Looking for a new culinary adventure to go on with your little ones? If you’ve already made things like pizza and maybe even simple brownies with your children, you might be looking for something a little different. So why not teach them how to make ice cream? There’s nothing kids love more than sweets and desserts, so the prospect of homemade ice cream is bound to get them excited.
Making homemade ice cream
The best thing about learning how to make homemade ice cream is that you have control over what goes into it. Ice cream is a delicious sweet treat that many of us love, but it doesn’t have to be unhealthy – this ice cream recipe is packed with fresh fruit and no added sugar.
If you’re worried about the vanilla layer, you can try swapping the double cream for coconut cream and whip up a healthier version of condensed milk in your blender – it’s really up to you. This recipe also slices neatly up into lollies that your little ones can eat with their hands, making the end result even more fun!
How to make ice cream lollies
To get started on this recipe, make sure you have everything ready and prepare the work surface. Remember: little ones should always be supervised when helping in the kitchen. Make sure you are in control of sharp implements – like knives – as well as gadgets and sources of heat, including the oven.
Ice cream lolly loaf: ingredients
- 200g peaches or nectarines
- 200g strawberries or raspberries
- 450ml double cream
- ½ can condensed milk (198.5ml)
- 2tsp vanilla extract
- Food processor
- 3 bowls
- Loaf tin
- 8 wooden lolly sticks
How to make homemade ice cream lollies: method
- Whizz the peaches or nectarines in your blender (make sure you do this part!). Tip them out into a bowl, and repeat this step with the berries, scraping them out into a different bowl.
- Pour the cream, condensed milk and vanilla extract into your remaining bowl, and whip until they form soft peaks – the mixture should be stiff enough that you can pull up a “peak” with your whisk, but still soft enough that the peak will drop down after a few seconds. Divide this mixture into three – it will form the base of your homemade ice cream – and add one third to your berry mix and one third to your peach pulp.
Top tip: Add an extra splash of colour with a drop of food colouring. Put a little orange food colouring into the peach mixture and red food colouring in with the berries, and you’ll have extra-vibrant lollies!
- Line your loaf tin with clingfilm. Pour in the berry cream and leave in the freeze for 2 hours. Chill the other two mixtures in the fridge while you wait.
- Two hours later, pour the vanilla mixture into your loaf tin. Now add your lolly sticks, pushing them gently into the frozen berry layer underneath until they stand by themselves. Return to the freezer and wait another two hours.
- Add your peach cream – make sure it’s evenly spread around the lolly sticks! Put this back in the freezer and give the whole thing 4 hours to set, or leave it overnight.
- 10 minutes before you serve up, take your finished homemade ice cream loaf out of the freezer and let it thaw a little. Use the clingfilm to help you turn the loaf out of the tin.
- Slice off individual lollies and enjoy! This can be kept in the freezer for a month or so – if you’re able to resist it for that long of course!
How to make ice lollies
This is an easier and less complicated process – and a good choice if you’d prefer to cut out the “cream” aspect of ice cream! Here’s how you can use the peaches and strawberries from the previous recipe to make ice lollies instead.
Making ice lollies: ingredients
- 200g peaches
- 200g strawberries
- Food processor
- Empty yoghurt pots or lolly moulds
- Lolly sticks
Making ice lollies: method
- Blend the strawberries until smooth, as before. Sieve the resulting puree to get out any seeds.
- Blend your peaches (no need to sieve these!).
- Half-fill your yoghurt pots or lolly moulds with strawberry puree and freeze for about 2 hours until firm.
- Add your peach puree; push the lolly sticks into the firm strawberry layer.
- Return to the freezer for 4 hours or longer.
- Remove the moulds and enjoy!
Removing homemade ice cream stains
Now that you know how to make ice cream and ice lollies, you might have spent an enjoyable afternoon in the kitchen with your little ones – and no doubt they’ve made a bit of a mess! There’s no need to worry, though. Here’s how to remove ice cream stains quickly and easily:
- Gently scrape away as much ice cream as possible with a spoon
- Flush the reverse side of the stain with cold water.
- Add a drop of OMO liquid and rub in gently.
- Wash according to the instructions on the care label.
That’s it! You can find out more about removing ice cream stains here – with OMO’s tips it’s easy to do, so have fun and don’t worry about those sticky stains!