With only 4 ingredients you can make this wholesome and naturally sweet summertime treat! All you need is eggs, milk, half-and-half, and maple syrup to make homemade Maple Ice Cream! Thank you to Davidson’s Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs for partnering with me to share a pure maple ice cream recipe to make at home!
Vermont’s Favorite Treat
If you have ever traveled to Vermont, or if you grew up in Vermont like I did, you will know what I am talking about when I say “Let’s go get a Maple Creemee!” Entire families have been known to jump in the car on a hot day in summer to stand in line for soft-serve ice cream cones (called “Creemees” in Vermont). There is nothing more refreshing than a cold creamy ice cream cone flavored with pure maple syrup, made from the sap of the Vermont sugar maple tree.
I think it’s a marvel that Native Americans figured out how to tap the maple trees just as the winter is ending and the warm sunshine causes the sap to run during the day, even while the nights are still very cold. The sap is clear and watery with just a hint of sweetness, but when it is boiled for the correct amount of time, it becomes thick, amber-colored syrup; a natural sweetener with the most heavenly flavor.
It is no wonder that Maple Creemee’s are so popular! During my last trip to Vermont in June I had several Maple Creemee’s in several different towns (all in the name of research) so I could come back to California and figure out a way to make this special treat for my family, and share it will all of you too!
Recipe for Maple Ice Cream
You can serve maple ice cream while it’s soft and creamy, or let it firm up like regular ice cream. You can even add some walnuts or pecans to make every dad’s favorite Maple Nut Ice Cream! CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE.
I always use Davidson’s Safest Choice Eggs® when making homemade ice cream or anything that requires uncooked or partially cooked eggs. Since they are pasteurized in the shells (using heat), the possiblity of contamination by salmonella bacteria is eliminated. Click here to learn more about pasteurization. Have you tried pasteurized eggs? They are just like any egg you have ever eaten – no change in flavor or consistency – just safe! ( They have a cute little “p” stamped on each one too.) I hope you’ll try them!
Here’s a coupon to use for your Davidson’s Safest Choice® Eggs! Click Here!
Vermonters know that you should use Grade B maple syrup for the most flavor, but if you have the lighter Grade A syrup, you can boil it in a small saucepan for a few minutes to reduce the liquid and bring out the flavor. Set aside the syrup until the custard is ready.
Separate the yolks to use in the ice cream. (Use the whites to make a delicious egg-white omelet, or whip up some meringues.)
You need to stir constantly so that the custard will cook evenly. Don’t ignore this step, because the bottom of the pan will cook quickly and you’ll have lumps in your custard if you don’t keep stirring. Just relax and slowly stir until the custard thickens.
How will you know that the custard is thick enough? When it coats the back of the spoon and you can draw a line through the custard on the spoon that doesn’t go away. See?
Now you can pour the maple syrup into the custard and stir until thoroughly mixed in.
Strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer to ensure that the ice cream will be super smooth. (You never know if there might be some tiny little lumps … let’s not take any chances.)
Now you can put the bowl into a bigger pot filled halfway with ice and water. This will cool down the custard quickly so it can go into the refrigerator. The custard needs to be really cold before you put it into the ice cream freezer machine. Cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. Meanwhile, make sure the freezer bowl for your machine is chilling in the freezer too!
That’s it! Just follow the instructions that came with your ice cream freezer and soon you’ll be enjoying those oh-so-cold-and-refreshing Maple Creemees.
After the machine finishes working, I like to put the freezer bowl into the freezer compartment of the refrigerator to firm up a little bit. Someday maybe I’ll buy one of those fancy soft-serve ice cream makers so I can make swirly Maple Creemee cones just like they do in Vermont!
For now, I’ll just add some toasted pecans or walnuts and serve my homemade Maple Ice Cream in a dish!
This post is sponsored by Davidson’s Safest Choice® Eggs, but all opinions are mine. I love these eggs because there are no worries about Salmonella-related food borne illness. Raw cookie dough or any food with undercooked eggs (like Eggs Benedict or even the ricotta filling for lasagna) can be served safely when pasteurized eggs are used in the recipe. Go ahead and lick the spoon!
