America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Easiest-Ever Vanilla Ice Cream

By Sara Mayer

Published on October 5, 2018

Yield

Makes 1 quart

Easiest-Ever Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 cup sweetened condensed milk ⅓ cup (2 ounces/57 grams) white chocolate chips 2½ cups heavy cream ½ cup sour cream 2 tablespoons vanilla extract ⅛ teaspoon salt

Before You Begin

This recipe requires a food processor with a capacity of 7 to 14 cups. Shop carefully: White chocolate varies greatly in quality. We like Guittard Choc-O-Lait Chips or Ghirardelli Classic White Chips. If you use a bar instead of chips, chop it fine before adding it to the processor. You will need 3 standard 16-cube ice cube trays for this recipe.

Instructions

  1. Microwave condensed milk in liquid measuring cup, stirring occasionally, until hot but not boiling, about 1 minute.
  2. Add chocolate chips to food processor. With processor running, slowly add hot milk and process until chocolate is melted and smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add cream, sour cream, vanilla, and salt and process until well combined, about 30 seconds; transfer to 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Divide mixture evenly among 3 ice cube trays and freeze until solid, at least 24 hours.
  3. Working in 4 batches, process frozen cubes in clean, dry processor until smooth and airy, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed; transfer to airtight container and freeze while processing remaining cubes. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of ice cream and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or up to 2 weeks. Serve.
Easiest-Ever Vanilla Ice Cream
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Sally Staub.

Easiest-Ever Vanilla Ice Cream

Save

Yield

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients

1 cup sweetened condensed milk
⅓ cup (2 ounces/57 grams) white chocolate chips
2½ cups heavy cream
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt

Ingredients

1 cup sweetened condensed milk
⅓ cup (2 ounces/57 grams) white chocolate chips
2½ cups heavy cream
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt

Ingredients

1 cup sweetened condensed milk
⅓ cup (2 ounces/57 grams) white chocolate chips
2½ cups heavy cream
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt

Why This Recipe Works

We started with a base of sweetened condensed milk and white chocolate. The sweetened condensed milk kept our ice cream velvety even after freezing, and the white chocolate gave it structure and silkiness. Both contributed rich flavor, as did heavy cream. A surprising ingredient—sour cream—added richness and tartness to counter the sweetness of the base. At first, we thought whipping the cream would be necessary to incorporate the air required for a smooth texture, but it turned out that simply mixing the unwhipped cream into the ice cream base gave us a much creamier, less icy end result, more like rich, dense premium ice cream (and it saved us a step). When it came to the freezing process, we knew that the quicker the base freezes, the smaller the ice crystals in the ice cream will be; and smaller ice crystals translate to smoother ice cream, so we sped things up by freezing the base in ice cube trays. Processing the frozen cubes incorporated enough air to turn them into a perfect vanilla ice cream.

Before You Begin

This recipe requires a food processor with a capacity of 7 to 14 cups. Shop carefully: White chocolate varies greatly in quality. We like Guittard Choc-O-Lait Chips or Ghirardelli Classic White Chips. If you use a bar instead of chips, chop it fine before adding it to the processor. You will need 3 standard 16-cube ice cube trays for this recipe.

Instructions

  1. Microwave condensed milk in liquid measuring cup, stirring occasionally, until hot but not boiling, about 1 minute.
  2. Add chocolate chips to food processor. With processor running, slowly add hot milk and process until chocolate is melted and smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add cream, sour cream, vanilla, and salt and process until well combined, about 30 seconds; transfer to 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Divide mixture evenly among 3 ice cube trays and freeze until solid, at least 24 hours.
  3. Working in 4 batches, process frozen cubes in clean, dry processor until smooth and airy, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed; transfer to airtight container and freeze while processing remaining cubes. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of ice cream and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or up to 2 weeks. Serve.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.