This smooth and creamy strawberries and cream ice cream is one of my family’s favorite ice creams from the summer. We made it with fresh and juicy strawberries and drizzled some chocolate syrup on top!
Earlier this summer, I heard the bad news that one of our favorite ice creameries, Ample Hills, went bankrupt. The owners bought a huge warehouse for production and distribution, and with the extra operating costs and the pandemic going on, they couldn’t afford to keep it open. Sadly, the owners had to put the business up for sale.
When I read about this, I told my family. Addie ugly cried. Not just little tears, but I’m talking about a full-on wail where she couldn’t catch her breath. She was obviously very upset upon hearing the news. Fortunately, the owners found a buyer who had (supposedly) promised to uphold the business as close to the original state as possible. I read several very upset messages on social media from superfans, many of whom vowed to never eat there again.
As time went by, I noticed that the new owners stayed true to their promise. They kept the original Amployees (as they are referred to) and the original recipes remained the same. When I shared this with Addie, she barely cracked a smile. She would have to see for herself.
Until we can find a time and a place where it’s safe for us to travel to New York, we will have to enjoy Ample Hills’ ice creams on our own. Thankfully, I own the Ample Hills Creamery cookbook and can recreate many of our favorite flavors. This strawberries and cream ice cream is from that cookbook. What I love about it is that there are no egg yolks so that the strawberry flavor truly shines through. Plus, because there are no egg yolks, it doesn’t require any cooking on the stovetop. This is a super quick ice cream to assemble (after the strawberries have macerated overnight).
The three of us would have given this a perfect score of 5 if there were chunks of strawberry throughout. I will do that next time I make this. I will save a few of the strawberries, chop them up, and stir them into the churned ice cream before I freeze it. We found that the ice cream tasted even better with some chocolate syrup drizzled on top.
Husband’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Strawberries and cream ice cream
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh or frozen strawberries cleaned and hulled (if using fresh)
- 1 and ¼ cups organic cane sugar can substitute with granulated sugar if needed
- 1 and ½ cups whole milk
- ¾ cup skim milk powder
- 2 cups heavy cream
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, toss the strawberries with ½ cup of the sugar. Cover and allow to rest for 6-8 hours (I let mine sit overnight). The strawberries will eventually be sitting in a pool of reddish liquid.
- Strain out the strawberries through a fine mesh sieve (you can either save the liquid for a strawberry lemonade, daiquiri or other fun tropical drink, or you can discard it). Transfer the strawberries to a high powered blender (If desired, you can save a few strawberries and set aside for later) and add the milk, skim milk powder and remaining ¾ cup of sugar. Pulse until smooth.
- Transfer the strawberry mixture to a large bowl and stir in the heavy cream until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until cold. Churn the custard in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fold in the reserved strawberries if using (you might want to chop them into smaller pieces).
- Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. If desired, you can add chocolate syrup into the ice cream as well. Freeze at least 6-8 hours before serving.