Peppermint Ice Cream

I don’t really like peppermint. I know that’s hard to believe since in the past week I’ve posted peppermint cookies and peppermint bark, but I’m just not a huge fan. In 5th grade, my mom made these little car treats for my class Christmas party and the wheels were either green peppermints or the red ones that I hate so much. When I handed them out to my classmates, I made sure the kids I disliked got the red ones.

But for some reason, I’m really into the peppermint thing right now. I’m still not a fan of straight peppermints but mixed with white chocolate like those 2 recipes I linked to above or with sweet cream like this recipe, I find peppermint to be pretty delicious.

Peppermint Ice Cream

from Simply Recipes

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

8 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

1/2 cup crushed candy canes or hard peppermint candy

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Make sure the sugar and salt completely dissolve.

Pour the cream into a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and set a medium-mesh sieve on top.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden or heatproof rubber spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, about 5-7 minutes.

Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Then stir until cool over the ice bath. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.

One the mixture is thoroughly chilled, add peppermint extract, a 1/4 teaspoon at a time, tasting the mixture after each addition, until you reach the desired level of peppermintiness. (Different peppermint extracts vary in strength. I used 2 teaspoons of McCormick peppermint extract, which was just the right amount for our taste.)

Once chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Once the ice cream has been formed in the ice cream maker, it will be fairly soft. Fold in the crushed peppermint candy. Put in an airtight plastic container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours. If it has been frozen for more than a day, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften it before serving.

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