Poor Girl Cooks: Ultra easy vanilla ice cream

Do you ever sit and think to yourself "Boy I wish I could make ice cream with things in my cabinet"? Because I sure do! And when I came across this recipe for vanilla ice cream on Baking Bites, I knew it was a dream come true.



In addition, I had recently read an article on vanilla bean paste. Vanilla bean paste is a specialty item (I've only been able to find it at Williams-Sonoma) that can be substituted for vanilla extract in any recipe where you want a strong vanilla flavor and pretty little vanilla specks. Now whoever named this used a bit of creative liberty with the words, as it is not at all paste like, but rather like a thick syrup. It pours easily, which is convenient since since the opening of the jar is not well designed for inserting a spoon (nor should you ever insert a spoon into a jar of something, as this can cause unnecessary early spoiling from contamination). It also smells *amazing*, although I managed to refrain from eating it straight out of the jar. I'm pretty sure it's made primarily of bourbon...

Okay, so, ice cream! With only 5 easy ingredients, this recipe wasn't that great for an abundance of pictures. You whisk everything together...


And put it in the ice cream maker. The sour cream adds a particularly nice lightness to this, as you don't feel weighed down by the sweetness of the condensed milk.

Here's a shot of those delicious vanilla flecks though:

Well worth the $11 investment. I highly recommend the use of the vanilla bean paste!

Ultra Easy Vanilla Ice Cream
by Baking Bites

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cup half n’ half
1 cup milk
2 tbsp vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)

Combine sweetened condensed milk and sour cream in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in half n’ half (or light cream), milk and vanilla extract until well blended. Pour into prepared ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers’ directions.
Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for about 2 hours, or until ready to serve.

Makes about 1.5 quarts ice cream