Want to be the hero of snack time? This Surprisingly Easy Kid Approved Honey Berry Ice Cream Recipe is your secret weapon! Forget complicated recipes and store-bought disappointments. This creamy, dreamy treat, bursting with the natural sweetness of honey and berries, comes together in a snap and earns rave reviews from even the pickiest eaters.
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How This Berry Sweet Idea Was Born
Over the weekend, a lucky thrift store find – a cuisinart ice cream maker (the exact same style as this one!) for just $15! – sparked a fun kitchen adventure with the kids. Instead of basic vanilla, we decided to get creative and whipped up this honey berry homemade ice cream concoction on a whim. The result? Absolutely delicious!
Choosing Your Milk
This recipe is adaptable to what you have available. We have an abundance of raw milk and that’s what we chose to use. You can use pasteurized heavy cream and milk for equally delicious results.
What Berries to Use
Feel free to get creative with your berry selection for this ice cream. We used a convenient bag of frozen mixed berries from Costco. Blueberries are another winner we’ve tried. And with huckleberry season on the horizon, that’s definitely next on our list! The best part is, both fresh and frozen berries will work perfectly in this recipe.
Here’s the Simple Ingredients You’ll Need
2 cups of Fresh or frozen berries
2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup of Honey (we use raw honey) or Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup of Sugar (white sugar, coconut sugar, refined sugar, etc)
2 Cups of Heavy Cream (also referred to as heavy whipping cream)
1 1/2 Cups of Whole Milk
You could add vanilla paste or vanilla bean extract if you’d like a honey vanilla ice cream flavor.
Recipe Steps
This recipe is easy and comes together quickly. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1:
Combine your fruit, lemon juice, sugar, and honey in a medium saucepan. Cook this over medium heat. The sweeteners will dissolve and the berries will release their juices. Keep cooking until you have a syrup-like consistency. When the juices stick to the back of a wooden spoon you know you’re ready for the next step. This process usually takes about 15-20 minutes.
Step 2:
At this point, I use my immersion blender and emulsify the honey mixture to a smooth consistency. This is optional. If you’d like to remove the seeds, press the fruit through a fine mesh strainer. We don’t do this, but you can if seeds bother you.
Step 3:
Chill the berry mixture until it’s cold. This generally takes about 2 hours in the fridge. We had good results by placing it in the deep freezer for about 45 minutes.
Step 4:
Combine the heavy cream and whole milk in a bowl.This will be your ice cream base. If you are using unhomogenized raw milk and prefer a richer ice cream, you can skim off the thicker cream layer from the top of your milk, as we do.
Step 5:
Pour the milk mixture into the frozen ice cream maker bowl and mix according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If you don’t want to have the swirl effect, go ahead and add the berry mixture at this point for a beautiful colored ice cream.
Step 6:
If going for the swirled look, add the berry mixture to the milk mix when a soft serve like consistency has formed (usually after about 20-30 minutes, depenind on the ice cream machine). Gently stir the berry mixture into the cream base, but avoid overmixing if you want that swirl look.
Step 7:
Using a spatula, scrape the ice cream into an airtight container (to prevent freezer burn) and freeze for about 3 hours, or until the ice cream is firm enough to scoop. Alternatively, you could pour mixture into a loaf pan and cover the mixture with plastic wrap.
Enjoy Your Creamy Honey Ice Cream
Now it’s time for the best part – digging into your homemade Surprisingly Easy Kid Approved Honey Berry Ice Cream recipe! Gather your loved ones and enjoy this creamy delight. It’s fantastic on its own, but feel free to pair it with your favorite desserts or some fresh, seasonal fruit. Trust me, this recipe is so delicious and simple, it’s destined to become a family favorite! So go ahead, make your own ice cream today!
Honey Sweetened Mixed Berry Raw Milk Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker optional
Ingredients
- 2 Cups of Mixed berries (fresh or frozen, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Honey
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream Raw or Pasteurized
- 1 1/2 Cups Whole Milk (preferably raw milk for its rich flavor and nutritional benefits, but pasteurized can be used)
Instructions
- Prepare the Berry Swirl: In a small saucepan, combine the mixed berries, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and honey.
- Cook the Berry Mixture: Place the saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved and the berries begin to soften and release their juices. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
- Thicken the Berry Swirl (Optional): Continue to cook the berry mixture for another 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly to a syrupy consistency. Remove from the heat.
- Smooth the Berry Swirl (Optional): If you prefer a smoother swirl in your ice cream, use an immersion blender to carefully blend the warm berry mixture until your desired consistency is reached. Be cautious when blending hot liquids. Alternatively, you can press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds.
- Chill the Berry Swirl: Pour the cooked berry mixture into a shallow bowl or container and let it cool completely in the refrigerator. This will take at least 2 hours. Make sure it’s thoroughly chilled before adding it to the ice cream base.
- Combine the Ice Cream Base: In a separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and whole milk until well combined.
- Churn the Ice Cream: Pour the cream and milk mixture into your ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This usually takes around 20-30 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened to a soft-serve consistency.
- Add the Berry Swirl: Once the ice cream has finished churning, gently swirl in the chilled berry mixture. You can add it all at once or in layers for a more ribboned effect. Avoid overmixing, as this can cause the swirl to disappear into the ice cream base.
- Freeze to Solidify: Transfer the ice cream into airtight containers. Place the containers in the freezer and freeze for at least 3 hours, or until the ice cream is firm enough to scoop.
Notes
- Raw Milk: Using high-quality raw milk will contribute to a richer and more flavorful ice cream. If you don’t have access to raw milk, pasteurized whole milk will also work.
- Time crunch? You can add the berry mixture with the cream base right at the get-go. You won’t have the swirl effect, but it will still be delicious.
- Berry Variations: Feel free to adjust the type and ratio of berries according to your preference.
- Sweetness Adjustment: Taste the berry mixture before chilling and adjust the amount of sugar or honey to your liking, keeping in mind that freezing can slightly reduce the perceived sweetness.
- Serving Suggestions: Enjoy this honey-sweetened mixed berry ice cream on its own, with fresh fruit, or as a delightful accompaniment to your favorite desserts.
This sounds refreshing and simple. Can’t wait to try it with fresh strawberries!
Yes, strawberries would be delicious in it!
Awesome recipe! It sounds super delicious. Ice cream season is when I wish for a cow to milk instead of goats. My ice cream is made from goats milk and I don’t get cream from it. It’s really tasty with out extra cream, but definitely not as luxurious.
Thanks, Heidi! We’ve had some delicious Goat’s Milk Vanilla Ice Cream. We couldn’t even tell it was goat’s milk.
I can never tell when I use my goat’s milk in foods. It gets a lot of bad rap, maybe because when you buy it in the store it’s often not fresh and can taste gamey. But fresh raw goat’s milk is delicious. My ice cream maker is ready to go in the freezer and I’m planning to try this with just goat’s milk and no cream if my boss goat doesn’t step in the milking bucket tomorrow! She’s a handful!
This looks so yummy and refreshing! Love adding a lemon or lime juice too- really adds to the flavor!
This sounds delicious! I’ve always wanted to make my own ice cream… Now I’ll have to try it!
Thanks, Kelly. It’s so good! I hope you like it as much as we do!
Sounds so yummy. I love that it has real food ingredients + it’s still a treat!