Recipe - Blueberry Ice Cream

I have a confession to make. I have had this ice cream maker in my pantry for almost 5 years now... It's been through a move and stayed in its original box in the back of my cabinet. Eek! So...in my eternal effort to use what I've got on hand and stretch my pennies, I decided it was time to either use it or get rid of it. Lucky for you, I used it. I guess lucky for my boys because they LOVE them some bloobs and ice cream, so why not combine 2 of their favorite things?!

Being an amateur automatic ice cream machine user, I find it odd that nowhere in the directions of this thing does it tell you to put the base in the freezer. Obviously, it's common sense, because otherwise, it will just stir your ingredients for you and not start freezing them, but it doesn't tell me to put it in the freezer. Now, the freezer base is a permanent fixture in our freezer. You never know when the mood will strike to whip up some yummy ice cream!

Blueberry Ice Cream
Servings: approx. fourteen 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients
3 cups fresh ripe blueberries
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:
- In a small bowl, combine blueberries with lemon juice & 1/2 cup sugar. Stir gently and allow the blueberries to macerate in the juices for 2 hours. **If you're impatient, like me, you can put take 3/4 cups of the mixture and put it in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let it simmer down into a chunky simple syrup. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Keep the 1/4 cup of the mixture whole so you have some whole blueberries to mix into the ice cream later.
- In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and remaining cup of sugar  until the sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, blueberry syrup, whole blueberries from your 1/4 leftovers, and vanilla extract.
- Turn the machine on & pour the mixture into the freezer bowl. Let it mix until thickened, about 20-25 minutes.

- Your ice cream with be soft and creamy. If you want it firmer, put it in an airtight container and into the freezer for about 2 hours.

Tweaks:
- You can skip the heavy cream and just use milk. You'll just have to put it in the freezer so it thickens up more.
- You can switch out the blueberries with 3 cups of just about any other fruit. Strawberries, peaches, blackberries, raspberries, etc.

I don't think he likes it...

The only "cheese" I could get out of him. He was too busy watching Scooby Doo & eating his ice cream. Stop taking pics of me, Mom! Gosh!

Hubby & I are always dreaming up different combos to try in our next ice cream adventure, but the classics are always an easy crowd pleaser. I'm trying to figure out how to recreate my new favorite Ben&Jerry's Flavor - Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Snack. Say hello to vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and fudge-covered potato chip clusters. I know. You're drooling.