Skinny Vanilla Latte Ice Cream

It’s no secret I’m a self-proclaimed ice cream freak.  I can eat the good stuff by the half-gallon and not even blink an eyelash, and you guys?  I have to admit I’m kind of proud of that one.  I don’t know a lot of girls who can really eat like a full-grown Paul Bunyan-esque man, but I am pretty sure that I am in that small percentage of women.

 

I’m not saying that I do eat like that and I’m not saying I should, but I can.  It’s one of my better tricks 😉  And instead of Babe the Blue Ox I have Bunker the Crazy Chocolate Lab.  See?  Samesies.

But ice cream.  OH ICE CREAM!  I’ll never stop saying I adore it, and in the summer months and in a part of the country that is much hotter than where we used to live, ice cream is kind of a saving grace.  The fact that Nate is the best husband on the planet and got me an ice cream maker is only icing on the (ice cream) cake, and I have had so much fun playing around with flavors and making up recipes with it!  (It’s this model in case anyone is wondering – highly highly highly recommend it!)

 

One of the best things I’ve made so far is a really simple vanilla ice cream base that is lower in calories and fat than the traditional ice cream, but really doesn’t lose any of the texture of the good stuff.  I’m working on perfecting some gelato recipes as well, so get ready for a brain freeze coming atcha from the Dish, but for now this ice cream is really doing the trick.  A few weeks ago my mother- and sister-in-law were in town and they tried this and proclaimed that they loved it – even though they’re not big fans of coffee!  I added a smidge of cocoa powder to balance out the coffee flavor, but you can certainly leave that out and/or add more coffee powder to yours if you want.  That’s the beauty of it – you can make it your own!

 

And better yet?  You can eat it Paul Bunyan-style and be OK with it.  I’m not saying you should, but you totally should 😉

SKINNY VANILLA LATTE ICE CREAM

Base inspired from this lightened vanilla ice cream

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup fat-free half and half (y’all, this is a thing!)
• 1 cup fat-free evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp stevia powder
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp coffee powder
• 1 heaping Tbsp cocoa powder
• pinch of salt

In a large stock pot combine the whole milk, fat-free half and half, fat-free evaporated milk, sugar, stevia powder and cornstarch over medium low heat. Whisk constantly to allow the sugar/stevia/cornstarch to dissolve and thicken, about 10 minutes or so. When the mixture has thickened, remove from the heat.  In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks and about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture, making sure to drizzle the hot milk in slowly.  This helps temper the egg yolks so they don’t scramble when you add them to the full pot of hot milk.  When the egg yolks have been tempered, stir them into the pot of hot milk.  Whisk in the vanilla extract, coffee powder and cocoa, and whisk constantly for about 2 minutes to get the coffee as dissolved as possible.

 

Strain the milk mixture into a large bowl and place plastic wrap on top, pressing it onto the actual milk mixture to keep it from forming a skin. Refrigerate until completely cold – I recommend overnight.  When the mixture is very cold, churn it according to the manufacturer’s instructions on your particular ice cream maker until it’s the consistency of frozen yogurt. Pour into a plastic container fitted with a lid, cover, and freeze for about 3-4 hours.  Serve cold!