Description
A deliciously sweet and colorful cotton candy ice cream with a fun swirl effect.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon food-grade cotton candy flavoring
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Pink gel food coloring
- Blue gel food coloring
Instructions
- MIX THE ICE CREAM BASE: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cold heavy cream, whole milk, and granulated sugar for 2–3 minutes until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture looks smooth. Add the cotton candy flavoring, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, then stir gently to combine. Taste the base and add a few additional drops of flavoring if needed, keeping in mind the flavor will intensify slightly after freezing.
- DIVIDE AND COLOR: Pour the ice cream base evenly into two separate bowls. Add a small amount of pink gel food coloring to one bowl and blue gel food coloring to the other. Stir each mixture gently until the color is fully blended and evenly distributed, adding more gel a little at a time to reach the desired brightness without thinning the base.
- CHURN THE ICE CREAM: Pour both colored mixtures into the ice cream maker at the same time so they churn together while maintaining distinct color ribbons. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions, usually 20–25 minutes, until the texture resembles soft-serve ice cream. If not using an ice cream maker, pour the mixtures into a shallow freezer-safe pan, gently swirl with a knife, and freeze, stirring every 30 minutes for 2–3 hours to reduce ice crystals.
- CREATE THE SWIRL EFFECT: Transfer the churned ice cream into a loaf pan by alternating spoonfuls of pink and blue mixture to build layers. Insert a butter knife and gently swirl through the layers to create a marbled pattern, taking care not to overmix so the colors remain distinct.
- FREEZE UNTIL FIRM: Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or a fitted lid and freeze for at least 4 hours or until firm. Let the ice cream rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes before scooping to allow slight softening for easier serving.
Notes
- For a stronger flavor, adjust the amount of cotton candy flavoring to taste.
- Ensure that your ice cream maker is pre-frozen if required.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Churning
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 25g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 70mg