1. Michael requested it as his birthday treat.
2. It was my first time using my ice cream maker!
3. It's insanely easy and super pretty and was the perfect way to finish out summer (mind you--I don't care that it's October. Strawberry ice cream should be enjoyed all the time.)
I'm so glad this was the recipe I started with for my first foray into real ice cream--it was kind of insanely easy. Like...you blend a bunch of stuff together and then you put it in the ice cream maker. Then you add in some mashed strawberries and chocolate chips and...yeah. The end! And seriously...how pretty is it? No food coloring here-just naturally pink strawberry-liciousness! It's also super creamy, thanks to the cream cheese. I will make a small note that if you freeze this extra long/store it in the freezer-it does get quite hard so I suggest taking it out for a bit to soften prior to serving (unless you gobble it all up straight out of the ice cream maker, that's cool too!) Also, this recipe doesn't make a bunch but I actually made another batch almost immediately after-so you can totally double the recipe if you have a hungry Michael type person in your house.
It's ok if that hungry person is you. It means we'd probably be friends. #facts
Strawberries & Cream Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Adapted from Chocolate Moosey
Makes 1 pint but can easily be doubled.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- In a small-medium bowl, mash 1/2 cup sliced strawberries with a spoon or the bottom of a flat glass.
- In a blender, blend together the remaining sliced strawberries with cream cheese, milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla.
- Freeze the mixture according to your machine's instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, stir in the mashed strawberries and chocolate chips. (If freezing by hand, place in the freezer. Whisk every 30-45 minutes to break up the ice crystals until the mixture is frozen.)
- Serve! If you'd prefer a harder ice cream, store in an airtight container in the freezer for at least 1-2 hours. If storing for much longer than that, take the ice cream out of the freezer for about half an hour-hour before serving to allow it to soften a bit.
I love all the pretty pretty reds and pinks!!