Favorite Yellow Cake - Tasty Tuesday!

My birthday was Saturday.  And if I want a cake, I have to make it myself.  Since I was already making chocolate chip cookie cupcakes for a friend's daughter's birthday party, I wasn't feeling super creative on what I wanted for myself.  I just wanted something I knew I could make easily to take to the Northwestern tailgate.  The answer is deliciously simple: my favorite yellow cake.  It's super quick to throw together, and it tastes so good!

Favorite Yellow Cake

Ingredients:
1 c butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
4 eggs
3 c sifted flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1 c milk
1 t vanilla extract
1 t almond extract  (if you have none, go with 2 t vanilla)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare your pans either by using the lazy man's way out (Pam) or butter and flouring them.  You can use a 9x13 pan or 3 9 inch rounds.  Guess which I usually do....

Beat together the butter and sugar until they are fluffy and lightened in texture, just as you do with most recipes.  It is important that the butter be room temperature.  When it's cold, it doesn't fluff as well, and you don't get the same light texture to your cake.  Trust me.

Add your eggs one at a time.  Beat well between each addition.  You want the light texture from your eggs, too, but you don't want to overbeat these, so don't leave your mixer on for minutes at a time.

Add the salt and baking powder, mixing well.  Add 1 cup of the flour and stir gently.  This is when I stop with the electric mixer and move to a large spatula to ensure I don't overmix the batter, which results in bubbles in my cake and a too dense, crumby texture.  Add half the milk, as well as the vanilla and almond extract.  Mix with your spatula until incorporated, stirring from the bottom to the top.  Add another cup of flour, stirring again.  Add the remaining milk, stir.  Add the last of the flour and stir until just combined.

Pour your batter into your prepared pans.  Bake in the 350 degree oven for 24 minutes for the rounds or 30-33 minutes for the 9x13 pan, testing to ensure the middle is baked before removing the cakes.

Let cool for ten minutes in the pan, then turn out to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.  Frost as desired and eat within a day or two.  I made a mocha frosting for this that was awesome.  It's super easy to make frosting and so forgiving.  One day I will make a video showing how to rescue frosting from various issues because no matter how much I've accidentally put in too much milk or powdered sugar or whatever, I can always bring it back to a wonderful frosting - and you can, too, if you have the confidence.

Mocha frosting?  A little espresso, half a stick of butter, half a cup or so of cocoa powder, a couple tablespoons of milk, and 2-3 c powdered sugar.  Mix together the butter and sugar, add the milk, add the cocoa powder and espresso and mix again.  Then beat until it's fluffy.  Adjust your ratios until you like the texture, then frost immediately.

Oh, and then sing happy birthday to me.  Loudly, please.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.  Rachel from A Southern Fairytale has an awesome Mouthwatering Monday linkup that I participate in, too.

Apple Cider Donuts - Tasty Tuesday!

I had one cooking goal this fall.  Well, one that's specific to this fall anyway: to make apple cider donuts.  I absolutely adore them, and it's one of those treats that I buy every year.  Why I haven't made them, I don't know.  I've made pumpkin donuts before, and they aren't hard... they just make a ton of donuts.

So this past weekend, I set out to make my donuts.  I was originally going to make the traditional round donuts with the holes in them until I realized that I prefer eating the little "holes" and that the round donuts are not my friend.  Yes, this is an easy recipe - and I made it dairy free so Little Miss could enjoy it, but it wasn't originally so (see notes for the changes).

I've shared them with several of my friends, and I have half the recipe sitting in my fridge to make later today.  They're awesome.  And fun.  And oh what a special treat, right?

Apple Cider Donuts

Ingredients:
2 c apple cider
1 c sugar
1/4 c butter, room temperature (or butter substitute for dairy free)
1/2 c buttermilk (or rice/soy/coconut milk with about 2 T mayonnaise - trust me)
2 eggs
3 1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
3/4 t cinnamon
3/4 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
Additional sugar and cinnamon for rolling post frying

Directions:
Reduce the apple cider.  This will take about a half hour or more, and you can do it in advance then stick it in the fridge for when you're ready to make donuts.  My husband also decided this was a really good topping for ice cream.  Just sayin'.  Boil the apple cider until it's reduced to about 1/4 cup.  It will be slightly thicker and much darker than when it started, but don't burn it.

