White Chocolate Vanilla Ice Cream...Without The Ice Cream Maker!

First of all, let me say that I DO own an ice cream maker. And as much as I love most of my kitchen appliances, from my rice cooker right on through to my popcorn popper (no microwave popcorn for me!), I just haven't been able to bond with the ice cream maker. It's a perfectly nice ice cream maker - it's just that it seems like such a production to freeze the inner liner, make the custard, put everything together the exact right way, and then say a prayer to the powers that be that it all comes out the right way.

So when I came across this recipe on the Cooks Country site, and read that it required exactly NO ice cream maker, I thought I better give it a try. And as it turns out, it was AMAZING ice cream. A gorgeously creamy consistency, a little hit of white chocolate taste, and all you need is your mixer and your microwave.

I thought it was feeling too good to be true, so I put it to the ultimate test, otherwise known as the teenager and her best friend. They loved it, and then told me that in return for their taste-testing services they were expecting to see their picture in this post. So here they are.

I love them dearly, but they don't usually look like this, just for the record. Nor did they actually go to the prom together, also for the record. But that's the most current picture I have of them, so there you go.

Back to the ice cream. You melt some condensed milk and a tiny amount of white chocolate chips in the microwave, and let it cool. Then you whip up some heavy cream in your mixer. Back to the melted chocolate chips: stir in some sour cream and some vanilla. Then you fold the whole thing together, freeze it for at least 6 hours (we let ours freeze overnight), and then you are ALMOST ready to dig in.I say almost because this fabulous ice cream is made completely perfect by adding some of this to the top of it.

Otherwise known as the best chocolate sauce on Planet Earth. (And by the way, if you haven't entered into my giveaway for a signed copy of STONEWALL KITCHEN FAVORITES, the completely fabulous cookbook from my friends at Stonewall Kitchen, then please click here without delay!)

So there you have it -- scrumptious ice cream, no ice cream maker, and with this amazing chocolate sauce...well, life doesn't get much better.

White Chocolate Vanilla Ice Cream, adapted from Cooks Country

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 ounce white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream

1. Microwave condensed milk and chocolate chips in 30 second increments until chips are melted and smooth, stirring after each 30 seconds. Let cool, and then stir in vanilla, salt and sour cream.

2. Whip heavy cream on medium high speed until soft peaks form, 1-2 minutes. Whisk 1/3 cream into white chocolate mixture. Fold remaining cream in until well mixed and smooth.

3. Place in airtight container and freeze for at least 6 hours or up to 2 weeks.

Click here for printable recipe