Okay, not really. But for the past few weeks.
Ever since I got it in my head that I needed an ice cream maker, it's all I could think about. I was gonna wait until I saved up enough Swagbucks to get it for free, but that would've probably been December or so. And it's so much more fun to make ice cream in the summer! Even so, with the sale plus the amazon gift cards I already had, I got the Kitchen Aid attachment for just around $40! I was a happy girl.
The thing with ice cream, I am learning, is that you have to plan ahead. The freezer bowl must be frozen at least 24 hours before you can even think about making ice cream, and the mixture that you freeze has to be thoroughly chilled as well.
I decided to start my ice cream adventure with a Double Cookie Dough flavor, from Annie's Eats. Cookie dough is my Business Man's favorite, but not really mine. It is usually just lame-o vanilla ice cream with a few bits of cookie dough. And if you know me, you know I don't really do vanilla ice cream. [Insert emotional breakdown at the Dairy Queen in the Bean Town when I found out they didn't have chocolate soft-serve. We now do our business elsewhere.]
But this cookie dough ice cream has a cookie dough flavored base ice cream, and then chunks of cookie dough mixed in! Genius!
You start out by browning some butter. Just over medium-low heat, melt the butter until it gets slightly brown and very fragrant. It smells so good!
After the butter is browned, you're gonna add some heavy cream. The real deal; this ain't no fro-yo!
And bring the butter/cream mixture up to a simmer.
Then you wanna get some eggs & brown sugar going in a bowl.
Whisk 'em together until they're light and fluffy!
Once the butter/cream mixture is simmering, you just want to add a smidge of the hot mixture to the eggs/sugar. (We don't want scrambled eggs!) This is called 'tempering' it.
After you mix that in, slowly add the rest of the hot butter/cream, and whisk until it's all incorporated. Then you want to return it to the pan, and bring it up to a temperature of 170-175*F. (I finally used this candy thermometer for the first time! I received it at my bridal shower in May 2010. Thanks Tal-Tal!)
After you get it to the right temp, you've got to strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. I'm not quite sure why; I think it is to get out any lumpies that might have formed if the eggs accidentally got over-cooked a bit.
Then you add some whole milk and vanilla extract, and whisk to combine.
At this point, it needs to be thoroughly chilled. Like super cold. If you don't want to wait forever for it to chill in the fridge, chill it in the freezer.
But you will have to stir it every 5 minutes or so. I think it was in there about 30-45 minutes and it was cold & ready.
While that's chilling, you can make the cookie dough chunks that will go in the ice cream. Some melted butter, brown sugar, flour, salt, & mini chocolate chips.
It'll look kinda nasty and runny, but plop it on a piece of foil or saran wrap and put it in the fridge to firm up. I think it's so runny so that when it's frozen, you won't chip a tooth trying to take a bite. Not that I've ever tried to gnaw on frozen cookie dough and encountered that problem... heh.
Okay, now it's show time.
I don't know how other ice cream makers work, but this one is so cool! The ice cream bowl attaches right on to the mixer. The paddle goes right inside.
There's a piece that hooks onto the thing that spins that will hook onto the paddle and make the paddle go around. Got it? ;-)
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| Can you tell I like the color green? Green mixer, green hot pad, green bowls, green whisk. Green walls! |
Once it's all assembled, you just pour in the chilled ice cream mixture and let it go for about 30 minutes!
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| Action shot. |
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| All done! |
Chop it into small pieces, and stir it right in.
And here's the hardest part - waiting for it to firm up in the freezer. (Of course, if you like your ice cream kinda melty and soupy, go for it now!)
This stuff was top-notch, delicious! Make sure to use whole milk and let the mixture chill thoroughly before trying to mix it up in the ice cream maker. I can't wait to try some variation on a chocolate peanut butter flavor.
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And on another note, we are discovering the joys of being home-owners. Especially old house home-owners. Our kitchen plumbing decided to go out of whack. (Of course on the day I am making ice cream for the first time and dirtying up tons of dishes.)
After three rounds of baking soda & vinegar and a bottle of Drano, we decided to bite the bullet and call a plumber. They said they would come between 12pm & 4pm today, and they'd call before arriving.
So I decided to go to the gym around 10:15am (I did 400m intervals, check it out here!), no big deal. I'd be home by 11:30am, shower, and be ready if perhaps they did come right at 12pm. Which they never come right when they say they will.
So imagine my surprise when I get a text in the middle of my workout (around 10:45am) saying that they're on their way. My Business Man was a super-husband and came home from work to let them in the house. (I think he just feared the wrath of Sara getting interrupted during her 3rd 400m repeat of 8 and having to come home early. :-P)
So when I finished my workout, I called him to see what water situation was at the house. Would I be able to shower? Nope, they'd shut off the water. Could I shower at the gym? Why, yes, but I hadn't thought to bring any extra clothes or a towel or bath supplies. Ay ay ay.
I sweet-talked my Business Man into bringing me up a towel and some clothes, but forgot to mention soap or shampoo. So I showered at the gym, using hand soap as body scrub. Same thing, right?
Update: Turns out they came, before I got back from the gym. They're just freaky fast! Now I feel stupid. But at least the plumbing's fixed!
Have a good weekend, all! :-)
Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
5 tbsp. salted butter, melted (or unsalted butter plus ¼ tsp. salt)
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup flour
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup mini chocolate chips
For the ice cream:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
4 large egg yolks
Pinch of coarse salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups whole milk
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Directions:
To make the cookie dough, stir together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth. Mix in the flour, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.
To make the ice cream, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Continue heating, stirring often, until the butter is a deep golden brown color, being careful not to burn it. Whisk in the heavy cream and heat until simmering. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and the egg yolks until pale and fluffy. Once the cream mixture is warm, add a small amount to the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in the rest of the cream. Mix in the salt. Return the egg-cream mixture to the saucepan and heat until just slightly thickened, and the temperature reads 170-175˚ F on an instant-read thermometer. Immediately remove the mixture from the heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract and the whole milk. Cover and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
Once the mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Chop the disk of cookie dough into small chunks. As soon as the mixture is done churning, transfer to a bowl or airtight container and stir in the chocolate chips and the chunks of cookie dough. Store in the freezer until firm.
Source: Annie’s Eats
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