Even more than cookies, I love ice cream. Pretty much any flavor is delicious assuming it doesn’t have nuts in it (or isn’t completely disgusting, like bubblegum.) The flavor I make most often, however, is vanilla because it goes with pie, or is good with toppings or simply plain. It’s also incredibly fast to make (excluding chilling time) since there are only five ingredients and no mix-ins.
This recipe is from the book that came with my ice cream maker. After my mom got the Kitchen-Aid attachment, she and my dad cleaned and fixed her previous ice cream maker and sent it to me. Best Easter present ever.
This particular recipe has been made so often that the book naturally falls open to its page. Notes are penciled in and the pages are slightly wrinkled from use.
I always use Egg Beaters in lieu of actual eggs because they have been pasteurized and don’t require cooking. This far lessens the work involved in making ice cream and so far I haven’t had any trouble substituting it for real eggs in any recipe.
Below is the recipe I follow for French vanilla ice cream. It never lasts long in my family, and I doubt it will in yours either.
French Vanilla Ice Cream
Adapted from Scoop FactoryMakes approximately 1 quart
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half & half or milk
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup egg substitute, such as Egg Beaters
Directions
- Thoroughly whisk all ingredients in a large glass bowl with a lid.
- Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
- Freeze according to your ice cream maker instructions. While the ice cream is churning in the machine, place the bowl in the freezer.
- Transfer ice cream back into the bowl and freeze until ready to serve.
Notes: Half & half or milk both work fine, but half & half will result in a slightly creamier texture. I find ice cream needs at least 2 hours in the freezer before it is hard enough, but that’s totally up to you. Also, my favorite container to use for making ice cream is my 8-cup batter bowl by Anchor. (I believe Pyrex makes a similar one.) The spout makes it easy to pour into the ice cream machine and the lid is handy for freezer storage.
Baking Bytes 
I’ve only read your recipes so far, but they all look scrumptious, especially the quasi-creamsicle. I have a question: what is the function of sugar in making ice cream? other than sweetness of course. I’m borderline diabetic, and am wondering if I could substitute Stevia for the sugar. Thanks for any insight you can give! ~p
Hi! Great question. In addition to adding sweetness, sugar lowers the freezing temperature of the ice cream keeping it softer in the freezer so you can scoop it easily without a thaw time. You can absolutely substitute stevia or agave, although I have not done this personally and can’t attest to the outcome. It may end up harder in the freezer but you can always let it rest on the counter for a few minutes before serving.
There are also other ways to adjust the freezing temperature; the two I tend towards are adding a small amount of alcohol, like a tablespoon or a few of vodka (not sure how that would affect your diabetes). Also, the higher the fat content, the softer the ice cream. As such, using higher fat products (like all cream) would help offset the lack of sugar, whereas using milk instead of half and half would likely exacerbate the hardness problem.
If you give it a shot, please report back and let me know how it went!