Stir up a frosty batch of homemade peppermint ice cream with mashed candy canes. This peppermint ice cream recipe may be cold, but it will warm your heart.
I love peppermint ice cream! Too bad the grocery stores here only stock during the holiday season.
This week I decided to make my own and got some great advice on how to do it from the king of desserts himself, David Lebovitz. David is the author of an amazing book on ice cream so he should know!
What makes this peppermint ice cream so special
As with French vanilla ice cream, this method requires cooking a custard to add to the cream. It’s a little more work, but the egg yolks make the homemade ice cream wonderfully creamy. Otherwise, homemade ice cream can be a bit icy without all of the emulsifiers typically found in store-bought versions.
When I go to the trouble of making something from scratch, I want it to taste better than what I can buy in a store. And it does.
Other add-ins for peppermint ice cream
- Add pieces of dark or white chocolate
- Add chocolate sprinkles
- Throw in some crushed red cinnamon buns
- Top with hot fudge sauce
How to store peppermint ice cream
Store your homemade ice cream tightly covered in the freezer for up to a week. Homemade ice cream doesn’t last as long as commercial ice cream; after 7 days it will be icy. To minimize ice build-up, cover with plastic wrap or wax paper before sealing to prevent ice crystals from forming on top. Keep it in the back of the freezer to avoid temperature fluctuations.
To serve, allow the hardened ice cream to soften for 5 or 10 minutes before scooping.
More cute ice cream treats!
- Mexican chocolate ice cream
- Coffee Heath Bar Ice Cream
- Classic ice cream sandwiches
- Butter Pecan Ice Cream
- Strawberry ice cream
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Peppermint icecream
ingredients
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2 1/2 cups heavy cream
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1 1/2 cups whole milk
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8th big egg yolk
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3/4 Cup sugar
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1/4 teaspoon Salt
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2 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
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1/2 cup (100G) crushed candy canes or hard mints
method
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Heat milk, sugar and salt:
In a medium saucepan, heat milk, sugar and salt. Make sure the sugar and salt dissolve completely.
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Prepare an ice bath:
Pour the heavy cream into a metal bowl placed in a larger bowl of ice and set a medium strainer on top.
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Tempering the yolk:
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the yolks, stirring constantly, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.
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Heat pudding until thick:
Stir the mixture constantly over medium-high heat with a wooden spoon or heat-safe rubber spatula. Scrape the bottom while stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes.
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Strain and cool over the ice bath:
Pour the pudding through the sieve and stir into the cream. Then let it cool over the ice bath. Thoroughly chill the mixture in the refrigerator.
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Add peppermint extract:
When the mixture is thoroughly chilled, add the peppermint extract, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, tasting the mixture after each addition until you reach your desired level of peppermintness.
Different peppermint extracts vary in strength. I used 2 teaspoons of McCormick peppermint extract, which was just the right amount for our taste.
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Processing in an ice cream machine:
Once cool, process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.
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Fold in crushed peppermints:
Once formed in the ice cream maker, the ice cream will be quite soft. Fold in the crushed mints. Place in an airtight plastic container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours.
If it’s been frozen for more than a day, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften before serving.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 323 | calories |
| 22g | Fat |
| 24g | carbohydrates |
| 7g | protein |
