This treat is a beloved holiday fixture in our house. In fact, if you ask my husband about my peppermint ice cream, he may even get a little misty, waxing poetic about its smooth, creamy texture and cool, fresh flavor. He says it’s the best dessert that I make…and he has quite a lot to choose from. What he doesn’t know, is that it’s also the easiest dessert I make–it literally takes me five minutes to whip this up, plus the time it takes to freeze.
You probably have the bowl of an ice cream churner sitting in your freezer (taking up valuable real estate) that you don’t use very often. Or ever. Am I right ladies…and gents? That’s because making ice cream is a huge pain in the derriere. One of the things I hate most about making ice cream, is that it’s a multi-step process requiring egg separating, custard making, cooling over ice etc. etc. etc. This recipe has none of that. It is literally iced cream, sweetened with sugar.
This ice cream is unbelievably silky and brightened with peppermint extract and crushed candy canes. I wouldn’t be surprised if you found your self saying it’s your favorite holiday dessert too. AND you actually found a use for that ice cream churner! Win, win!
When I was a girl, one of my favorite Christmas sweets was pink peppermint ice cream. This ice cream is truly easy to prepare because it's not custard based. If you can't find super-fine sugar, just whiz regular sugar around in a blender or food processor for a few seconds to create a finer texture so it will dissolve more easily in the cream mixture.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 2 cup cold half and half
- 1 cup super-fine sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 4-5 drops red food coloring, if desired
- 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy, about 4 candy canes
Instructions
- Whisk cream, half and half, sugar, peppermint extract, food coloring and peppermint candy together in a large bowl until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Pour into the frozen bowl of an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. It usually takes about 20 minutes. Ice cream will be soft set.
- Pour into a large freezer proof container (I like to use a metal loaf pan), cover with plastic wrap and freeze until solid, about 2-3 hours.
Mmmm…Peppermint Ice Cream! Thanks for sharing, Ali…beautiful photography, too! Love the pink depression glass dessert cups. I think I will try it with coconut milk! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! xoxo
That’s a great idea, Stacy! Let me know how it turns out.