When you're ready to make the donuts themselves, measure out the butter and place it into a mixing bowl.  Personally, I love using my special liquid/dry measuring cup for items like butter that tend to stick in a regular measuring cup - honey, mayonnaise, etc are much easier in this, too.

Beat the butter with the sugar, just like your normal baking recipe.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well until combined.  Add the reduced cider and buttermilk, and beat again.   Add the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, then mix until fully incorporated.

At about this point, you'll want to start heating your oil.  You want a wide pan, deep enough to hold a couple inches of oil.  Heat on medium high to 350 degrees.

While the oil is heating, add the flour and stir until just combined.  Flour your working surface with extra flour, and pull out a clump of dough.  Carefully roll it in the flour until you can work with it and create a snake like you did in kindergarten with clay.  Using a knife or a board scraper, cut off half inch sections of dough.

When you think the oil is hot enough, drop in a test dough ball.  You want it to immediately start bubbling around your dough.  If it doesn't, your oil isn't hot enough.  Pull it out, and try again in a few minutes.

Place several donuts at a time, but be sure there is plenty of room for them to move and expand.  They will take only a minute or so to fry on each side before you need to flip them over.  A fork or slotted spoon or chopstick works perfectly for this.

While they are frying on the first side, prepare your finishing station.  On a cookie sheet, place a wire rack.  Atop the wire rack, lay paper towels so that the grease can fully drain from the donuts.  Prepare a bowl with 1 c sugar and 2 t cinnamon to roll your donuts in after they've drained for a few minutes.

Now you're ready to start the assembly line.  Fry a few, flip.  Add some more while the first ones are frying on their second side.  You'll know they're ready to flip when the bubbles start reaching the top of the donut and the sides are a beautiful golden brown.

Pull them out with a slotted spoon when they're done, and add some more.  Let the donuts cool and drain for a few minutes before rolling them in the cinnamon sugar and placing them on a separate plate. Keep frying, rolling more donuts, flipping, and draining until the donut dough is all gone.

The donuts are awesome still warm, but they will keep in a tightly sealed container with a paper towel under them once they've cooled for up to three days.  If they last that long.  If you don't want to make all your donuts at once, you can refrigerate your dough for a couple days.  Make sure you bring it to room temperature - or close - before you fry them, though.  If batter is too cold, it will absorb the grease before frying and will be a much heavier and not as yummy donut.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.  Rachel from A Southern Fairytale has an awesome Mouthwatering Monday linkup that I participate in, too.

Peach Blueberry Crisp - Tasty Tuesday!

Mister Man and my husband had their first Cub Scout den meeting of the year last night.  They headed out for Mister Man's occupational therapy then straight to the meeting... at a pizza restaurant.  Little Miss and I were left at home to fend for ourselves.

You know that means we have to do something special, right?  Our local sushi restaurant is closed on Mondays, so that was out.  We decided to make something special for dessert.  She first tried to explain a muffin that had chocolate on top and jam in the center.  I couldn't figure it out until it finally dawned on me that she was talking about my cherry bliss bites.  The only problem?  I can't really make them dairy free for her.

Her next idea was a crisp, which I readily agreed sounded delicious.  I had peaches that needed to be used, so we decided to make a peach crisp - and while I can and did make this dairy free, the recipe I'm sharing is with butter instead.  To make it dairy free with a yummy and surprising twist, sub out mayonnaise for the butter.  Trust me on that one.

While I had peaches, I didn't have quite enough to fill the dish.  I augmented with frozen blueberries, and oh was that a good choice.  Each time I make something with this combination, blueberry and peach goes together far better than I think it will.

Yes, this is my dish.  Obviously.  It's topped with whipped cream.  Yum.

Peach Blueberry Crisp

Ingredients:
5 peaches, cut into ten to twelve slices, then cut in half vertically to make bit size pieces (enough for 3-4 cups)
2 cups blueberries
1/4 plus 2 T cornstarch
1 t nutmeg, freshly grated
3/4 c flour
1 c oats
2/3 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1/3 c butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cut peaches and blueberries into a baking dish.  I used a smaller casserole that once belonged to my grandmother - talk about the ultimate comfort food!  You can leave the skins on or remove them.  I like to keep them on when I'm using fresh peaches, but frozen or jarred peaches usually have them removed, and that's fine.  And yes, you can use frozen or jarred (good jarred, please) when peaches aren't in season.

