Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag
If your kids love ice cream, you can try making it yourself at home. There’s no need for fancy equipment or expensive tools; in fact, you can make delicious ice cream using only a Ziploc bag and ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. It only takes a few minutes so you don’t need to worry about making it ahead of time to let it set. Homemade ice cream in a bag can be made whenever you feel the urge!
Materials
Although it may seem surprising, you don’t actually need an ice cream machine to make ice cream. Like other expensive kitchen gadgets and appliances, an ice cream machine is liable to end up taking up space on your shelves. If this is your first time trying to make homemade ice cream, using a bag is cheaper not to mention simpler – the only materials you will need are a freezer-size Ziploc bag and two sandwich-sized Ziploc bags.
Ingredients
The following ingredients can be used to make approximately one scoop of homemade ice cream in a bag – enough for one large serving or two small servings, if your children are small. You can adjust the quantities according to how much ice cream you are making.
- One tablespoon sugar
- One-half cup milk, half and half, or cream depending on how creamy you would like the ice cream to be
- One-quarter teaspoon vanilla extract for flavor
- Six tablespoons salt
- Ice
How-To
Add the milk, half and half, or cream, sugar, and vanilla to the small Ziploc bag. Remove as much air as you can before sealing the bag. Place the bag inside the other small sandwich-sized Ziploc bag. Add the crushed ice and salt to the freezer bag. Feel free to use any type of salt as you won’t be ingesting it; the purpose of the salt is to lower the freezing point of the water. Place the double-bagged Ziploc into the larger Ziploc and seal it, making sure to remove as much air as possible as you do.
Shaking It
Now it’s time to shake it! Your children will love to help with this step. If the bag is too cold to hold, wrap it in a towel or use winter gloves so that there is no need to stop shaking it. Shake for at least five minutes continuously before you check the status of the milk. You should notice it getting thicker through the bag. After approximately eight to ten minutes, you should have ice cream. Keep in mind that you will have to shake for longer if you are making a bigger batch. If your arms get tired, take turns shaking with your kids.
Fun Ideas
You can make your ice cream more delicious by using flavored milk or adding fruit to it. If you want to make strawberry-flavored ice cream, for example, you can use strawberry milk and add strawberry pieces or puree. Make sure to add the fruit near the end of the shaking process. Chocolate ice cream can be made using fudge sauce or even cocoa powder. If your kids have a favorite flavor, simply look up the ingredients and add them to your bag as you see fit.