TL/DR – Orange Dreamsicle Ice Cream. Dreamy, egg-free orange ice cream flavored by orange zest and vanilla, (food coloring is optional!) This recipe is perfect for a home ice cream maker. –
Once again, a midnight craving for something turned into an ice cream recipe. After several attempts, this version was born. Think orange creamsicle. It is perfect for summer time. Or spring time. Or whenever. I mean, it’s ice cream.
Start by heating 2 % milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, a tiny bit of salt and a generous amount of orange zest in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to come just to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer it for 5 minutes.
Place chopped white chocolate, (I use Ghirardelli,) and a small amount of cream cheese into a separate bowl. Pouring through a strainer, pour about a half cup of the hot milk and cream mixture over the white chocolate and cream cheese and whisk it until everything is melted and smooth. Then, strain the remainder of the hot mixture into the bowl.
Refrigerate the mixture, or if you have zero patience like me, fill a larger bowl halfway with ice cubes and some water, then place the milk mixture bowl inside of it and whisk it over the ice bath until it’s cool. Once the mixture is cool, add in a touch of red and yellow food colorings if you feel like orange ice cream needs to be slightly orange.
Following the instructions for your ice cream maker, pour the cool mixture into the pre-frozen insert and set it to churn. My ice cream maker is not fancy and for this recipe it took about 40 minutes of churning to make it thick enough to freeze and then scoop.
The hardest part is scooping the churned mixture into a container and allowing it to freeze for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight. Patience pays off. Also try Lemon Basil Ricotta Ice Cream, which is also egg-free.
Orange Dreamsicle Ice Cream
Creamy, dreamy, egg-free orange ice cream flavored by orange zest and vanilla! This recipe is perfect for a home ice cream maker.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c 2 percent or whole milk
- 1 c heavy cream
- 2/3 c granulated sugar
- 3 T orange zest
- 1 t vanilla
- 1/8 t kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chopped white chocolate, about 2.5 ounces, preferably from a white chocolate bar and not chips
- 1 T cream cheese
Directions
- Step 1 In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream, sugar, orange zest, vanilla and salt. Over medium heat, stirring frequently with a whisk, bring the mixture just to boiling, then drop the heat to low and simmer it, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
- Step 2 Place the chopped white chocolate and the cream cheese into a medium bowl. Using a strainer to strain out the orange zest, pour a half cup of the hot mixture over the white chocolate and cream cheese. Whisk it until it is all melted and well incorporated.
- Step 3 Pour the remaining hot mixture through the strainer into the bowl and stir it well. Add a touch of red and yellow food colorings if you desire the ice cream to look orange. This is optional.
- Step 4 Fill a larger bowl a third of the way with ice cubes and water. Place the medium bowl inside of the ice bath, careful not to allow it to tip, and whisk it until it cools off. This doesn’t take very long. Remove the medium bowl from the ice bath and wipe off the excess water from the bowl with a towel.
- Step 5 Following the instructions for your ice cream maker, pour the cooled mixture into the pre-frozen insert and turn it on. Churn it for at least 20 minutes, but probably closer to 40, until the mixture is thick.
- Step 6 Transfer the ice cream into a freezer-safe container, cover it tightly and freeze it for at least 6 hours before serving it.
