Now, I will admit, Cotton Candy ice cream is one of those things I adore and rarely eat. But it makes my inner child happy when I do! 🙂 This recipe requires no ice cream maker. It’s pretty good, considering all you have to do is put it in your freezer. If you want it to taste like the versions you get in the specialty ice cream shops, using cotton candy syrup or real cotton candy and an ice cream maker is a treat. But either way, it will remind you of days gone by and eating cotton candy at the circus or the county fair. I have included at the bottom a more traditional cotton candy ice cream recipe where a ice cream maker is required. Try both! Let me know how yours turns out! 🙂

Ingredients

• 1 8oz. Tub of Cool Whip
• 2 3.4oz Vanilla Pudding
• 2 Cups Milk
• 2 Cotton Candy Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Flavor Packet
• Blue Gel Food Coloring (Optional, see link at bottom on how to make safe food coloring alternatives)

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer beat together pudding and milk. Place in fridge for 5 minutes to firm.
2. Once pudding has firmed up in fridge add entire tub of cool whip and 2 Cotton Candy Frosting Creations Packets, beat until fully combined. If desired add in a little bit of blue food coloring (gel works best) to help tint the ice cream a nice blue. The yellow pudding gives it a bit of a green tiny without)
3. Pour ice cream into 1.5L plastic container with lid and place in freezer. Let ice cream sit for at least 8 hours, overnight is best. (See tip below)

***A tip when making any ice cream recipes the old-fashioned way [without an ice cream maker] is to always chill it for an hour or two in your refrigerator before putting it in the freezer. A cooler mixture will always freeze much more quickly.

To give your cotton candy ice cream a pretty light blue color (or pink) without using artificial food coloring and dyes, please follow this link on how to make safe food coloring alternatives. http://www.justaddgoodstuff.com/safe-food-coloring-alternatives.

Here is a very different version of a Cotton Candy Ice Cream recipe, but an ice cream maker is required:

You will need:
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 bags cotton candy (about 4 ounces)
3 egg yolks

1. In a medium saucepan, warm milk, sugar, salt, 1/2 cup of cream and vanilla.

2. Stir in cotton candy, one chunk at a time until it completely dissolves.  My cotton candy dissolved the second it hit the milk.

3. Remove milk mixture from heat, cover, and let it steep for 30 minutes.

4. Re-warm the milk mixture.

5. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks. Add 1/8 cup of the warmed milk mixture to the eggs and whisk until combined.

6. Pour yolk mixture into milk mixture.

7. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens.

8. Stir remaining 1 cup of cream into custard to cool.

9. Chill thoroughly in fridge.

10. Churn ice-cream in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

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