Homemade Candy Cane Ice Cream... Without An Ice Cream Maker
I've been making ice cream without an ice cream maker for a few years now. It's not something I do regularly, but there are so many delicious homemade ice cream recipes out there that I don't want to miss out on trying them. On the other hand, I only try a recipe once a year or so, so I don't want to invest in an ice cream maker.
The thing about ice cream is that it needs to be churned at some point during freezing, otherwise you get ice crystals in the finished product that are hard and crunchy. You can prevent ice crystals from forming without an ice cream maker with this method below. The end result is creamy ice cream without the ice crystals.
In this tutorial I am using my new Stack and Snap™ 10 Cup Food Processor. I just wanted to mention that Hamilton Beach did provide this food processor for me to try; however, I am not being compensated for this post, and my opinions of the food processor are my own honest opinions. I created this candy cane recipe with this food processor in mind.
Candy Cane Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup of milk*
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 3-4 candy canes
- optional: red food coloring
Method:
Add 1 and 3/4 cup whipping cream and milk to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts, and remove from heat.
Meanwhile, mix eggs and sugar in a bowl until combined. When cream/milk mixture is cooled (about 30 minutes), add in egg/sugar mixture. Keep on a simmer, but do not boil as this will overcook the eggs. Allow mixture to reach a temperature of 175' F, or until the back of a spoon dipped in the mixture comes out with a thick coating (not drippy). Stir frequently until ready.
Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Add a few small drops of red food coloring if you would like your ice cream to have a pink tint; otherwise the ice cream will naturally have a yellow tint - this is entirely up to what you prefer.
Pour cooled ice cream batter into ice cube tray - I used two. Freeze for 4 hours.
Remove ice cream cubes from freezer and place into food processor. You may need a spoon or butter knife to remove the cubes from the tray, because they might be softer that regular ice cubes.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream, plus 2 crushed candy canes to the cubes, and pulse in the food processor until completely smooth. Top with an additional crushed candy cane, and pour into a large, air-tight container. You may want to top with one more crushed candy cane for a pretty presentation.
Place in freezer overnight for best results. Serve with a peppermint stick if you like.
Tip: crush candy canes by removing from their wrapper, placing them in a sealed ziplock bag, and crushing them gently with a blunt object.
My Hamilton Beach Stack and Snap™ 10 Cup Food Processor Review
I was absolutely delighted to receive this food processor to review. I've been using a broken food processor for almost 3 years now. I broke a hole in the side of it and had to cover the hole with my hand every time, lest I want food flying around the kitchen.
This 10 cup food processor is bigger than I am used to. It feels a lot more heavy-duty than my previous food processor. I only used the chopping blade so far, and haven't tried the grating/slicing option yet.
This food processor is more like my blender in that it has separate buttons for slicing/shredding, puree/mixing, and the pulse option.
I like that the lid is snap on. The twist-type lid can stick sometimes, and that's actually the reason my previous food processor broke. I like that I don't have to worry about that again.
The only thing I'm not sure about so far is Big Mouth feed tube on top of the processor. When I was processing my ice cream, I could see it lifting up into the air a bit, and I felt like I had to hold it down while I was processing. This could be totally normal for food processors for all I know, but I never experienced that with my food processor.
All-in-all, I love my new food processor from Hamilton Beach, and I'm excited to start making homemade hummus again, and to try the Fresh and Spicy Salsa recipe on their website.
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