Holiday Peppermint Ice Cream

I am never going back to store bought ice cream after being spoiled with this machine. Never again. Particularly after indulging in this peppermint recipe. There may truly be nothing better than this in the world! Rich and creamy, with a strong peppermint taste and little flecks of peppermint chips/candy canes in every bite-it just can't be beat. This is one of those ice cream blends that typically only comes out around the holiday season, but it's comforting to know that as long as I can get my hands on some sort of peppermint chips/candy canes, I can have it any time of year that I want. The sharp peppermint flavor really tingles on the tongue and is soothed by the creaminess of the blend itself. Highly recommended for everyone to try!

Notes: We added in a little bit of a Torani peppermint syrup since we had it on hand and didn't want to use up the last of our peppermint extract. The original recipe doesn't even call for any kind of syrup or extract, but I think it added a lot. We also used a combination of crushed candy canes and Andes peppermint chips, like I used in my Candy Cane Cookies. The book also recommends adding red food coloring, which we don't have, but would have been neat.

Holiday Peppermint Ice Cream (adapted from 101 Gourmet Ice Creams; serves 6)
2 egg yolks
3/4 sugar, separated
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup 2% milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp Torani peppermint syrup
1 cup Andes peppermint chips
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes

Whisk together egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until eggs are light yellow in color and fluffy. Whisk in the rest of the sugar. Add the cream, milk, vanilla extract, and peppermint syrup, whisking together until completely combined. Chill in your fridge.

When ready, pour into ice cream maker and after 25-30 minutes, add peppermint chips and candies. After another 5 minutes of letting those combine, turn off ice cream maker and enjoy!