The laid back days of summertime are here, and we love finding new ways to break up the day with some fun, kid friendly activities. Lately we’ve been hooked on this old school recipe for homemade ice cream! This classic recipe is always a crowd favorite, and adding our own twist with strawberries make it the perfect sunny day treat. It only takes a few ingredients—you don’t even need an ice cream maker. Let's get started!
Homemade Ice Cream
Ingredients
2 cups of half and half
2 ½ tbsp sugar
¾ tsp vanilla
1 vanilla bean
1 sandwich sized plastic bag
1 gallon sized plastic bag
5 cups of crushed ice
1 ½ cups of rock salt
1 cup of minced strawberries
½ cup of basil
Instructions
- Combine the half and half, vanilla bean, vanilla and sugar into a small plastic sandwich bag. If you’re making this with kids, give each person a different ingredient to measure. Using a sharp knife, cut open the vanilla bean and scrape out the insides.
- Next, make sure your bag is tightly sealed, and turn it over a couple of times. This will ensure all of your ingredients are blended evenly.
- Place the ice and rock salt in the larger plastic bag.
- Place your sealed small ingredients bag into the rock salt bag and seal the larger bag. Gently squeeze the large bag around the smaller. You’re trying to expose the liquid ingredients to the rock salt, so that it will harden. If you’re nervous about messes, we recommend double bagging! Be careful both bags are sealed tightly, and the ice cream will begin to thicken in 20 minutes.
- Once the ice cream has thickened, discard your ice bag. Take your small ingredients bag and throw in your cut strawberries. You can put your ice cream into a bowl, or it’s fun to grab a spoon and eat right out of the bag! For a little extra color, garnish with basil.
