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Sweet and creamy, this old fashioned vanilla ice cream recipe is perfect for summer and can be customized to your favorite flavor!

In a Pinterest world full of 10 minute ice cream in a bag and shaken in a jar in just minutes that doesn’t taste nearly as delicious as the real thing I was really craving some of the homemade ice cream my grandpa used to make us every summer when I was a kid.  My mom’s parents are the kind of down home cooks I want to be when I grow up.

I’ve only shared my grandma’s amazing cream cheese frosting because each one of the recipes I want to share have to be cleared by the family to make sure there’s not some sort of family secret floating around in there.  Like you’ll never {sadly} see my grandma’s cheesecake recipe here because it’s practically under lock and key.  A huge deal was made when my dad absconded with the recipe after my parents divorced.  We don’t play with cheesecake in our family.

So when I called my grandpa and asked him for the recipe for his vanilla ice cream I had to ask him if I could put the recipe on my blog.  And then I had to explain to him {again} what a blog is and why I have one and what kind of things I write about.  Because he’s 81 and we’re all just thankful he knows how to check his bank account balance online and use email.  I got the green light and I was excited!

This recipe is not a 10 minute shake in a jar deal and if done properly will take you at least 2 days to do it right.  So prepare to wait as patiently as you possibly can.  I know it’s hard.  But this really helps the flavors fully develop, too.  This is one of those ice cream recipes that requires a stove top base.  I was a little nervous I wouldn’t get it right and while I had some technical difficulties that first taste took me back.  It was exactly how I remembered it from childhood and now we have a giant tub of it that I’m currently hiding in the back of the freezer in an effort to not have to share.

Now, if you just have to have it that day you can dump it into an electric ice cream maker and get it done the fast way but in my opinion this is going to give you more flavor.  And who can say no to more flavorful ice cream?  Crazy people, that’s who.

Since you don’t add the vanilla flavor until day two this is the perfect base for just about any flavor!  Hello mint chocolate chip!  Or cookie dough!  Or chocolate fudge!

What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?

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Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 12 hours

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 12 hours 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/4 cup vanilla
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream

Instructions

1. In a sauce pan whisk together eggs, sugar, and milk until very well blended then place over medium low heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes being careful not to let it burn on the bottom by whisking constantly.
2. Refrigerate overnight then pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add vanilla and heavy cream and whip on medium low speed for 5 minutes.
3. Transfer to a covered container and freeze overnight or until firm.