Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream… Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream, that is! This lusciously sweet creaminess is the perfect treat for a 2-year blogiversary!

I do believe that every summer celebration should include ice cream. Are you with me? And Landen’s making his requests again… This time, he wants “REAL” ice scream. “Not the healthy kind that you’ve been making.” Okay, so this is still Hungry Healthy Girl, but we all need a little splurge every now and then. This is that time… I mean what better time than a celebration.

Landen specifically requested Cherry Vanilla… at least he knows what he wants. I’m so glad he wanted cherry flavored ice cream because I’ve been LOVING cherries this summer, plus I had a huge bag of fresh and frozen cherries on-hand. I couldn’t be happier with the flavor of this ice cream. The cherries make for the perfect blend of sweet and tart!

And while we’re on the subject of cherries…. If you’re a cherry lover, like myself, then you really need to consider purchasing a cherry pitter. I love the one that I have and it makes eating cherries so much easier. Believe me, you DO NOT want to pit the cup-and-a-half of cherries this recipe calls for by hand.

Now let’s talk “real” ice cream ingredients. When making ice cream, typically a 2:1 blend of heavy whipping cream and whole milk are used. I have also came across recipes calling for half-n-half and unsweetened condensed milk or all heavy whipping cream. More likely than not, though, you will find that most ice cream recipes have a blend of heavy whipping cream and whole milk, so that’s what I went with.

Most ice cream recipes also call for about 2/3 cup to over 1 cup of granulated sugar. I actually think that 2/3 cup sugar would have worked just fine for this recipe and any recipe that incorporates a sweet fruit. The next time I make “real” homemade ice cream, I will try just 2/3 cup of sugar, maybe even less.

To use egg yolk or not???? This really stumped me. About half the recipes that I came across used egg yolk and half did not. By looking at the pictures, you really couldn’t tell a difference, so I had pretty much decided against using the yolks because quite frankly it makes the recipe a bit more complicated. However, I came across this informational post, all about homemade ice cream, from Serious Eats. The author of the article, Max explains that egg yolks will give homemade ice cream a creamier consistency. The yolks will also improve the stability of the ice cream, reducing its tendency to melt quickly, and they will prolong shelf life in the freezer, inhibiting the thaw-re-freeze cycle.

I’m so happy that I finally bit the bullet and purchased an ice cream maker. Even though there are plenty of no-churn recipes out there; there’s nothing quite like homemade churned ice cream in the summer. It’s also really fun experiementing with different flavors and ingredients… that’s the foodie nerd talking! I’ve been so pleased with my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. I read several reviews before making the purchase and for the price, this particular ice cream maker has been awesome.

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Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Your only 7 ingredients away from the most deliciously sweet, luscious, decadent treat! Don't let summer get away from you before whipping up some Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream!

Author: Kim

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen or fresh cherries, pitted (these are for blending)
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped (these are for adding during churning process)

Instructions 

• Use a mixer to cream yolks and sugar together until light and creamy.
• Meanwhile; in a large saucepan add whipping cream and whole milk. Heat over medium heat stirring frequently until mixture warms and begins to bubble around the edges {but not boil}. Remove from heat.
• Temper egg yolk mixture by adding some of the warm milk mixture to the egg yolk mixture.
• Gradually, pour egg yolk mixture to the milk/cream mixture and stir well to combine.Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens.
• Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.
• Once cooled, transfer yolk/milk mixture to a high-speed blender and add salt, vanilla and 1 cup cherries. Blend mixture on high until cherries are fully incorporated.
• Transfer mixture to refrigerator to chill completely.
• Once chilled, add mixture to ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's directions for churning. When churning process is a couple of minutes from being complete, add ½ to 1 cup coarsely chopped cherries.
• You can enjoy after about 30 minutes in my Cuisinart ice cream maker. Transfer leftover ice cream to a 9 x 5 loaf pan or other freezer safe container and keep in freezer for a couple of weeks.

Notes

Using egg yolks and warming milk mixture is optional, however, your ice cream will have a much better consistency with the egg yolks. If you are not using egg yolks, combine all other ingredients in a blender. Then transfer to the ice cream maker and follow instructions from there.

Author: Kim

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 446kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 224mg, Sodium: 140mg, Potassium: 230mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 1427IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 123mg, Iron: 1mg

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Something to think about….

Have you ever tried making your own ice cream?

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

Do you have a cherry pitter? What about an ice cream maker?

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