Rum Raisin Ice Cream (no eggs)

Greg's all-time favorite ice cream flavor is rum raisin. Whenever we do go out for ice cream (which really isn't very often), he goes for the rum raisin. I thought it would be fun to surprise him at home with his favorite ice cream flavor, so without him knowing, I began soaking the raisins in rum and then made him rum raisin ice cream after dinner one evening. He was pretty excited! We made waffle cones together for the first time too, and Wendy was super excited about that. Waffle cones for dinner for a three-year old is just the way to go sometimes! I made this recipe easy by not worrying about eggs and heating up a custard for the mixture. Instead it is just made of milk, cream, sugars, raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, and rum. The most difficult part of this recipe is the waiting. You know it is going to be so so good, but you just have to wait so long to taste it.  If you are a rum raisin ice cream fan, and you have an automatic ice cream maker at home, go ahead and give this recipe a try. The flavor of the ice cream is sweet with a hint of cinnamon, and the raisins have just the right amount of rum bursting out of them in every bite you take.  Enjoy!

Recipe for Rum Raisin Ice Cream (no eggs)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup dark raisins
3 Tablespoons dark rum 
3/4 cup whole milk
Just under 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, plus a couple pinches for raisin mixture
1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
Pinch of sea salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS
First, soak the raisins. Put the raisins into a bowl and pour in the rum. Add in a couple pinches of cinnamon. Give it a stir, then cover with a lid and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. A couple hours before the raisins are finished soaking, mix together the milk, dark brown sugar, white sugar, just under 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, and sea salt. Beat until well blended. Then stir in the heavy whipping cream. Cover, and put in the refrigerator for two hours.

After the 24 hours of soaking, drain the rum off the raisins, reserving one tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the rum for later. Set aside the reserved rum, cover the raisins, and set raisins in the fridge until ready to add into the ice cream maker. Put the chilled ice cream mixture into the bowl of an automatic ice cream maker. Make according to directions, and a few minutes before it is done, pour in the reserved rum  and vanilla extract. Then, add in the raisins. When ice cream is finished churning, scoop it into a container and seal. Put in the freezer for at least 24 hours before serving.

Recipe Adapted from: Serious Eats