Sugar Cookie Bars
Margaux Laskey, “American Girl Cookies”
5252 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
5,252
40 minutes, plus cooling
Updated Oct. 17, 2023
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In a small pot, simmer heavy cream, milk, sugar and salt until sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat. In a separate bowl, whisk yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream. Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cool mixture to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturers’ instructions. Serve directly from the machine for soft serve, or store in freezer until needed.
I'm sorry to disagree, but this is the only ice cream recipe you'll ever need:
2 cups heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Add 1 tbl vanilla for vanilla, or add berries, nuts or whatever else you want. Mix well, freeze for at least 6 hours.
I always add a touch of vodka to my homemade ice cream which slows the freezing process (I think) and prevents the ice cream from getting icy.
Stevia, to my palate, is a sure way to RUIN anything.
I subbed the same measure of coconut milk for milk and coconut cream for the heavy cream. Delicious and lactose-free!!! Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
I used 3 yolks instead of 6, 1/2 cup of sugar instead of 2/3 cups of sugar and one vanilla bean instead of two.
Ice cream turned out very creamy and sweet, but not too sweet.
Overchurning in your ice cream maker or frozen KitchenAid attachment can cause the heavy cream to turn into butter. It will coat the spoon and taste a bit grainy and leave a greasy texture on your tongue.
If you use half and half in place of the milk and cream, it becomes rich but no longer overpoweringly rich.
You don't ever have to throw away egg whites. They freeze well in plastic containers and are ready to use (after defrosting at room temp) for any recipe calling for them.
Six egg yolks seemed awfully dense. I used four plus one whole egg. It was luscious, velevety, delicious. I find a half cup sugar sufficient, but that's my personal taste.
Your end result will be a less creamy ice cream. Part of what makes a good ice cream super creamy is the small ice crystals in it. By allowing it to cool completely in the refrigerator prior to churning you are making sure that it freezes quickly, giving it little time to form large ice crystals.
News flash: there's lots of research now that fat doesn't make you fat nor does it give you heart disease. It's the carbs that will do that to you.
I used a half cup of local honey instead of the sugar and when I churned it, i mixed in chopped up chunks of frozen baklava with a healthy dose of ground cinnamon.
This does make a very rich, tasty base, but it's far too custard-like for my taste. There's a ton of egg yolk in it and you can really taste that in the finished product, especially with lighter flavorings. It's a good recipe if that's what you're going after but this is not a serviceable "all-around" base, in my opinion.
Terrific recipe. Today, coffee ice cream, which turned out just right.
2 Tb freshly ground coffee in with the milk, cream sugar. Strain through cheesecloth-lined strainer before proceeding with adding the eggs, though I guess I could have left a few flecks in and dispensed with the cheesecloth. Beautiful color, great flavor.
This is the perfect ice cream base. I have used it for vanilla chocolate chip and coconut ice cream flavors and both came out with rich flavors and exactly what I was looking for in ice cream. I do sometimes change the weight of cream and milk to 1 1/2 C and 1 1/2 C, the flavor is still spot on but it is a little lighter and slightly less rich.
I followed the recipe but used 4 yolks. I also added some cooked down and chopped tart cherries and some chopped 57% dark chocolate. Used my vintage Donvier hand crank ice cream maker and the result is very good.
If I onlu have vanilla in liquid form, how much and when do I add it?
Made this mostly as directed except only had 5 large yolks - it was plenty rich and delicious.
Love this recipe. I use it as a base for all my ice cream!!
This is my go to recipe. Period. I even make it without an ice cream machine, just churning with a hand mixer every hour or so. I tried this once and never looked for another ice cream recipe.
How much freshly grated nutmeg should I add?
I started making the butterscotch bourbon variation of this recipe after putting the baby to bed last night... didn't realize I was out of eggs until I'd already made the caramel base! ugh! I made the ice cream anyway, omitting eggs, and it was still incredible. I added a bit of vanilla bean paste and maldon because I'm a sweet and salty fiend.
I love this for a base for ice cream. My husband is Persian and I use this recipe for saffron ice cream. I add 4-ish tablespoons of saffron water after cooking. Once I am churning, I had pistachos, a capful of rose water, and frozen heavy cream cubes. I made this for Persian New Year and it was such a hit!
I followed the recipe but used 4 eggs. It was creamy and delicious! I will use this every time.
This recipe is that good
Omg besttt recipe ever I used one teaspoon of vanilla extract and it’s beautiful
A bit much. Overkill with 6 egg yolks, better still is no eggs, lighter, creamier, and tastier.
5 egg yolks
Dear Melissa, This ice cream recipe looks wonderful! But some of us can't digest dairy products, even with the lactose reduced, or are vegan. Would you be interested in taking on the challenge of creating a similar "this is the only vegan vanilla ice cream recipe you'll ever need"? Maybe based on oat milk and silken tofu? Many thanks from one of your millions of fans, Elizabeth
For those who cannot access the linked flavor chart because they only have a Cooking subscription, the guide “How to Make Ice Cream” has a flavoring chart about halfway down, and can be accessed by Cooking-only subscribers.
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