making ice cream
My first attempt at ice cream making: Irish Coffee flavored, sugar free. I tried this unusual flavor because I have yet to find sugar free coffee ice cream anywhere, and coffee is my favorite flavor.
Lesson learned: a little bit of coffee flavor goes a long way when it comes to ice cream, even if you love coffee.
More lessons learned:
- Do not stop turning the crank to take a picture -- unless you have some upper body strength.
- Not really a lesson but OMG why is no one making this ice cream flavor? Starbucks could partner with Bailey's and people would be lining up around the block!
- You can actually feel your arteries slamming shut. Or at least I can.
- This stuff may actually be Better Than Bacon.
- People normally make ice cream only at festive group events and I've discovered why: so they won't be tempted to eat the entire batch all by themselves. Although, when you make it with three parts heavy whipping cream to two parts half-and-half, there is a certain amount of self-limiting that goes on after about a serving and a half (as your liver informs you in no uncertain terms that it isn't going to be able to metabolize any more butterfat).
- My sister (who works for Edy's Ice Cream) has a truly awesome job.
Sugar Free, Low Carb, Super High Fat and High Calorie* Irish Coffee Ice Cream: The Recipe
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup sugar free Irish Cream flavored syrup
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules (decaf for me, thanks)
Splenda to taste
I heated up the flavored syrup for 30 seconds in the microwave and dissolved the instant coffee in it, then added it to the cream and half and half in a measuring cup, stirred it, then added more sweetener to taste. (I used Sweetzfree, which is basically liquid Splenda.)
Put everything in your ice cream maker and fire it up. Bonus points if it's a hand-crank model. Extra bonus points if you wait until it's the proper consistency before you start to eat it. (Minus points if you claim you were really more in the mood for a coffee milkshake anyway.)
* I didn't want you getting any ideas that this is some kind of health food just because it's sugar free.
