Use Snow To Make Rich, Creamy Ice Cream With No Machine

http://lifeyourway.net/food-science-camp-ice-cream-in-a-bag/ Photo by: Food Science Camp

Dust off that old ice cream maker you use once every two years and promptly throw it out the window! (Just kidding, you’ll hurt someone) but if you thought the only way to make tasty, creamy ice cream at home was to use a big fancy machine, you’re in for a big surprise. You can make rich, creamy ice cream in your very own kitchen using only a few simple ingredients…including plastic bags and snow (whaa?) That’s right, harness the power of nature’s winter wonderland and make yourself some delicious snow cream. If you’re thinking winter is no time for ice cream, you’re crazy. There’s no wrong time for a bowl of sweet icy goodness. Here’s how to make some ice cream using snow and a couple of re-sealable bags:

1. Combine 1 cup half and half, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a pint size zip-top plastic bag.
2. Fill a 1-gallon size zip-top bag with snow and ¼ cup of kosher salt, leave enough room inside to fit the bag of milk ingredients.
3. Place the tightly sealed pint size bag inside the 1-gallon bag, seal tightly and shake for 5-10 minutes.
4. Once the small bag has reached your desired ice cream consistency, remove, open and enjoy!

This is a basic recipe for vanilla snow cream so feel free to experiment with other flavors like chocolate or adding peppermint extract and chocolate chips. Of course you CAN use ice cubes instead of snow to make this tasty treat but where’s the fun in that?