Perfect Holiday Ice Cream - Whole Food's Peppermint

One thing I love is Peppermint ice cream so I was very excited when we were asked to check out the new Peppermint ice cream by Whole Food's 365 line of products. This actually arrived awhile back when I got the Pumpkin ice cream so its been burning a hole in my freezer anxiously awaiting the holiday season. So finally after an exhausting night of wrapping I sat down to have some me time and excitedly remembered that this was waiting for me to break open. So I did of course. 


Peppermint ice cream is one of those flavors that is not consistent in ingredients. Sometimes its straight up peppermint with no mix-ins, sometimes you get the light pink with the small red candies, sometimes its vanilla with chocolate covered peppermints so I was very curious to see what this one was all about. Interestingly I searched the container and there is no description (other than the list of ingredients) as to what is inside. Could have been an issue was I trying to make a decision to buy but I already had it in my freezer so no biggie but sort of odd not to tell you what you are getting. 


Anyways, as I opened it the ice cream is a gorgeous pink color. Not too light and not too bright and mixed throughout is Peppermint Bark and Peppermint candy. Again I got this from the ingredients soI am not exactly sure but there are lots of chunks of minty chocolate amongst a wonderful peppermint flavored ice cream. One thing I find better about this flavor over the pumpkin is the texture. This one definitely is smoother and creamier. 


Oh and I just want to mention as I did with the Pumpkin flavor that this ice cream 
has no gluten products, is vegetarian and is made from milk from cows not treated with rBGH.

All in all I have to say this would be a great addition to a holiday dessert tray. Pair it with dark chocolate sauce and a dollop of whipped cream and its heavenly.


Again another shout out on the great branding...I absolutely love the graphic patterns and simplicity of the packaging. So unexpected amongst the big brands in a freezer. I think this definitely stands out amongst the crowd as does the flavor.

Where to begin?

With so many recipes and advice out there it was difficult to know where to start. Do I use eggs? Is the base cooked? Am I using the right milk? So my trials begin. I figured the most important question to start with was what kind? So since Mint Chocloate Chip is my ultimate favorite I tried a similar Peppermint Chocolate...Yum. I searched through some recipes, got my KitchenAid set up, and got started. I quickly learn that making the ice cream is really not that difficult, its having the patience with the whole process. No you don't mix cream and put in a machine and you have yummy ice cream. Its 24 painful hours until you actually get to enjoy your dish. So I followed the recipe to a T, slowly boiling my ingredients, slow whisking it into the egg yolks, and then once again slowly bringing it all to a boil. I did read that its important to "slowly" heat the ingredients so I patiently created my concoction. The final verdict of my first ever batch of ice cream...consistency was almost perfect being creamy and smooth and the flavor was great but a little too much peppermint extract(mouthwash aftertaste got to be too much!). Only challenge I found was that it did not freeze very hard. It stayed somewhat soft so I will work on perfecting the solidifying process. My first attempt is a success and motivates me to make more. Here is the recipe I followed.

Peppermint Chocolate Ice Cream
2 1/4 c heavy cream
3/4 c whole milk
1 c sugar
4 large egg yolks
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp peppermint extract (I used more...and it was too much)
peppermint bark chocolate chunks

Heat cream, milk, 1/2 c. sugar, and peppermint extract over medium heat to almost simmering and set aside. In bowl whisk yolks, 1/2 c. sugar and salt. Slowly pour hot liquid into yolk mixture whisking as its poured. Return mixture to pan and heat on low stirring consistently until lightly simmering along edges(do not boil). Cool for at least 4 hours in fridge. Then churn is machine according to directions. Add peppermint chocolate 5 minutes prior to end of churning. Made about 1 1/2 pints(maybe a little more).