Ice cream without an ice cream maker

I love ice cream.

When I lived in civilization and my husband traveled out of town for work, sometimes I’d drive to the grocery store with a spoon and buy a half gallon of ice cream and eat it out of the carton on the way home.  I lived 1 mile from the grocery store.  That’s sickness.

My favorite type of ice cream is chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, but I am an equal opportunity ice cream eater.  I like simple ice creams, like chocolate and vanilla.

But I like creative flavors of ice cream, too.  I’ve been watching creative and delicious looking ice creams show up on blogs for years now.  I never invested in an ice cream maker and always felt a little left out…

especially when I saw people making things like homemade ice cream sandwiches.

It took me awhile to realize that there must be a way I can make homemade ice cream without the maker.  And without that wooden-churning-dry-ice-containing contraption.  So, I did some googling.  I watched some videos.  I came up with my own rendition of making homemade, CREAMY homemade, ice cream at home using tools I already have.

Here’s how it goes.

Choose your desired ice cream recipe.  Make it as instructed.

When it comes time to freeze, do this.

1) Fill a bowl with ice and water.  Place a freezer bag in the bowl.  Pour your hot ice cream mixture into the plastic bag.  I was scared it would melt, too, but it really doesn’t.

2) Allow ice cream mixture to chill thoroughly, replacing ice cubes in surrounding bowl, if necessary.

3) Place ice cream, in the ziptop bag, in the freezer.

4) Every thirty minutes for about 3 hours, massage the freezing ice cream.  Take care to move the freezing ice cream from the edges of the bag to the interior of the bag.

5) When it is completely frozen, remove from freezer.

6) Bring out your food processor and put frozen ice cream into the bowl of the food processor.  Pulse, scraping down sides as necessary, the ice cream until chopped up.

7) Turn food processor on and allow to blend until ice cream is smooth and creamy.  It will look like soft serve.

8) Put it in your final ice-cream-storing container for final freezing.