Have you ever wondered if there was a healthful alternative to the sugar and preservative filled ice cream you buy in the supermarkets?

If you have or if you would truly like to try homemade ice cream then this is for you. I have a recipe for vanilla ice cream, that will knock your socks off when you taste it.

The first thing you need to know is how to make your own 100% healthy and natural vanilla extract which is a basic ingredient in almost any ice cream.

You might buy this from a good quality store if you can find an unadulterated brand. But to make your own you'll need about a quart of milk, a vanilla bean (available at most health food stores), and a teaspoon of honey.

You pour the milk in a saucepan and heat on high while you slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and in half.

Then put the halves of the vanilla bean into the milk. Boil for around 15 to 20 minutes, then cook on medium heat for a half hour or until the milk has a thin sheet of film on top.

Stir the mixture constantly as it cooks to prevent burning. Cool the extract and freeze in several small plastic bottles or containers.

This extract will last you for quite awhile since recipes call for only a few teaspoons each. You should-if you plan to make the ice cream anytime soon- save a half cup of the extract in a container in your refrigerator.

Whenever you want to make more ice cream just get the extract out of the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator until a few tablespoons or so are thawed, then refreeze the rest before it thaws out.

Now I'll give you my vanilla ice cream recipe, follow the instructions carefully and you'll get wonderful results.


Vanilla Ice Cream

You'll need: 3 eggs, with the egg whites and yolks separated, 1/2 cup honey, 4 cups light cream, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

1. In a medium size bowl beat the yolks until smooth. Gradually add honey, beating until well-blended and thick. In a different small bowl beat the egg whites until stiff, stir beaten whites in with the yolk and honey.

2. Then add the cream and egg mixture together in a saucepan, cook on medium heat, stirring constantly for 15 minutes.

3. Stir in vanilla extract, and either process in an ice cream maker or just freeze in a bucket container overnight, stirring the ice cream every few hours at first and then allowing the ice cream to freeze on its own.

Serve with an ice cream scoop.

This ice cream is rich, creamy, natural, and very healthy I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

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