From the frozen reaches of Siberia to the tropical Southeast Asian beaches – there’s nothing quite as ubiquitous as ice cream for dessert. The simplicity of the base ingredients – milk, cream and sugar makes it a really accessible for everyone. The best part? The myriad of flavors, from decadent nutty to fresh fruity will satisfy even the most picky sweet tooth, and makes ice cream a surprise treat every time.

Concoct this guilty pleasure right from the comforts of your own kitchen, and serve up your very own signature ice cream that’s ultra smooth and creamy with our pro tips and fool-proof ice cream recipe below!

1. Freeze the bowl

Buy freeze-dried berries from HappyFresh for a quick fruit mix-in

Ensure that you freeze the bowl for at least 24 hours before you make your ice cream. Warm bowls result in sludgy ice cream that will never freeze – and you don’t want that! The colder you can make the bowl, the faster your ice cream will freeze, giving it that coveted smooth creaminess everyone loves. Rapid freezing during the churning phase encourages the formation of small ice crystals, which gives ice cream its smooth creaminess. The constant movement also prevents the small crystals from clustering together and creating large clumps that interrupt that smooth mouth-feel.

2. Roast your fruits

Not all fruits are created equal. Did you know that strawberries are 92% water? Imagine if all that water freezes in precious your ice cream mix  - what you end with are crunchy, tasteless ice blocks that ruin the creamy texture. For context, your favourite plump peaches contain 88% water, and even bananas are 75% water. A great workaround if you want to add fruits to your ice cream mix is to use freeze-dried fruits, where bulk of the water is already removed, or roast your fruits in the oven.

The best part about roasting? You can throw in vanilla bean pods, cinnamon sticks, maple syrup and even herbs like thyme to your fruity mix to introduce complexity and wondrous aromas. 

3. Scald your milk

Heating up your milk in over medium heat or microwaving it until it reaches about 80°C improves protein foaming. This scalded milk then creates more voluminous and stable foam when you are churning, which helps the formation of small ice crystals – hello creamier ice cream! Warmer milk also makes it faster to infuse unique flavors into your milk. Simply add in your orange zest, tea leaves or cinnamon sticks while heating up your milk, then remove it from heat and let it sit for 8 minutes for the flavors to get absorbed before straining it. 

4. Package it small

Choose shallow and flat containers for easy freezing and scooping! 

The ideal container for ice cream is a shallow and flat container. This is to encourage rapid freezing by maximizing the exposure to cold air. It also makes your delicious ice cream easier to scoop!

You should also protect your ice cream from freezer burn by using an airtight container or covering your ice cream with wax or parchment paper before putting the lid on. This prevents moisture in the air from refreezing on top of your ice cream, and unwanted weird flavors from seeping into your freshly made ice cream. 

5. Sieving your nuts

There’s nothing quite like enjoying the occasional nutty crunch while enjoying your pistachio or toffee nut ice cream. To create the pleasurable contrast of textures, sieving your nuts is necessary to remove the loose gritty bits that feel like someone added sand to your ice cream. What you want to keep are those nice little chunks. If you’re using fresh nuts, roasting them brings out more intense flavors and sifting them also helps to remove the unwanted nut skin from getting mixed in. 

6. Use sugar substitutes

Swap out sugar for healthier alternatives like honey, which is available at your fingertips with HappyFresh

Viscous (think thick and gooey) sweeteners like honey, corn syrup and agave nectar makes for a thicker viscous base, giving your churned ice cream a chewy richness and a softer consistency. Simply swap out the plain sugars in your ice cream recipe for these alternatives to improve the texture of your ice cream. A note of caution – not all sugar substitutes are made equal! For instance, honey tastes 50% sweeter than table sugar, so keep that in mind when using substitutes. 

7. Enrobe your starchy additions

Love Oreo cookies or popcorn additions in your ice cream? Enrobe them in chocolate (just dip them in melted chocolates) or coat them with sugar to prevent them from getting soggy in your ice cream.

Now that you’ve got all the pro tips on hand, it’s time to dig into ice cream making! 

Here's a recipe for some easy chocolate ice-cream

Ingredients:

• 1 can (14oz/400g) Sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups (480ml) Heavy cream, cold
• 1/2 cup (60g) Cocoa powder, unsweetened
• Mini chocolate chips (extra for topping if desired)

Directions:

1. Place cold heavy cream in a large bowl, whip to stiff peaks.
2. Add cocoa powder, sweetened condensed milk and beat on low speed until incorporated.
3. Transfer into a container/dish, freeze for at least 6 hours.

Shop ingredients from the convenience of your own home with HappyFresh

Save time and money by shopping for your ice cream ingredients on HappyFresh! You can earn loyalty points with every purchase, enjoy exclusive promo deals and pay securely with credit or debit cards, DuitNow, Boost and Grab Pay.

With the same prices in store and a team of trained personal shoppers who will call and suggest replacement items when needed, there’s no need to jostle with the crowds and stand in long queues ever again.

• Kickstart your fun ice-cream experiments by downloading the HappyFresh app here.

This feature is produced in association with HappyFresh.