There once was a time when I topped every pie, pastry, and pancake with cool whip, ate cool whip by the spoonful, and sprayed the can of whipped cream directly into my mouth. But those days are over. And I have to admit I don’t miss it very much because if you actually take the time to check out the ingredients label on that wretched stuff, you’ll realize that you don’t really want to be consuming high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated palm kernal oil, and “natural flavors.” After you become accustomed to making and eating the whipped cream you’ve made yourself, the illusion of store bought whipped cream will be dispelled.
The best part is that it’s easy and inexpensive to make. Oh wait, never mind, the best part is that it tastes heavenly. If you’ve ever made your own whipped cream before you know what I mean. A fancier way of saying whipped cream is crème chantilly which is pronounced “krehm shahn-tee-yee”. Pretty nifty, huh? I learned that from taking this super awesome french pastry shop classics class.
The process of making homemade whipped cream isn’t hard, but it does take a little bit of skill. First things first, place your bowl and your whisk in the freezer 10 minutes before you want to start making the whipped cream. Chilling your tools helps the cream to whip up faster. You can either use a stand mixer, a hand mixer, or just a whisk. I usually go with the whisk, but if you’re in a hurry or are worried about tiring out your arms, be sure to chill your beaters or stand mixer whisk.
After your tools are chilled, pour 1 cup of heavy cream (I like to use organic) into the bowl and start whisking (or mixing). Whisk until the the cream is the consistency of Greek yogurt. Now you’ll add your sugar (or sweetener of choice) and vanilla extract. Whisk/mix again until soft peaks form and you can see the lines of whisk in your whipped cream. And that’s it! Simple, right?
Here’s the recipe:
- 1 cup (8 oz) heavy cream (preferably organic)
- 2½ tablespoons unbleached pure cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Place your bowl and your whisk in the freezer 10 minutes before you want to start making the whipped cream.
- Whip the cream with a mixer or by hand until it is the consistency of thick yogurt.
- Add the sugar and vanilla, and continue to whip until the cream is smooth and soft peaks have formed. Do not overbeat. The cream will appear grainy and cracked if overbeaten.
This homemade whipped cream is absolutely fabulous on these German pancakes!
Have you ever made homemade whipped cream? Why did you stop buying it from the store?
I just made some whipped cream, like yesterday!! This looks divine! I will have to try it with this sugar. I used a powdered form of coconut palm sugar. Thank you for sharing.