There’s no reason to settle for a tub of Cool Whip or a sputtering can of Reddi-wip this holiday season. Not when homemade whipped cream takes only 5 minutes to prepare! While one person’s slicing the pie, another can be whipping up a batch of the freshest, most luxurious whipped cream you’ve ever tasted. And if you have a pair of old-fashioned egg beaters, you can do it right at the table, no noise and no mess!
The primary ingredient in real whipped cream is, of course, cream. Whipping cream should be available in half-pint cartons from your grocery store, or perhaps you’re lucky enough to have cream from your own cows, or a farmer friend who will spot you some. In any case, you’re going to have to figure out how much whipped cream you’ll need. (Leftovers won’t stay fluffy, in the fridge or anywhere else!) Cream basically doubles in volume when whipped. Depending on portion sizes, a half pint carton should give you 5-8 servings once whipped.
Keep your cream cold until time to whip. Some folks recommend chilling your mixing bowl and beaters as well, but I’ve never thought far enough ahead to do that, and I haven’t had any issues.
Choose a small bowl rather than a large one. The deeper the cream, the more you’ll be able to whip with each turn of the egg beaters. But don’t fill your bowl more than a third full–remember the volume of the cream is going to double when whipped.
For every half pint of cream, add about 3 T. confectioner’s sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla.
Now get those egg beaters going! (You can also use electric beaters if you wish. They’re just noisier and messier.) Whip the cream until it’s the desired consistency. I usually stop once I get “stiff peaks.” Meaning, when I lift the beaters out of the cream, little mountain peaks form, and the tips stand straight up instead of falling over. When I’m doing a small batch, just for my husband and me, this only takes 3 minutes. For larger batches, it will take a bit longer.
Dollop on your favorite holiday pie, and see if you don’t swoon when you taste it!
gettin' fresh! 
yes. yes. yes. we LOVE real whipped cream. my 14 yr. old was dairy free until just this year. Whipped cream was the one thing we didn’t ask her to give up (since it was something we had only on special occasions). She learned how to whip it herself. I’d find her after school, whipping up the extra for a “snack!” We just had our first “holiday” pie and whipped cream this week. It looked very much like yours above. 🙂
Yay for 14-year-olds who know how to whip their own cream! It’s those little bits of knowledge and pleasure that I’m so happy to see surviving in this age of packaged, preservative-laden everything!