Honey Vanilla Ice Cream

What I love about using honey instead of sugar is that I can use about half the amount of sweetener. Also, it’s just healthier. Slightly. We make vanilla ice cream more than any other kind. It goes well with so many fruits, nuts, and chocolatey toppings.

This recipe is about as simple as it gets. I’ve tried custard based ice cream with egg yolks and since my kids and husband like it just the same, I opt for the simpler recipe. Plus, it is easy enough that my kids can take part in the process. We usually have ‘cooking school’ in the early afternoon right before quiet time and since it takes about 30 minutes to churn, they can’t have it right away and must wait until they wake up. Patience.

I make all homemade ice cream in the Cuisinart 1-1/2-Quart Automatic Ice Cream Maker which I highly recommend. It is easy to clean, small enough for our limited kitchen storage and freezer space, and is less than $50.

Ingredients:
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1/3 cup local honey
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:
• Blend honey and milk with a hand mixer until wel combined; use a 4 cup glass measuring cup with a spout for easier pouring.
• Add cream and vanilla. Stir together.
• Pour the mixture into ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions.

Note: you can substitute 2/3 cups of sugar for the honey. I’ve modified this from the original recipe that came with the Cuisinart maker which called for whole milk and 3/4 cups of sugar.