Getcha getcha lips wet, cause it's time to have Pep

Salt 'n' Pepa reference helllooooooooo!!!

Lyrical genius. I know.

Anyway, let's talk about PEPpermint ice cream. It's good. It's minty, it's holiday-y, it's yummy. And tis the season. I attempted what I thought was a decently healthy recipe, but it's actually more caloric than I wished. I think the recipe could be modified with less peppermint candy, nonfat milk, and less of the sweetened condensed milk for a less sweet, lighter result in the future. However this recipe was awesome and if you don't have any qualms about sugar overdose, then go for it!

Peppermint Ice Cream
4 WW P+  per 1/4 c. 


Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups 2% milk, divided
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 drop red food coloring
• 1 14 oz can fat free sweetened condensed milk
• 25 peppermint candies, crushed, or 2/3 c. crushed peppermint candies

Instructions

• In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, combine yolks and 1 1/4 c milk
• Heat over medium, stirring frequently - do not let the mixture boil!
• After about 15 minutes, the sauce will thicken and will coat the back of a spoon (see below)
• Remove from heat and let cool
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together remaining milk, vanilla and pep extracts, food coloring, and sweetened condensed milk
• Add cooled egg mixture
• Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until cold
• Mix in about half of the peppermint candies (if you mix them all in right now, they will lose their pink stripes and not look as pretty)
• Add to ice cream machine and follow directions according to manufacturer (about 20 minutes, or until ice creamy)
• In last five minutes of churning, add remaining candies
• Remove from ice cream machine, fridge for a few hours until hard
• Great with chocolate syrup or shaved dark chocolate 

A note on crushing the peppermint candies: 

Save yourself a crap ton of trouble and go directly to the food processor for this one. No matter how much anger you have, crushing the candy in a ziploc bag with a heavy pan or rolling pin is never going to work as well as the food processor. And you will make way too much noise, the ziploc bag will break, and you will get frustrated. Trust me!

To test if your sauce is ready, do this trick:

1. Stir the sauce to coat the back of the spoon
2. Hold the spoon horizontally
3. Swipe your finger horizontally across the back of the spoon
4. If the sauce stays put and doesn't run down to cover the swipe, you know you it is ready

Does that last pic look like lumpy butt cheeks to anyone else but me? 

This recipe is a wonderfully refreshing alternative to heavy pies and cookies and I can't wait to make it again for the family on christmas eve! That's right, family - get excited!