"2-Ingredient" Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, almond extract, mint extract, or other flavoring,optional
• 2 cups heavy cream, cold

Directions

1. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a large bowl.
2. Mix the vanilla extract, or other flavoring extract, into the condensed milk, if using. (See Recipe Notes for other flavoring ideas.)
3. Whip the heavy cream: Pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Use a hand mixer, stand mixer, or immersion blender to whip the cream until it holds stiff, billowy peaks, about 3 minutes.
4. Gently mix a scoop of the whipped cream into the condensed milk. This lightens the condensed milk and makes it easier to fold into the rest of the whipped cream.
5. Transfer the rest of the whipped cream to the bowl with the condensed milk. Gently begin folding the whipped cream into the condensed milk. At first, it will look very lumpy. As you continue to fold, the mixture will smooth out and become soft and silky. Stop when you see just a few small lumps here and there — be careful not to deflate the mixture too much or over-mix.
6. Use a spatula to scrape all the ice cream base into your freezer container. Smooth the top, then press a piece of wax paper against the surface to prevent ice crystals from forming.
7. Freeze for at least six hours, or up to 2 weeks. The ice cream will become more firm the longer you let it freeze. For best texture and flavor, eat within two weeks.

Recipe Notes

• Make Flavored Ice Cream: To infuse your ice cream with flavor, warm the cream in a saucepan until you just start to see a few wisps of steam. Remove the pan from heat and add your flavoring ingredient. Let the milk infuse until it tastes good to you or until it's room temperature. Strain out the solids and refrigerate the cream until it's completely chilled again. Make the recipe as usual. Favorite flavorings: cinnamon sticks, whole vanilla beans, lavender buds, coffee beans, cacao nibs, whole spices, fresh mint
• Adding a Mix-in to Your Ice Cream: Lighter mix-ins, like chopped chocolate, can be gently folded into the base before being transferred to the freezer container. For heavier mix-ins, like caramel swirls, fruit mixtures, and candied nuts, transfer half of the prepared ice cream into the freezer container, sprinkle the mix-in over top, and then top with the remaining ice cream. Use a knife to swirl the mix-in into the ice cream.