Ingredients
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk
3/4 c. (150 g.) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
6 large egg yolks
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1 drop (or more) red food coloring (optional)
1/4 c. (40 g.) crushed peppermints (from about 8 mini candy canes), plus more for sprinkling
Preparation
Step 1In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook cream, milk, granulated sugar, and salt, stirring often, just until it starts to simmer at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.Step 2In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. While whisking, ladle in about 1 cup hot milk. Pour egg mixture into saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 4 minutes.Step 3Pour egg mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Stir in peppermint extract. Add a small drop of food coloring, if using, and whisk until combined, adding more if needed. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 12.Step 4Churn custard in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Once ice cream is thick, add peppermints while machine is running. Either serve immediately or, for a harder texture, scrape ice cream into a loaf pan or baking pan. Sprinkle with more peppermints, tightly cover, and freeze at least 4 hours or up to 1 week.
Peppermint ice cream can be hard to find, especially if it’s not the holiday season. If you love the stuff, it’s time to get out your ice cream maker. The ingredients and steps are simple—it’s just the chilling and freezing that take some time. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to whip up this candy cane-flavored treat. Whether you like your peppermint ice cream pink or white is entirely up to you. Just be sure to start very slowly with the red food coloring. Begin with a tiny dot, mix it in, and see how the color is. It’s easy to add more but not possible to dial it back if you go too far. The desired color is a pale pink rather than Pepto Bismol. Candy canes can be crushed in a mini food processor or by hand with a knife. But if you want to make this all even easier, you can order a bag of pre-crushed peppermint candies online. The ice cream can last in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
