Peppermint Ice Cream
This festive Peppermint Ice cream is packed with crushed candy canes and is perfect for the Holidays. The sweet vanilla and peppermint flavor is amazing.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup finely crushed candy canes
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Chill the ice cream bowl for at least 24 hours or until solid. You should not hear any water sloshing around when you shake the bowl.
- In a large bowl, combine whole milk, granulated sugar and ½ cup of the crushed candy canes. Whisk for 2-3 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved into the milk and some of the candy canes have dissolved to turn the milk pink.
- Then, add the heavy cream, salt, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions (mine took about 25 minutes), until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
- In the last two minutes of the churn, add the remaining ¼ cup of candy canes.
- Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan.
- Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Your ice cream base and ice cream bowl both need to be very cold in order for it to churn. If your base is not cold, place it in the refrigerator for an hour or so until it is chilled. Your ice cream bowl should be frozen solid and you should not hear any water sloshing around when you shake it.
- It is important that the granulated sugar dissolves into the milk. This creates a smoother consistency in your final ice cream.
- I like to crush my candy canes by placing them in a ziplock bag and pounding them with a rolling pin. I like some bits to be about the size of peas at most and others to be very fine and powder-like. The powdered candy canes will mix into the milk creating a pink peppermint milk. The larger pieces will be crunchy bits in the ice cream.
- Do not use wintergreen or mint flavored extract. Be sure it is peppermint. You’ll get a toothpaste-like flavor if you use something other than peppermint extract. Use the peppermint extract sparingly. I don’t recommend going over the 1 teaspoon written in the recipe as the ice cream flavor will be overpowering.
- To make this recipe all-natural, choose dye free candy canes.