Snow days rank VERY high as one of my favorite moments of childhood. I didn’t even discover snow cream until middle school when I lived in Atlanta. My best friend’s grandmother made it for us on one of those rare Georgia snow days. It was love at first taste for me! I had kind of forgotten about the tradition after spending many of the following years in Texas where snow was even more rare. However since moving to Ohio I get to experience the joy of snow days again . Only now I watch my children light up at the idea of an impromptu day off of school due to the fun weather conditions. That’s when it hit me that I had to introduce them to the magic of ice cream made of snow!
I know some of you are thinking. Uh, snow? Like from the outside world? That’s gross. I am not eating that? Well, the idea is to get fresh fallen snow inches off of the ground, not some stuff that’s been around all day and starting to get the muddy grey hue. If you still can’t handle that, fine. No snow cream for you!
Anyway, here is the recipe.
You will need:
8 cups of snow
1 cup of milk
1/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Gather approximately 8 cups of freshly fallen snow.
Add milk, sugar, vanilla extract (or any other flavor from mint, to almond, to orange), and snow to a large bowl.
Mix gently until the flavors are blended.
Work swiftly, but gently, and do not over mix because it will melt or turn to slush! In fact if you are more concerned with consistency over flavor pack on more snow. That’s how I was able to achieve the double scoop. Ta Da!
Finally, garnish with the toppings of choice and enjoy!
We’ve made it in bowls with sprinkles
or put it into little ice cream cones.
We’ve used vanilla, or almond extract and there has definitely been whipped topping involved on occasion. I know it’s just sugary ice mixture, but it’s SNOW! It’s magical. Seriously, what could be more fun than eating an limited edition ice cream delivered from the sky? It makes me think of that scene from cloudy with a chance of meatballs.
Maybe my children will someday look back on the memory of their mom going out in her clunky boots with a measuring cup and a giant mixing bowl to gather freshly fallen snow in front of the whole neighborhood. Maybe they’ll think that I was crazy, but either way I hope they’ll think of snow days with same kind of nostalgia I do. I hope it always makes them smile.
That looks fun! What great memories you are making with your kiddos.
I'd love to make snow cream but we live in TN and rarely get snow of any consequence anymore. I loved making it when I was a kid. Blessings.
Living in New Hampshire snow days are a frequent occurrence as well! My girls love snow cream! Your recipe is a little different than mine, we will be trying it the next time we have a nor'easter 🙂
I only had snow cream like twice as a child because we lived in the deep south, but it is a memory I will never forget! I am definitely pinning this in hopes that one day I will be able to create such a lovely memory with my boys!
Growing up in Houston, I hadn't heard of Snow Cream until college. I had a roommate from Ohio who made some after a heavy snow in Dallas! 🙂