Recipe: Perfectly Sweet Vanilla Whipped Cream

My little helper has helped me discover a perfect whipped cream recipe. And even better than discovering the recipe? I wrote it down! Amazing concept, isn't it? I had been working with a Martha recipe for a while that wasn't sweet enough for my liking, so I changed it every time I made it. The thing was, I had to keep re-inventing it because I kept forgetting to write it down. So now that I practically have it etched into stone so I don't forget it again, I want to pass it on to you.

The recipe makes a pretty good amount. (I just wrote it down for the first time. Please don't expect that I've also measured how much it produces.) I do know that half of the recipe is plenty to cover a pie. So if you don't want to have extra because you think you just might eat all the leftovers with a spoon right after promising yourself you'll save the extra, I'd recommend going with the half recipe.

Here's the full recipe:

1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Pour all the ingredients into a bowl and mix just until stiff peaks form. This can be done by hand with a whisk or using a mixer on medium-high. If you use a stand mixer, though, don't walk away. It can reach a ready point pretty fast and ruin the batch if the mixer isn't turned off right away. (Yes, I tell you this from experience. If this does happen, add more cream one tablespoon at a time and mix until it gets back to the right consistency.) Feel free to add more or less vanilla and powdered sugar to your liking. A lot of vanilla can be really good on some desserts. I've done it with French silk pie and hot chocolate. Mmmm.

It's a simple recipe, but whipped cream is kind of a dessert staple, so it's nice to have a good recipe on hand. And it's always memorable to tell people it's homemade.

Enjoy!