Homemade Whipped Cream

• Heavy cream, 1 cup
• Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons
• Confectioners' sugar, 2 teaspoons

Take a chilled glass bowl, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract in, and whisk both the liquids properly. You can also use an electric mixer if you like. Keep the electric mixer on low speed and once you find that the consistency is getting thicker, lift the beater and check for a "lazy curve" shape formed on it.

With a normal whisk, mix the liquids till you find the same kind of shape. Now it's time to sift the confectioners' sugar in. Keep beating the cream till everything turns into a soft paste. Refrain yourself from over-beating the cream or else it will become curdled. Chill in the refrigerator in a covered bowl before using it.

• Make rum or bourbon mixture by combining 1½ tablespoons rum/bourbon and regular whipped cream to it.
• Try adding ½ teaspoon fresh mint extract and 1 tablespoon mint paste with the cream. You can use mint flavored whip cream with holiday desserts.

• Ever tried making chai flavored whip cream? Add ½ teaspoon chai extract to your basic recipe, and use it with pumpkin and apple pies. Garnish the pies with some cinnamon sprinkles.

• Ice water, ½ cup
• Nonfat dry milk, ½ cup
• Boiling water, 3 tablespoons
• Sugar, 3 tablespoons
• Oil, 3 tablespoons
• Cold water, 2 teaspoons
• Gelatin, 1 teaspoon

Take a bowl, add the gelatin along with cold water in the bowl. Incorporate the 3 tablespoons boiling water to soften the gelatin. Keep stirring the gelatin till it dissolves properly. Set the bowl aside and let the mixture cool. Now in a chilled glass bowl, pour nonfat dry milk and ice water in.

Take a whisk and beat both the ingredients till you get a thick consistency. Keep beating and add sugar, then oil, and softened gelatin. Keep the bowl in freezer for at least 20 minutes before you transfer it in the refrigerator.

• Milk, 1 cup
• White sugar, 1 cup
• Butter, ½ cup
• Shortening, ½ cup
• All-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons

Take a pan, add flour with milk and heat the mixture till everything is incorporated into a thick paste. Whisk in the sugar, butter, and shortening in a different bowl to get a smooth paste. Turn the heat off and set the pan aside to let it cool. Once the mixture is cool, add it to the sugar paste. Beat everything together till you get the perfect whip consistency. Prepare it couple of hours before you actually have to use it.

• To make a chocolate cream frosting, add 1½ tablespoons cocoa powder and 1½ tablespoons white sugar together with the flour frosting mix mentioned above.
• For more fruity flavors, you can integrate ½ cup of sweetened raspberry/strawberry puree to the basic frosting recipe.

Basically you can add any kind of flavoring to the original recipe and make whipped cream dessert. Other flavors that incorporate well with whip cream besides the ones mentioned in the story are vanilla, lemon, and hazelnut.

Make sure you don't over beat the cream as I had suggested earlier, because that mistake will turn your cream into butter. Don't think too much and just try to have fun with the entire cooking experience. Enjoy!