Having been born and raised here in Colorado, I’ve had lots of wonderful experiences in the snow over the years. I love the snow! Sledding, shoveling the sidewalk, cross country skiing, building snowmen, and getting excited when the really big storms hit. And…making snow ice cream! That’s a sweet memory from all the way back to early childhood. It’s awfully easy, and the main ingredient is free! But it’s also a special treat that can only be made when it snows enough! This is how my mom and I have always made it:
Snow Ice Cream
Fresh, clean snow
Milk (Whatever you have. Whole milk is nice, and some cream is even nicer.)
Maple syrup (or sugar)
Vanilla extract
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First, set out your ingredients. You’ll want to work fast once you bring the snow inside.
Once it has snowed at least a couple inches, go outside with a large bowl or pan. Scoop up the cleanest snow you can find, being careful to not scrape along the grass…and avoiding dog pee, if applicable!
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Now, there aren’t any measurements for this recipe. You just sort of eye it, mix it up, taste it, and adjust. Into the snow, pour some milk, add some sugar (any sugar will work, though I especially like maple syrup for making snow ice cream), and then add a little vanilla.
Mix it together with a spoon and taste. Add more snow, milk, sugar, or vanilla if needed, until it tastes good to you. You’ll get a feel for the ingredient amounts once you make it.
Serve it up and enjoy immediately before it melts. It doesn’t really hold up in the freezer since it will pretty much freeze solid. Enjoy this ephemeral, wintertime treat!
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We used to do this as a kid! We would find clean snow and pour just maple syrup on it. It was my favorite part of winter!
Mmmm I love snow ice cream! We would make it when I was a kid and it was such a treat.
Now, I live in downtown Cincinnati, and I’m not so sure if the snow outside would be fit for us to eat, since we live at a very busy intersection! I wonder if I could put a bowl out on our little balcony to catch some as it’s falling to make sure it’s fresh and clean…
What a fun idea! I have never heard of snow ice cream before. We don’t always get that much snow around here, but I will keep this recipe in mind if we do. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
YUM!
I grew up in Colorado but lived the past 20 years in Oregon where we didn’t get much snow. We are now living in Wyoming and I’m looking out at a dusting of snow. This weekend maybe we will get enough for your ice cream.
Yum! My dds are gonna flip over this.. being a transplanted Brit this had never occured to me. It sounds like something out of Little House on the Prairie.. can’t wait to try it..!! Brilliant!!
Sasha, your girls will love making snow ice cream! And yeah, it does have an 1800s prairie quality about it, doesn’t it. Have fun making it!
It’s snowing like crazy here in Cincy and I remembered your post. I just put my bowl outside to catch some snow, although my husband thinks I’m a little crazy! 😉
Awww! That’s very cute. Enjoy it! It’s so yummy isn’t it! 🙂