Place the cornstarch and 1/2 t nutmeg atop the fruit, and gently stir until it is all mixed together.

In another bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, salt, and the rest of the nutmeg.  Stir to fully combine.  Add the melted butter and mix with a spatula until it comes together and creates pea or so size chunks.  You don't want to overstir, but ensure you get all the flour and sugar incorporated.

Carefully pour the topping over the fruit.  Use the spatula to ensure all the fruit is hidden by the topping without pushing it down into the fruit.

Place the crisp into the oven, and bake for 35 minutes, until the top is a beautiful golden brown.  Little Miss and I debated making individual servings in ramekins or a larger crisp.  We decided on the larger crisp, but if you make ramekins, bake them for 25 minutes instead.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream while still warm.  Or let it cool off and enjoy it at room temperature for breakfast the next day.  Not that I or my husband would ever do that.  Ahem.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.  Rachel from A Southern Fairytale has an awesome Mouthwatering Monday linkup that I participate in, too.

Creme Brulee - Tasty Tuesday!

Yes, I know.  It's summer.  And it's still hot and yucky most places in the country.  My general rule is that my oven doesn't go on, but I make exceptions sometimes.  There are days when it's cool in the morning, and I know I want a special creamy and cool dessert.  And so I present you with creme brulee.

Is there anything better than that crunch of the sugar shell and then the luscious interior that leaves you licking your spoon and wanting more?  This is such a great summer dessert.  There's even the fun of playing with fire when making it - all the better!

And yeah, it is sorta easy.  Way easier than you would expect given what you pay for it in restaurants.  Four ingredients.  That's it.  Really.

Creme Brulee

Ingredients:
4 c heavy cream, not ultrapasteurized
8 egg yolks
1/2 c sugar
2 vanilla beans*

*Vanilla beans are awesome.  I love them.  Use them.  But if you can't, go ahead and use 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste, my new favorite ingredient

Directions:
Cut the vanilla beans in half, and use the back of a knife to carefully scrape out the seeds.  If you are not using the seeds, skip the vanilla for now.  Add the cream and the seeds to a heavy pot and turn the heat to medium.  Add the beans, too - why not; it just adds more flavor.  Scald the cream, which means you want it to start to steam and have a few tiny bubbles but do not let it actually boil.  When it just barely starts to have a skin form, it's done.  Remove the vanilla beans and scrape them one last time to get any more seeds out, adding those to the cream, too.

While the cream scalds, prepare your eggs.  Separate the whites from the yolks (save the whites for meringues or angel food cake or a whole bunch of egg white omelettes).  Place the yolks into a large bowl and whisk them until they're incorporated.  Add the sugar to the yolks and whisk until the yolks are lightened in color.

When the cream is scalded, add just a couple tablespoons of cream to the eggs while whisking the eggs to temper them.  Add a little more cream and keep whisking.  Once the eggs are brought up to temperature, add the remaining cream, still whisking so that you don't cook the eggs.  Scrambled eggs in cream? Eww.  If you didn't use vanilla beans, now is the time to add your vanilla bean paste.

Place six ramekins into a baking dish.  Ladle the creme brulee mixture into the ramekins.  To minimize how much I need to carry the liquid, I do my ladling with the baking dish sitting on my stove over my oven.  Smart me, right?  Once they're evenly distributed, place the baking dish in your oven.  Then, use a tea kettle to carefully add boiling water to the baking dish so that it covers at least two-thirds of the ramekins, being sure not to spill any of the water into the ramekins (see, me being smart again).

Bake the creme brulee for 25-35 minutes, until the centers are just set.  It will take longer if you let the cream cool before mixing it with the eggs.  Once baked, let the ramekins cool in the fridge.  When you are ready to serve them, sprinkle a good layer of sugar (brown sugar is awesome - just sayin') atop the creme brulee and use a torch to melt the sugar, starting in the center and then carefully circling out to the edges.  Don't make your crust ahead, but the rest can be done a day or two in advance and kept in the fridge.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Watermelon Granita - Tasty Tuesday!

There are some things I love about summer.  The fresh produce, spending time outside, grilling almost all our meals - those are the things that I love.  Of course sometimes I get a little carried away.  I'll buy a dozen mangoes and realize we can't eat quite that many.  Or I'll buy out the avocado section because they're really good and cheap, but then I need to do something with all of them.  Or I'll buy a huge watermelon that we can't eat fast enough.

