Make Ahead

Peppermint Stick Ice Cream

January  8, 2010
4.7
3 Ratings
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

Really more of a concept than a recipe, this never fails to please in my house. This mint-infused ice cream makes a refreshing accompaniment to a dense chocolate cake, and it's also fantastic sandwiched between two homemade chocolate chip cookies. If you're a purist who thinks that chocolate and mint should never co-mingle, you can rest assured this ice cream is great all by itself. —Merrill Stubbs

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Ingredients
  • 1 quart homemade or good store-bought vanilla ice cream
  • 1/2 cup crushed candy canes or starlight mints (I like to smash them up in a heavy duty plastic bag with a rolling pin but you can also use a food processor)
  • Pure peppermint extract
Directions
  1. Soften the ice cream at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Scoop it into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the ice cream on low speed for about 30 seconds, until it starts to become smooth. (If you don't have a standing mixer, you can use a bowl and a wooden spoon -- just be ready for a bit of a workout!)
  2. Add the crushed candy canes and 1 teaspoon peppermint extract to the bowl and continue to beat on low speed just until these are combined with the ice cream. Taste and beat in more peppermint extract if the peppermint flavor is too faint. Quickly transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and return to the freezer for a couple of hours before serving so it can re-harden.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

3 Reviews

KPSonoma January 31, 2024
Now that was both easy and delicious! Thanks Food52! Definitely rates a remake. Made it in early January after all the candy canes sold out so needed to go to a “real” candy store to buy peppermint sticks. Wood meat tenderizer was better to crush candy than metal as wood broke the candy while the metal one pulverized it. This step is kind of satisfying! Used about a half “quart” of vanilla Häagen-Dazs we had around and adjusted the ingredients approximately—it’s a forgiving recipe. Used the HD container to refreeze the ice cream. Delicious plain. A tad better with warm Fran’s dark chocolate sauce. Next time will make Fannie Farmer’s hot fudge to go with, tho it might be too sweet-Fran’s is more adult.
gsindy December 30, 2022
Peppermint Ice Cream is a seasonal family favorite. This recipe makes a much more flavorful version than the seasonal variety available in the grocery stores. Start with a quality vanilla ice cream. Easy to do and It won't disappoint.
jebida December 21, 2011
In Sweden they call this polkaglass! They eat this 'polka' (candy canes) all year long and nation-wide, this is definately a favourite ice cream flavour! Delicious!