Chunky Apricot Ice Cream ~ a fabulous fresh fruit ice cream you won’t find in the freezer aisle. Homemade ice cream is so much easier than you think!
I can’t stand to see my new ice cream maker sitting there unplugged! As long as I’ve got potential ice cream ingredients hanging around, I can’t help myself. It’s such a nice change from baking, too, where everything has to follow an exact formula. Ice cream making is a forgiving, fluid process, just go with the flow and enjoy!
I didn’t fool around with this one, there’s a pound of fresh apricots in this recipe. I didn’t cook or peel them—there is so much flavor in the peels, and I was going for a fresh fruit taste. Just a touch of sugar and a little lemon juice is all they needed. At the last minute I threw in a few handfuls of chopped fruit to give it a chunky texture.
Like my Rhubarb ice cream, the color of this one is a soft, almost vintage looking hue. It makes me aware of how much artificial food coloring goes into so much of the food we eat. Don’t be fooled by the subtle appearance, this ice cream packs a real apricot punch.
What’s your favorite flavor?? I have to keep my machine busy…
Also try ~
Reader Rave ~
“Just discovered this recipe. I had exactly the right amount of apricots that were ripe as if this morning. All I can say is YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS RECIPE!!! Beautiful color. Such a fresh flavor. Thank you thank you Sue. !!!!” ~ Ellen
Chunky Apricot Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh apricots, plus 3 or 4 more for chopping and adding at the end
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, (about 1/2 lemon)
Instructions
- Halve the pound of apricots and give them a rough chop. Put them in the bowl of a food processor, add the lemon juice, and process until you have a smooth puree. Pulse the machine and scrape down the sides as necessary. Give the extra 3 or 4 apricots a rough chop and set aside. You will add them into the ice cream later.
- Add the sugar to the cream and milk, and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. This will take a couple of minutes. Stir until you feel no more grains of sugar left.
- Combine the apricot puree and the cream mixture. Whisk until it is competely mixed. Refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.
- Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and run according to your machine’s directions. When the ice cream is thick and almost done, add in the reserved chopped apricot chunks, and let the machine run until they are well incorporated.
- When the ice cream is done, it will be very soft. You can eat it as is, or put it in the freezer to firm up. Take it out of the freezer 15 minutes before serving to allow it to soften enough to scoop.
Notes
Nutrition
One of your comments from reader Sandie Elliott asks for Honeydew Melon Ice Cream ~ Yes, Please!! Growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, we’d go to an ice cream stand & that was So Yummy, my Daddy’s favorite, especially…
Oh wow Cindy I do need to try that!
I haven’t made this yet but I plan to this weekend! You asked what our favorite ice cream flavor is and it’s banana in our house! We put it in a big mug and add some strawberry soda for a delicious and refreshing strawberry banana float!
Super yummy!! Used the apricots from our tree (Tucson,AZ). Thank you!! A keeper for sure!
Just curious, why don’t you use eggs in your ice cream recipe?
I do use eggs in some recipes, but sometimes it’s so much easier to leave them out. When you use eggs you need to cook a custard on the stove, and then let it chill completely before processing, so it adds a lot of time to the whole deal. I haven’t found that eggs make much of a difference in taste or texture, to be honest, but, like I said, I do both.
You cant dissolve cold sugar
It will actually dissolve in cold liquids, but it does take longer than if the liquid is hot, and stirring will speed up the process.
Just discovered this recipe. I had exactly the right amount of apricots that were ripe as if this morning. All I can say is YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS RECIPE!!! Beautiful color. Such a fresh flavor. Thank you thank you Sue. !!!!
I make salted caramel, strawberry basil, strawberry, lemon cream, darkest chocolate in the whole world, mint and vanilla bean and lastly peach and biscuit. If I may insert a plug here you have to buy the published ice cream recipe book from Jeni’s Ice Cream. Here in Columbus Ohio her shops are the bomb. All fresh ingredients and unusual bflavors one would never think of. Most of my creations come from her book.
This is an older recipe and I haven’t thought about it in a while, Ellen, so I’m so glad you left this comment ~ I actually have a pile of gorgeous apricots on my counter right now! I’ll check out the book, I’ve seen it. I need that darkest chocolate ice cream in the world 😉