I don’t like candy canes. But I will be buying them this Christmas season. Lots of them. Why, you ask? Because I want to stock up so I can make this awesome homemade ice cream during the summer months when there is not a candy cane to be found in any store. Seriously, it is soooo good! It has a pretty pink color and just the right amount of mint flavor. It looks really pretty with crushed candy canes on top, don’t you think?
The texture of this ice cream is amazing. It is smooth and creamy and scoops up perfectly. The ice cream in the photo had been in the freezer all night long and I just took it out and scooped it directly into my dish. No defrosting, no thawing on the counter, no waiting. Perfect! I will definitely be using it as a base for other flavors of ice cream. (I love to experiment with ice cream flavors. I have made peanut butter, key lime pie, blueberry cheesecake crunch, and rocky road, to name a few.) Have I mentioned that I love homemade ice cream? Anyway, you should really try this ice cream while candy canes are in season. Then you will have to stock up on candy canes just like me. 🙂
Peppermint Ice Cream
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups cream
2 tsp vanilla
1/2- 1 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup of crushed peppermint candies, divided
Whisk milk, yolks, sugar, and salt in a saucepan till smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture just starts to come to a boil. Remove from heat and chill. (I place the pan in an ice bath to speed the process.) Add cream, vanilla, extract, and 3/4 cup of the crushed candies. Chill for several hours or overnight. Freeze in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s instructions. Place in freezer for about 2-3 hours to “ripen”. Serve with remaining crushed candies sprinkled on top of the ice cream. Yum!!!
-Makes about a quart of ice cream.
-If you want your ice cream to have chunks of candy in it, you can add them during the last minute or two of the churning process. I like mine totally melted, so I let my ice cream mixture sit overnight in the refrigerator so they would all dissolve. (I could have just crushed them to a fine powder in my food processor, but I didn’t think of that till it was too late.)
-I used only 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract and thought it was perfect, but you can add more if you like it really minty.
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