no-churn vanilla ice cream. with bourbon.

I received an ice cream maker as a wedding gift. I hadn’t registered for it, but I was incredibly excited to get it. It’s one of those things you really don’t need, but gosh darn it’s so nice to have. I used it a lot those first couple summers, trying out different flavors and pant sizes.

But, I have to admit, there are so many times I just pick up ice cream at the store to go with a dessert because I forgot to freeze the bowl, or I forgot that the liquid base needed to chill for hours on end before it even goes into the bowl. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Then I stumbled upon this: no-churn ice cream. I had first read about it in Cook’s Country Magazine and was a bit skeptical, but was intrigued none-the-less. Then it showed up again in Everyday Food and I decided to try it out. Um, delicious. Um, super easy. Yes, it still needs chilling time, but there is no bowl or base to pre-freeze. You can remember the morning of and have amazing homemade ice cream that night. Or every night, really. This ice cream is so creamy and dreamy with fabulous vanilla-bourbon flavor. So don’t feel bad you didn’t get an ice cream maker.

In a medium bowl, stir together condensed milk, vanilla and Bourbon. In a large bowl of a standing mixer, beat cream on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into condensed milk mixture. Pour into a regular sized loaf pan, and freeze until firm, 6 hours [or, covered, up to 1 week].