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Homemade Ice Cream for the Win!

Making homemade ice cream may feel intimidating, but it’s easier than you think!

By Jestine Mayes, publisher Macaroni Kid Johnstown - Laurel Highlands - Altoona June 2, 2022


With warmer weather and sunny days ahead, thoughts turn to cold treats. When I was younger, my paternal grandmother would make ice cream in her ice cream maker. Pineapple tidbits and homemade vanilla ice cream are something I remember fondly about her and have looked forward to recreating with my kids, without the ice cream machine. Making your own frozen treat is actually quite simple and can be done with a few ingredients and a few items you have on hand - no ice cream maker needed. If you prefer not to use plastic Ziploc bags, you can also do this with two different sizes of metal coffee cans. Get truly creative with this! Try combinations such as peanut butter and jelly, chocolate strawberry, cherry brownie, and more! There are no limits to what you can do with this.


Ingredients:

½ Cup Half & Half

¼ Cup Heavy Cream

1 Tablespoon Sugar

Dash of Kosher Salt

Gallon Resealable Bags

Ice

½ Cup Rock Salt

Fruit or favorite extracts (couple drops to preferred taste)


How to Make:

  • First whisk up your Half & Half, heavy cream, sugar, extract if using, and kosher salt. 
  • Once combined, add in your fruit if you chose to include it.
  • Chill the mixture in the freezer to speed up the process of making the ice cream. 
  • Gather your other supplies. 
  • Place enough ice to fill the gallon bag β…” way full. 
  • Add the rock salt to the salt, and shake the bag to combine. 
  • Open the bag back up. 
  • Put the ice cream mixture into a smaller zip lock bag and place that bag into the bigger bag. 
  • With your kiddos help, shake the bags and smush around until ice cream is firm. This can take 10-20 minutes, depending on how cold the mixture got before taking it out of the freezer. 
  • When finished, take the ice cream bag out of the bigger bag and pour into a bowl. 

Store ice cream in an air tight container for up to one week.


I hope that you take the chance to try this fun recipe out this summer! Tag us in any social media photos with #mackidjohnstown so that we can see how you made the recipe your own!



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