Vanilla Raspberry Ice Cream

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Thanks to those who entered!

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And now onto today's recipe! This turned out good. SO good. I have an ice cream maker that does the mixing, but it has taken me quite a few tries to perfect it. This time though I think I've got it down. I had a hard time coming up with a title for this because you can vary the ingredients. It should be "any-kind-of-berry cheesecake or vanilla ice cream", depending what you decide to use. I know you have get-togethers coming up for the 4th of July holiday and this ice cream would be a great addition.

*Tips*  For the berries, putting them in just cut will leave you with rocks in your ice cream. I have learned you need to cook them down and mash them a bit with the back of a spoon or potato masher.
For the graham cracker crumbs, you can buy them finely crushed or do your own. For me, I like bigger pieces of the graham cracker throughout, so I crush my own lightly. It takes about a sleeve and a half to get the right amount.

What You Need:

BERRY MIXTURE:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (or your favorite...this time I used a frozen mix of raspberries, strawberries & blackberries)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

GRAHAM CRACKER MIXTURE:
2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

ICE CREAM:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant cheesecake or vanilla pudding mix
1 quart heavy whipping cream
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons lemon extract

Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in water until smooth. Stir in berries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Stir in butter. Place loosely into a  baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, whisk the ice cream ingredients. Stir in cooled berry mixture. At this point you would follow your manufacturer directions for your ice cream maker. If you are not using an ice cream maker, use a freezer friendly container and freeze at least overnight. For mine, the ice cream berry mixture goes into the bowl and mixes for about 15-20 minutes. Add the cooled graham cracker mixture the last 1-2 minutes until mixed. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions and serve when ready! Enjoy!