Peppermint Stick Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1
  
  quart homemade or good store-bought vanilla ice cream
  
• 1/2
  
  cup crushed candy canes or starlight mints (I like to smash them up in a heavy duty plastic bag with a rolling pin but you can also use a food processor)
  
• 
  
  Pure peppermint extract
  

Directions

1. Soften the ice cream at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Scoop it into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the ice cream on low speed for about 30 seconds, until it starts to become smooth. (If you don’t have a standing mixer, you can use a bowl and a wooden spoon — just be ready for a bit of a workout!)
2. Add the crushed candy canes and 1 teaspoon peppermint extract to the bowl and continue to beat on low speed just until these are combined with the ice cream. Taste and beat in more peppermint extract if the peppermint flavor is too faint. Quickly transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and return to the freezer for a couple of hours before serving so it can re-harden.