Yesterday was the first official day of summer; the summer heat is officially here. For many parts of the country, the heat of summer has been here for weeks or even months. We have all been trying to beat the heat in a variety of ways. One of the all time favorite ways to beat the summer time heat is to have homemade ice cream.

Almost everyone I know LOVES homemade ice cream. There are more flavors of ice cream than you can count, meaning it is easy to please almost everyone with a dish of ice cream on a hot afternoon. Homemade ice cream is so versatile. You can have it plain or with an infinite amount of toppings. There are so many choices when it comes to homemade ice cream. It is one choice everyone seems to enjoy.

There are lots of things you can do at home to make homemade ice cream. There are all sorts of machines and contraptions that promise frozen deliciousness. There are big electric ice cream makers and small people powered ice cream makers. One way of making ice cream is a hit with all the kids and it doesn’t require you to own any kind of machinery. Homemade ice cream can be made using a couple of plastic zipper bags. Have you even made homemade ice cream in a bag? Try it at your next family party or summer time gathering. Here is our favorite recipe for making homemade ice cream in a bag.

If you use this recipe, let us know how you like it. Did you add any toppings or mix-ins? Do you have a favorite recipe for making ice cream in a bag? Let us know! We love to hear from you!

Make Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

Makes about eight half-cup servings.

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 bag crushed ice
4 cups coarse salt

For each person you will need:

2 pint-size zipper plastic freezer bags
1 gallon-size zipper plastic freezer bag
Gloves or towel to protect fingers

Directions:

1. In a pitcher or large measuring cup, stir together the whipping cream, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla extract until sugar has dissolved.

2. Pour about 1/2 cup of mixture into a pint-size plastic bag and seal carefully, squeezing out extra air. Place each sealed bag into a second pint-size bag, again squeezing out extra air. Seal carefully.

3. Fill each gallon-size plastic bag about halfway with ice and add 1/2 cup coarse salt. Place one sealed small bag into the large bag, squeeze out most of the air, and seal the large bag.

4. Wear mittens or thick gloves, or wrap the bag in a towel to protect hands against the extreme cold. Shake and massage the bag for about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens into ice cream. Add more salt and ice to the outer bag if ice cream hasn’t formed after 10 minutes of continuous motion.

5. Remove the outer pint-size bag before you open the inner bag so you don’t get any of the salty ice on your ice cream!