Fortunately, there's always a solution.  I'll make my mango custard.  Or I'll freeze the sliced avocado (yes, it works - or I'll make guac and freeze that, which actually works better).  And for watermelon?  That's easy.  I make watermelon granita.

What?  You've never had it?  It's super easy, it's just about completely allergen free, and it tastes amazing on a hot day.  It's sweet and crunchy and frozen.  I've posted before about my mojito granita, but watermelon is pretty awesome, too.

Watermelon Granita

Ingredients:
10 pound watermelon (or so), flesh only and cubed-ish
2 limes
1/2 t salt
1/2 c water*
1/2 c sugar*

*Taste your watermelon before you start.  If it's bland, you may need more of the simple syrup you'll make.  My watermelon this time was blah, so I ended up doubling the sugar content.  Usually this is plenty.

Directions:
Make a simple syrup.  Place the water and sugar in a small pot, and bring to a boil.  Let it boil for two to three minutes, then remove it from the heat.  The sugar will be completely dissolved in the water, so nothing will be crunchy when you eat it.  Super simple, right?

While you're making the simple syrup, cut up your watermelon so you have chunks of the pink flesh.  Place them in a blender and liquefy them.  If there are any seeds, make sure you remove them first.  Pour the watermelon - made in batches, depending on the size of your blender - into a metal 13x9 pan (because it conducts the cold better, trust me).

Pour your simple syrup (which is fine cooled and actually better that way) into the pan with the watermelon, along with the salt.  Zest the limes into the watermelon mixture, and then juice them into it.  Try one lime juiced first and do a taste test after you've gently stirred the mixture.  If it needs more sugar at this point, make some more simple syrup.  If it needs the second lime (mine usually does), add it.

The next part is the hardest of the whole thing.  Get the pan into your freezer without spilling anything.  And yes, I have succeeded at this before.  Let it freeze for a half hour or so.  Pull it from the freezer, and you'll see where it's started to freeze at the top and around the edges.  Use a fork to scrape across the frozen parts to separate the ice crystals.  Place it in the freezer, and continue doing this until the granita is completely frozen and it is made up of little bits of icy chunks.  If you're anything like me, set a timer so you remember to scrape it each time.  If you forget, you can melt it and start over - not that I've ever had to do this before - and it's just fine.

Once it's ready, place all of it in a sealed container and serve frozen.  It will stay good for a couple weeks, but it's so good and so healthy, it will never last that long, right?

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Homemade Bread Pudding–Tasty Tuesday!

Last week while Little Miss was at Girl Scout camp, my husband and I took Mister Man out for dinner.  We allowed Mister Man to choose the dessert and for whatever reason, he chose bread pudding.  He’d never had it before and wasn’t really sure what it was, but when it appeared at the table, his eyes lit up.  We had to fight him to get our “fair” share of the yummy dessert.

So of course what did my son ask?  Mommy, can you make me bread pudding at home?  How can I say no to such a cutie.  So of course I had to make it.  Fortunately Mister Man also invited some friends over for dinner last night, so it was the perfect opportunity to make it – because I’ve never made bread pudding myself, so why not experiment and play when I have company coming over?  I ended up making an apple and raisin bread pudding (because ummm yum, right?) with a custard sauce (because everything tastes better with custard.

It was awesome.  Sweet but not overly so.  Not too rich, and not overpowering an any one flavor with lots of good textures.  This is definitely a keeper.  And hush, yes, I did have some of the leftovers for my breakfast this morning.

Homemade Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
7 cups French bread, in one inch cubes
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 cups milk, separated
3/4 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t salt
1/2 c raisins
1 Granny Smith apple
2 T corn starch
1/4 c sugar
2 t vanilla, separated

Directions:
Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes, and let them sit out for several hours or overnight until they are dried out and stale.  If you forget, you can bake them in your oven at the lowest temperature you can (my oven goes down to 200 degrees) for a half hour or so.  Soak your raisins in 2 cups of the milk for several hours in the fridge, which will help them get nice and plump later.  Grease an 8x8 glass pan.

