Believe it or not, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Surprise your little ones with every child’s dream,Bubble Gum Ice Cream.
It’s funny how a certain food can epitomize your childhood. Bubble Gum Ice Cream is that food for me.
On any given Saturday my parents might have surprised the clan by taking us to the movies. I always looked forward to the show and the popcorn, yet I recall feverish curiosity over WHICH movie theater we were headed to.
There were a couple theaters close to our house, yet one across town, had a ice cream parlor next door. That… was the theater I desperately hoped we were driving toward. I would watch out the window with great anticipation as we weaved through town. With my fingers grasping the window seal and heart thumping, I would visualize the vast array of ice cream flavors in the long freezer case, a rainbow of possibilities. At the moment I was SURE we were going to right theater, a sigh of ecstasy would emerge.
If mom and dad were taking the time to drive all the way across town, they would be easily persuaded to stop at the ice cream parlor on the way home. Guaranteed.
Don’t you love the rationale of a child?
I remember slowly floating down the case, taking in all the flavors, pondering whether it was time to try Rocky Road or Butter Pecan. Yet secretly, I always knew what I would pick, Bubble Gum Ice Cream.
Sweet creamy bubble gum ice cream, loaded with rock hard gumballs that you scoop around, saving them for later. A pile of half-thawed gumballs, the reward in the bottom of your cup. How many would there be? What colors would they be?
Best of all, when everyone else had finished their treat, YOU were still chomping away on your giant wad of bubble gum. Sigh… I loved that.
There was is not a single food I love more than ice cream. Although I don’t often eat bubble gum ice cream these days, the idea of it still makes me smile.
I made this batch for my little sweeties. You can imagine the look of shear delight that graced their faces when I told them their after-school snack was Bubble Gum Ice Cream, instead of apples and almond butter that day.
What makes this version pretty wonderful is that the ice cream base itself, tastes just like bubble gum. (So technically you could leave the gumballs out, but WHY?) Although you can purchase bubble gum extract at cake supply stores, I infused real bubble gum into the ice cream base.
The warm ice cream base, melts the bubble gum, releasing the sugar, flavor, and some of the color. Once the ice cream has cooled in the fridge, strain the ice cream base to remove the bubble gum residue, leaving a smooth texture.
In this batch, I picked through the gumballs, selecting only the red, white, and pink ones for a FUN Valentine surprise!
Bubble Gum Ice Cream
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1-2 drops red food coloring (optional)
- 10 pieces of pink bubble gum (Dubble Bubble)
- 1 cup small gumballs
Directions:
- Whisk all the ingredients, minus the gums, over medium heat. Make sure the egg yolks are well combined.
- Add the pieces of pink bubble gum and bring to a light boil. Whisk until the gum softens and the base has thickened.
- Remove from heat, cover, and place in the fridge until completely cold. At least 3 hours, but overnight is better.
- Before pouring the ice cream base into the frozen bowl of an ice cream maker, place a paper towel in a colander and strain the base to remove of the gum particles.
- Pour the base into an ice cream maker and churn for 20-30 minutes.
- Once frozen, add the gumballs. Eat immediately or store in an air-tight container and freeze.
