Candy Cane Ice Cream - 235

The holidays are coming to an end and you’re probably wondering to yourself “what do I do with all these left over candy canes?” Well, wonder no more. Let me introduce to you Chocolate Fudge Brownie Candy Cane Ice Cream Sandwiches.

My love of homemade ice cream has been well documented here on WindsorEats. So, when presented with the dilemma of having an extra box of candy canes left over from the holidays, well, ice cream was the clear choice.

Of course, we have to take it up a notch and sandwich it between two chocolate fudge brownie squares and then cover it in crushed candy canes. That’s how we roll.

The base for the ice cream is a traditional Philadelphia style and one that I use for most of my ice creams. It’s easy to make and delicious.

The brownie recipe we use is adapted from Averie Cooks. Depending on how they are cut, it makes about 6-8 sandwiches. Any leftover sandwiches can be tightly wrapped in foil or plastic wrap and stored in the freezer.

If you have a favourite brownie recipe, you can certainly use it here. The sandwich works best when the brownie has a firmer texture instead of a sticky brownie. Although, let’s be honest, having a fudgy, sticky, gooey brownie isn’t going to make this taste any less delicious.

Who could resist?
Who could resist?

Candy Cane Ice Cream

  • 24 candy canes
  • 2 cups heavy cream, 35%
  • 1 cup whole milk, 3%
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons of peppermint extract
Crushed candy canes.
Crushed candy canes.

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, crush the candy canes. While you still want a bit of a crunch in the ice cream, you don’t want to have large pieces. I grind the canes until they kind of resemble sand pebbles.
  2. Pour 1 cup of the cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.
  3. Remove from heat and add the remaining cream and milk.
  4. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, for at least eight hours or preferably overnight.
  5. Once the cream has thoroughly chilled, stir in the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of peppermint extract.
  6. Insert the ice cream canister (which has been in the freezer for at least 18 hours) into the ice cream machine and process according to manufacturer’s directions.
  7. Near the end of the process when the ice cream is starting to look like soft serve, add ¼ cup of the crushed candy canes and let churn for another minute. Reserve the remaining crushed candy canes to roll the sandwiches in.
  8. Transfer the ice cream to a shallow container. To help prevent ice crystals from forming, cover the surface with a layer of plastic wrap before closing the container.
  9. Once the brownies have completely cooled (warm brownies=melting ice cream), slice the brownie in half, horizontally. Leave one half in the pan and carefully remove the other half and set aside.
  10. Spread the ice cream over the brownie in the pan. The ice cream should be soft to make spreading across the brownies easier. Place the other half of the brownie on top of the ice cream.
  11. Wrap the sandwich with tin foil and place in the freezer for up 2-3 hours. Once the sandwich has firmed up, remove from the freezer. Lift the brownie out of the pan, remove from tin foil and place on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife cut the sandwiches into the desired sizes.
  12. Roll the edges in crushed candy canes. Serve immediately.