Strain the raisins from the milk, and cut your apple into small bites.  Mix the apple with the raisins and bread cubes gently and place into your greased pan.  In a separate bowl, whisk the 3 eggs until well-beaten.  Slowly add the 2 cups of milk and then the brown sugar.  Be sure there are no clumps of brown sugar remaining, but know that the brown sugar won’t completely dissolve at this point and that’s ok.  Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1 t vanilla to the milk and mix well.  Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread.  Use a spatula to push the bread down gently.  Let this sit for ten to fifteen minutes, then stir it gently to get the well-soaked pieces to the top and the drier pieces to the bottom.  Let it sit another ten or so minutes, then stir again and all should be well-soaked.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Bake this for 40-45 minutes until the top is starting to turn very lightly golden brown.  The top of the bread pudding will spring back gently when pushed, rather than simply mushing down, too.  Let the bread pudding cool some before serving so that it firms up well and cuts nicely.

Yes, this is done a little too much.  I sort of didn't hear the timer going off, but it was still yummy!

While the bread pudding is baking, make the custard sauce.  Mix together the egg yolk, 1/4 c sugar and corn starch on the top of a double boiler (or very heavy saucepan).  Slowly add the reserved 1 cup milk while whisking, which will help keep it from getting lumpy.  Keep whisking until it thickens, which will take a little over five minutes once the water has boiled so that nothing scorches.  Once it is thick, remove it from the heat and add the last 1 t vanilla and stir until it is incorporated.

Serve the bread pudding either warmed or at room temperature, ditto with the sauce.  Don’t put the sauce atop the bread pudding until it is being served so that the bread pudding doesn’t get all mushy.  Super easy, but it looks so special and fancy!

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Also posting now with A Southern Fairytale and her Mouthwatering Monday.

Vanilla Orange Bars–Tasty Tuesday!

I had a movie party in my house last week.  It was part of a sponsored event, and so of course I had to provide food.  Because this is me.  And I cook and entertain all the time – and I love doing it.  Since I had purchased cereal as part of my food donation (you’ll have to read about what we did – I thought it was pretty cool and we’re going to do it again later this summer), I wanted to make a dessert with a cereal I had purchased to sort of tie the whole thing together.

Have I ever mentioned that I love recipe searches?  While I rarely am able to actually follow a recipe verbatim, it often gives me all sorts of great ideas – or drives me batty when I have a concept in my head and no one has ever done anything like it so I have to do it on the fly and hold my breath.  As I searched through recipes on the Post site, I found a few that looked good… but the vanilla orange bars were the ones that finally pulled me in.  Of course I had to alter the recipe… because that’s who I am, but oh did it turn out yummy!

Vanilla Orange Bars

Ingredients:
2 c Honey Bunches of Oats with Vanilla Clusters, divided
1/4 c butter
1/4 t nutmeg
1 package neufchatel (or use regular cream cheese, but the neufchatel is lower fat naturally so doesn’t taste plastic-y), at room temperature
1 c sugar
1/2 t vanilla (I used my new vanilla bean paste – SO yum)
2 eggs
2 T flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c orange juice

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 glass baking dish.

In your food processor, grind 1 3/4 cups of the cereal until it is just crumbs, along with the nutmeg.  If you don’t have a food processor, put it in a bag and whack on it until it’s just crumbs – great for getting our your frustrations!  Melt the butter, and mix the two together until the cereal is completely coated with the melted butter; it will get there, although at first it looks as though there isn’t enough butter.  Pour the cereal mixture into the 8x8 pan and press it firmly together to make an even layer.  This will be your crust, so you want it packed in pretty well.

In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and the soft neufchatel until creamy.  If you don’t have the cream cheese at least a little soft and do this step, you’ll end up with lumps later.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly between the additions.  Add the orange juice and mix until blended.  Pour in the salt and baking powder and mix thoroughly before adding the flour.  Once it’s all incorporated, pour the mixture atop the crust you made (you still have 1/4 cup of the cereal in reserve – we didn’t forget about it).

Bake the “cheesecake” for 30-35 minutes, until the center is set – basically until it doesn’t jiggle like liquid anymore.  The edges of the dessert may be turning golden by this time, but that’s ok.  As soon as you take the bars from the oven, gently press the reserved 1/4 cup cereal into the top of the bars.  Let it come to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours before cutting and serving.  Another reason this is a great party dessert?  It’s a must make ahead item!

