My ice cream is too plain…

If you think your ice cream is too plain, try mixing your favorite candy or nut in! Vanilla ice cream is a wonderful base for more exciting ice creams.

Chocolate & mint go well together. So do chocolate and raspberries or cherries. The possibilities are endless!

Just remember to add your stuff in during the last 5 mins or so of the freezing process. If you add it in earlier the ice cream might not freeze well or your mix ins will lose their consistency (i.e. soften too much, get soggy, etc).

Here’s a great chocolate & mint recipe from A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise:

Chocolate Candy Cane Ice Cream

Chocolate and mint go so well together, and now that candy canes are everywhere, I just had to mix the two. If you want to skip the chocolate for pure candy cane bliss, just follow the recipe variation listed below.

2 c. soy creamer (or any non-dairy milk)
1 c. soy milk (or any non-dairy milk)
¾ c. sugar
1½ c. chocolate chips
2 T. arrowroot
1 t. vanilla extract
2 t. peppermint extract
1 c. chopped candy canes

Mix ¼ cup of soy milk with the 2 tablespoons of arrowroot and set aside.

Mix the soy creamer, soy milk, sugar, and chocolate chips together in a saucepan. Heat gently until the chocolate melts, then bring to a boil. When the mixture has just started to boil, take off the heat and immediately stir in the arrowroot slurry. This should immediately cause the liquid to thicken (not a lot, but a noticeable amount; it will be thicker when it cools).

Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts.

Set the ice cream mixture aside to cool. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Add the chopped candy canes in the last 5 minutes of freezing.

Variation:

Candy Cane: Omit the chocolate chips. Add an additional cup soy milk.