the ice cream but rather just foster the right temperature that combined with churning the ingredients produces the final outcome.



So there you have it!  Put enough effort into constantly keeping the ice cream ball in motion for around twenty minutes and you will be rewarded.  You'll have ice cream that can be eaten right out of the ball when you are done. 



For best results though I recommend scooping the ice cream out of the ball and placing it in a freezer-proof container.  Let it solidify in the freezer for an hour or so to allow the ice cream to become a bit thicker than when it is first made.  We also use Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk when making our ice cream because it provides a richer flavor more like what you would purchase at a store compared to just using half-and-half or cream in your own recipe. Click here for a variety of homemade ice cream recipes that can be made using Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk  including two of my favorite flavors from their idea list, Caramel Apple and Chocolate Peppermint.

Of course ice cream isn't the only desert that Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk makes a great ingredient for.  Use it for making candy, cakes, cookies and other sweets.  Visit eaglebrand.com for ideas and recipes on how to make some wonderful treats.  What is your favorite desert to make during the holiday season?

15 comments:

  1. Oh that is adorable, their faces shows how much they love it. I love ice cream before and till now. It makes you feel the spirit of Christmas and the delight it gives.

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  2. When I was a kid, it was a real treat to have homemade ice cream. I like this recipe. May have to try it with the kids. Good activity to do, then reap the reward!

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  3. Everyone deserves ice cream! This looks really fun to make.

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  4. Ice cream is never a bad idea. Totally love that yours is homemade.

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  5. This sounds like fun and yummy. My son would have loved to do this when he was little.

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  6. OMGosh that is super cool! I know that the trio and I would have a blast making our own ice cream. I will have to try to get this so we can make some of our own ice cream together!

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  7. We had one of these ice cream balls years ago and it was so much fun! I think we lost it in our last move. I need to buy another one for the holidays.

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  8. Homemade ice cream sounds so good! I used to love making it when I was a kid.

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  9. My husband is a homemade ice cream freak! He loves making it and loves eating it! I will have to share with him. He will be thrilled to try! - Jeanine

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  10. Oh my word. My kids would love this so much. I have never made homemade ice cream with them.

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  11. Homemade Ice cream is never a bad idea. I love your ice cream maker.

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  12. Interesting idea. I've never heard of an ice cream ball though! Homemade is always best, especially if you have allergies.

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  13. This is such a great gift idea! I'm getting one for the kids!

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  14. I love homemade ice cream too! Eagle Brand sounds like a nice brand indeed!

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  15. This is so fun! We got an ice cream maker for our wedding and I have never used it. I need to put that on my 2018 to do list.

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