Oddly enough, ice is the culprit for having too hard or icy ice cream. And the larger the ice crystals, the icier the dessert. Smaller ice crystals mean a less icy and creamier frozen treat. Using full fat heavy whipping cream which has less moisture than other milks or creams helps reduce the amount of water and therefore ice in the mixture. The faster the cream mixture is whipped, the more air that’s whipped into it, which will help it from freezing as hard. Also, the faster the ice cream mix freezes, the creamier it will be because the ice crystals are at their smallest right after churning.   If the ice cream is not frozen fast enough, larger ice crystals can develop, causing the ice cream to become too hard. Stirring every hour or so while ice cream is freezing will also help by breaking up the ice crystals. Watch how you handle the ice cream too. If you let it sit on the counter for too long while you’re serving it, then you put it back in the freezer it has a chance to melt and reform larger ice crystals when it’s refrozen.   Large ice crystals can form over time in the freezer as well. Remember, the ice crystals are at their smallest right after churning. So fresh ice cream is always creamier.