Cut into small squares, as these are fairly rich, and serve.  Keep this in the fridge.  They are best in the first 1-2 days, as the cereal topping will get soft, but that’s only if you’re able to have them stick around that long!

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Also posting now with A Southern Fairytale and her Mouthwatering Monday.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Todayis the last day of school for the wee ones.  As a special treat, I decided to make them something that reminds me of summer.  There are certain foods that just scream summer to me, blueberries and lemons chief among them.  And voila, I decided to make blueberry crumb bars.  I edited them to make them dairy free, but use butter if you can.  Mmmm, butter!
And yes, these were a huge hit.  I'm storing them in the fridge because I want a cool treat in the heat of summer, and they do really well there.  So what foods scream summer to you?

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 c butter (or butter substitute for me), room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar, divided
3 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 lemon - zest and juice
4 c blueberries - I used frozen, use fresh if you have them
2 T cornstarch
1/2 t nutmeg, fresh grated

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 and grease a 9x13 glass baking dish.

In a bowl, mix together the butter and the egg and butter.  Add the baking powder, lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt, and mix well.  Add 1 cup of the sugar and the flour and mix until it's crumbly but not overmixed.

In another bowl, mix together the blueberries, cornstarch (use 4 t instead of 2 T if using fresh blueberries), remaining 1/2 c sugar, lemon juice, and a little nutmeg together.

Pour a little over half the dough crumbs into your prepared pan and pat them down.  Pour the blueberries atop that, then sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top of the blueberries.

Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes, until the top is a beautiful golden brown color.  Let this cool completely befor you cut it so that it doesn't juice all over the place.  Store it in the fridge for a great cool sweet treat.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Also posting now with A Southern Fairytale and her Mouthwatering Monday.

Peach Coconut Milk Ice Cream - Tasty Tuesday!

I love ice cream in the summer.  There's nothing like that cool and creamy yumminess on a roasting hot summer day.  I used to make ice cream and frozen yogurt all the time, but with Little Miss' dairy allergy, I haven't made ice cream in years.  With summer coming up, I'm going back to using my awesome machine and making ice cream that is fun and also has ingredients I can pronounce in it.

With Memorial Day yesterday, I took my chance to start making good on my ice cream resolution.  With the dairy allergy, I decided to make a dairy alternative ice cream.  Have you ever had coconut milk ice cream?  It is so good and creamy and delicious, and no, it doesn't make everything taste like coconut.  It's lighter and more refreshing than regular ice cream, I think.

Peach Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Ingredients:
2 cups coconut milk (the full fat will give you the creamiest results)
2 cups peaches - separated (it's not peach season; I used good quality jarred peaches)
2 T brown sugar (yep, brown - yum)
1 t lemon juice
1/2 juice - not syrup - from the peaches, or simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar, boiled then cooled)

Directions:
Before you start, ensure you have sufficiently chilled your bucket for your ice cream - assuming you're using a machine that requires you to have a frozen bucket.  Mine needs to be in the freezer overnight, and now that I'm making ice cream again, I'm keeping my buckets in the freezer permanently.

Place the coconut milk, 1 cup of the peaches, brown sugar, lemon juice, and peach juice into a blender.  Blend on high for a minute or so until it's completely incorporated.  Add the remaining cup of peaches and blend on low for ten second, just until the peaches are chopped into bite size pieces.  Honestly, this is one of those times when I fall in love with my Vita-Mix all over again.

Taste test the ice cream base - someone's gotta! - and ensure that it's too your liking.  I don't like my ice cream super sweet, so you may need to doctor it a bit to get it perfect for you.  That isn't to say that this isn't sweet - it definitely is - but it isn't syrupy.

Prepare your ice cream maker.  You don't want to take your bucket out of the freezer until this point, or it will start to melt.  Carefully pour your base into your ice cream maker, and turn it on.  Let it churn for 20-30 minutes.  You don't want it to go too long, but let it start to get a little solidified and have plenty of air incorporated.

Pour your almost ice cream into a container that you can seal and put in the freezer for two to three hours, and you're ready to go.  This ice cream does best when you let it warm up just a little bit by sitting out 10 to 15 minutes before serving.  It will keep in the freezer, but it's best in the first few days after you make it, but it's good no matter what!  We served this with fresh fruit atop it yesterday, and it was awesome.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Also posting now with A Southern Fairytale and her Mouthwatering Monday.