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Summertime for kids is all about simple pleasures like taking a refreshing afternoon dip in the pool, catching lightning bugs, or toasting marshmallows over glowing coals. But the essence of relaxed summertime enjoyment is in a delicious dish or cone of ice cream. While my two year old boy often ends up wearing almost as much ice cream as he eats, an ice cream treat for dessert has become a summertime ritual that he looks forward to all day long.
Many of us can recall with great nostalgia the familiar jingle of the local ice cream truck. Another cherished memory is heading to the local ice cream parlor to pick out your favorite flavors. On most summer nights, we would have ice cream at home. I can remember that growing up as one of three children obsessed with fairness, my parents would sometimes have to pull out the kitchen scale to show us that we were each getting exactly the same portion of ice cream! Wherever it was consumed, ice cream plays a big part in many of our best summertime childhood memories.
This year we have needed a lot of ice cream. The early part of the summer has treated us to some scorching hot summer weather with no signs of the heat letting up. Although I love everything about this time of the year, including the warm sunshine, the extreme high temperatures are starting to wear on even me, and so we have been spending more time indoors in the nice cool air conditioning. Some of the fun activities we have been doing include making homemade frozen desserts to help beat the heat.
Homemade ice cream is a treat to eat, and a lot of fun to make! I learned how to make ice cream as a kid, and that is probably my favorite ice cream memory. We would drag out the ice cream maker, an old fashioned model complete with a hand crank. To make the ice cream, you would add a layer of ice and rock salt to the bowl, then place the insert in, add your ice cream base, and crank away for what seemed like forever. We would all take a turn but in the end it was my dad who did the majority of the turning, as we watched the concoction become creamy and solidify with great anticipation. For kids, watching a few simple ingredients turn into ice cream is like magic.
It is surprisingly simple to make your own ice cream at home. All you need are a few basic ingredients and an ice cream maker, along with some patience. My favorite flavor is chocolate; the recipe is below. We have a simple model that cost about twenty dollars, but even if you don’t have an ice cream maker you can still make ice cream at home. To freeze without a machine, use either a two quart plastic container or two large Ziploc bags (double bag it), fill with the ice cream mixture to 2 inches of top and freeze in freezer, stirring or shaking every 15 minutes until hard.
So enjoy your favorite flavor of homemade ice cream at home. With no additives or preservatives, it’s one of the best summertime treats your kids could eat!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1074-ice-cream-summer/
It's an Ice Cream Summer
Summertime for kids is all about simple pleasures like taking a refreshing afternoon dip in the pool, catching lightning bugs, or toasting marshmallows over glowing coals. But the essence of relaxed summertime enjoyment is in a delicious dish or cone of ice cream. While my two year old boy often ends up wearing almost as much ice cream as he eats, an ice cream treat for dessert has become a summertime ritual that he looks forward to all day long.
Many of us can recall with great nostalgia the familiar jingle of the local ice cream truck. Another cherished memory is heading to the local ice cream parlor to pick out your favorite flavors. On most summer nights, we would have ice cream at home. I can remember that growing up as one of three children obsessed with fairness, my parents would sometimes have to pull out the kitchen scale to show us that we were each getting exactly the same portion of ice cream! Wherever it was consumed, ice cream plays a big part in many of our best summertime childhood memories.
This year we have needed a lot of ice cream. The early part of the summer has treated us to some scorching hot summer weather with no signs of the heat letting up. Although I love everything about this time of the year, including the warm sunshine, the extreme high temperatures are starting to wear on even me, and so we have been spending more time indoors in the nice cool air conditioning. Some of the fun activities we have been doing include making homemade frozen desserts to help beat the heat.
Homemade ice cream is a treat to eat, and a lot of fun to make! I learned how to make ice cream as a kid, and that is probably my favorite ice cream memory. We would drag out the ice cream maker, an old fashioned model complete with a hand crank. To make the ice cream, you would add a layer of ice and rock salt to the bowl, then place the insert in, add your ice cream base, and crank away for what seemed like forever. We would all take a turn but in the end it was my dad who did the majority of the turning, as we watched the concoction become creamy and solidify with great anticipation. For kids, watching a few simple ingredients turn into ice cream is like magic.
It is surprisingly simple to make your own ice cream at home. All you need are a few basic ingredients and an ice cream maker, along with some patience. My favorite flavor is chocolate; the recipe is below. We have a simple model that cost about twenty dollars, but even if you don’t have an ice cream maker you can still make ice cream at home. To freeze without a machine, use either a two quart plastic container or two large Ziploc bags (double bag it), fill with the ice cream mixture to 2 inches of top and freeze in freezer, stirring or shaking every 15 minutes until hard.
So enjoy your favorite flavor of homemade ice cream at home. With no additives or preservatives, it’s one of the best summertime treats your kids could eat!
Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
Made with heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, salt, milk, unsweetened cocoa powder
Made with heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, salt, milk, unsweetened cocoa powder
Serves/Makes: 1.5 quarts
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups heavy cream
In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt until blended. Stir cocoa powder into egg-yolk mixture. Gradually whisk in milk.
Cook over medium, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard thickens slightly and evenly coats back of spoon (it should hold a line drawn by your finger), 10 to 12 minutes. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl set over ice. Stir in cream. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until chilled.
Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Alternatively, place mixture into a doubled Ziploc bag and freeze, shaking every 15 minutes until firm.
Transfer ice cream to a resealable plastic c.ontainer and freeze until firm, about 2 hours (or up to 3 months).
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1074-ice-cream-summer/