Y'all, this week calls for some easy, no churn ice cream. We got a puppy. She's a silver lab, and she's adorable. But….she has so much energy, which means we are now going outside to let her go to the bathroom and taking her on walks. This was fine when it was in the 70s, but it's June in Alabama.
Last week, it was 93, and it coincided with my day to go with my dad to walk the dog at our local park. It's a little neighborhood park behind our subdivision. It's nothing fancy. There's a walking trail, and that's about it. There isn't a lot of tree coverage or water fountains or benches to rest in the shade. You really just walk in the sunlight for half a mile and then you're done. So, here I am, going to walk this puppy who has no concept of how to walk on a leash, and I'm outside of the vehicle for about a minute and my skin is covered in moisture. I phrase it like this because I want to emphasize that I was not sweating. It was just that damn humid that my body decided to hold on to it.
A day in the nineties paired with enough humidity that your skin is damp within minutes, and you'll find me hightailing it back inside to enjoy the comfort of air conditioning and a cold drink. Sometimes, though, that is not enough. I want ice cream.
But when it's that hot, I don't want a super rich and heavy ice cream. That's a fast track to getting yourself an upset stomach.
Normally, I'm not a huge fan of fruit ice cream. When I have the choice, I usually go for a chocolate or a caramel, but this is my exception. It's light and refreshing while still being sweet and creamy.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman enduring an Alabama summer, must be in want of ice cream."
– If Jane Austen was Southern
The Secret to Stand-Mixer No Churn Ice Cream
You have to whip in the air slowly. Don't be impatient and crank the speed up to high to get your heavy cream whipped faster. Doing so will create a more delicate whip cream that will collapse when you start folding in the lemon zest and dried lavender. By allowing the air to slowly incorporate into the milk, you'll build a stronger structure.
Also, make sure you reach soft peaks before adding in your sweetened condensed milk! You can add it right away, but I find the process is significantly faster when you beat your heavy cream first and then add in the sweetened condensed milk.
The Trick to Combining Lemon and Lavender
Because this is a no churn ice cream, you have to be careful how much water/juice you put into the mixture. If you add too much, your creamy mixture will soon become more of a sherbet than ice cream.
Meaning, don't just juice a bunch of lemons and think you can skip the step about soaking the lemon peel in the sweetened condensed milk.
Soaking the peel for 30 minutes (or even overnight!) allows the oil from the rind to infuse with the sweetened condensed milk. You should be able to take a sample of the sweetened condensed milk and taste the hint of lemon!
It's important to build that lemon flavor profile so your final ice cream is well-balanced. Too little lemon will result in the lavender overpowering your ice cream, and it will end up tasting more like soap than a refreshing summer treat!
Further, if you use fresh vs dried lavender, you will end up with a different ending taste. I used dried lavender that I got off of Amazon. I bought this kind.
Hope you enjoy this ice cream as much as I do!
The beauty of this recipe is that with the base, you can make a large variety of options. I've also made it with cherry preserves and chocolate chips! So good.
Stay cool out there in these warm summer months!
Love and butter–Kristi
Lemon Lavender No Churn Ice Cream
Equipment
- stand mixer
Ingredients
- 14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 pint Heavy Cream
- 3 medium Lemons
- 2 tablespoon Dried Lavender
Instructions
- In a bowl, pour your sweetened condensed milk.
- Take one lemon and peel the rind off. Place the peel in your sweetened condensed milk.
- Let sit for at least thirty minutes (or as long as overnight). Stir occasionally to make sure all lemon peels are submerged.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour heavy cram. Using the whisk attachment, begin beating on medium speed.
- While the cream beats, remove the peels from the sweetened condensed milk.
- When soft peaks form in the heavy cream, slowly pour in the sweetened condensed milk.
- Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Remove from mixer. Using a spatula, fold in the zest of 2 lemons and your lavender.
- Pour into a metal loaf pan, cover with cellophane and place in freezer. Freeze for a minimum of 8 hours before serving.
- Texture is best if you let sit on the counter for a minute or two before eating. Enjoy!
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