Candy Cane Ice Cream – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Creamy candy cane ice cream sprinkled throughout with candy cane pieces is perfect with a brownie or topped with chocolate.

Candy Cane Ice Cream

Peppermint bark just might be the most genius holiday treat ever created. Candy canes and chocolate go together so perfectly. So it only makes sense to add chopped-up peppermint bark or swirl some chocolate sauce into the candy cane ice cream.

I am a bit of an extract and flavor purest. I read the labels VERY closely to make sure they are pure extract for whatever flavor I am looking for. That’s a lesson I learned the hard way after a peppermint extract debacle a few years ago.

Once upon a time, I accidentally bought a Pure “Mint” Extract a while back and it was a blend of spearmint and peppermint. Lovely fragrance, but unfortunately, it left my chocolate bark tasting like a pack of chewing gum.

Peppermint Ice Cream

Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream is some of the creamiest ice cream I have ever made and for the record, it is worlds away from the mint-flavored ice creams you can find in a store.

This candy cane ice cream is based on that recipe. The addition of extra candy cane pieces and peppermint bark makes this a really fun holiday treat.

Learn from my mistake and be careful to use PURE Peppermint Extract, read the ingredients and make sure there is only peppermint in the extract.

Now that we are clear on that front, in addition to using peppermint extract, I wanted this ice cream to REALLY taste like candy canes. To do that I use my blender or food processor to blend candy canes and milk together.

Yes, you can just crush the candies up and mix them in. However, doing this turns the candy canes into a fine powder that then dissolves into the ice cream mixture and delivers smooth, creamy ice cream as a result. If you don’t have candy canes, Starlight mints work nicely.

Homemade Ice Cream Must Haves

With over 70 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! If you’re new to making ice cream, the best and easiest vanilla ice cream is a great place to start.

These are my favorite inexpensive containers for storing ice cream. They’re perfect for gifting (who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?) storage, re-using, etc. I write the flavors on the lids with a sharpie and it washes off with dish soap.

I have more ice cream scoops than I can keep track of at this point and I definitely play favorites. This ice cream scoop does the best job ever of cutting through firm ice cream and still delivers a pretty scoop. It gets bonus points for being one of the least expensive scoops I own as well.

Don’t miss our Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information you need to find the BEST Ice Cream Maker for your needs! Spoiler alert – our top-rated machine under $50 just might surprise you. It sure surprised me!

Peppermint Bark Ice Cream

Ingredients

• candy canes about 30 miniature candy canes or Starlight candies, or alternatively 6 full size candy canes
• milk
• heavy cream
• sugar
• vanilla extract
• peppermint extract
• kosher salt

Optional

• ¼ cup additional crushed candy canes
• 1 cup peppermint bark roughly chopped
• ⅓ cup COLD chocolate sauce, homemade or store-bought

Candy Cane Ice Cream Recipe

1. Place the candy and milk in a food processor or blender and pulse until the candy is broken down and mostly dissolved into the milk.
2. Whisk together the cream, sugar, vanilla, peppermint extract, and salt. Pour into your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
3. Transfer a third of the churned ice cream to an airtight freezer container. Sprinkle with candy cane pieces and drizzle with chocolate sauce, if desired. Sprinkle with chopped peppermint bark. Repeat the layers two more times.
4. Serve immediately for soft serve ice cream or freeze until firm.

As evidenced by the different variations of peppermint ice cream, we love peppermint in many different combinations. Peppermint mocha ice cream is another great way to enjoy your favorite Christmas flavors in a cold and creamy bowl of ice cream.

Candy cane cakes and fudges are on the list of all things peppermint as well. Creamy dark chocolate peppermint fudge is topped with crushed candy canes for a wonderful Christmas treat.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cake is an intense chocolate cake with a hint of peppermint flavor in each bite. Drizzled with a light peppermint glaze and sprinkled with crushed candy canes, I love how festive this chocolate candy cane bundt cake looks with barely any effort.