Candy Cane Ice Cream

It’s been crazy cold here — 0 degrees Fahrenheit or about -18 degrees Celsius. Despite the freezing temperatures, I decided it would be great to make ice cream with my preschoolers. I must say that I am sooo glad I did because it was AMAZING!! Cold temperatures certainly can’t take away from something that is absolutely delicious.

 Since Christmas is coming soon, I thought it would be so much fun to make it with candy canes. First, we crushed them up in a Ziploc freezer safe bag. This was one of the most exciting parts! Each child loved banging them up into tiny little pieces. I thought I might have to crush them some more in a food processor, but they did such a great job that there was no need.

Next we poured all of the ingredients into my Cuisinart Ice Cream maker. I love this thing!! We have had it for almost 10 years, and it has been great. It makes the ice cream making process a piece of cake. We just mix the ingredients and watch them turn into creamy delight.

There is our candy cane ice cream perfection! This was one of those ideas I did on a whim because I needed to use up our whipping cream. Wow, I am thanking myself for this each bite…and there will be many more to come! It filled the kitchen with the smell of peppermint, which was quite wonderful! Here’s my daughter, Sugar and Spice, sniffing it. My son, Lil’ Red, is in the background swiping some ice cream from the paddle. He knows the best time to do things without permission is when I am photographing, haha.

To make your own Candy Cane ice cream, here is the recipe. I used a recipe from my Cuisinart recipe book called “Peppermint Stick Ice Cream” and altered it slightly.

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

6 crushed candy canes

Crush the candy canes with enthusiasm! Mix the milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Each child who was interested stirred for a few minutes each with a whisk. Stir in all the ingredients except the crushed candy canes. Pour the mixture into the machine for 25-30 minutes. Add the crushed candy cane during the last five minutes. Next time I’ll be adding some chocolate too!

I hope you love this amazing treat, even if it seems unsuitable for a cold day. It will be worth it!

If you do not have an ice cream maker, I went ahead and found a great recipe from the Pioneer Woman for Peppermint Ice Cream. You can easily substitute candy canes for peppermints.

Enjoy!

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Katie T. Christiansen

Creator at Preschool Inspirations

Katie has spent 17 combined years in the Early Childhood field as a teacher, preschool owner, and educational writer. She has worked in profit and non-profit programs, high-risk schools, and started an in-home preschool and outdoor collaborative preschool program. She adores being a mom to three children, and her youngest is currently in preschool.

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