How to Make Snow Churned Ice Cream Outdoors: A Late Winter Family Activity

 

Late winter has a charm all its own. The holidays are behind us, spring isn’t quite ready to show her face, and the world outside is still wrapped in white. It’s the perfect time to lean into the season and try something fun, simple, and a little bit magical  making ice cream outdoors using nothing but snow, a metal mixing bowl, and a few pantry staples.

If you’ve never made ice cream this way, you’re in for a treat. It’s part science experiment, part old‑fashioned memory maker, and it works beautifully on those crisp days when the snow is clean and the air has that unmistakable winter bite.

Gathering Your Ingredients

You don’t need much for this recipe  that’s part of the charm.

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1–2 tablespoons honey (or sugar if you prefer)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional: a tiny pinch of salt to deepen the flavor

Honey gives the ice cream a smooth texture and a gentle sweetness, but sugar works just fine too.

Setting Up Outdoors

Pick a spot in the yard where the snow is clean and undisturbed. Scoop it into a little mound about the size of a small hill  and sprinkle salt over the top. The salt helps lower the temperature of the snow, which is what freezes the cream quickly.

Nestle your metal mixing bowl right into the salted snow. Metal is important because it gets cold fast and helps the ice cream set.

Making the Ice Cream

Pour the heavy cream into the chilled bowl. Add your honey and vanilla. Then start stirring.

At first, it will feel like nothing is happening. But as the cold from the snow works its way through the metal bowl, the cream begins to thicken around the edges. Keep scraping the sides and stirring it back into the center. This is where kids get excited  they can actually see the transformation happening.

Within a few minutes, the cream turns into a soft‑serve consistency. If you want it firmer, just let the bowl sit in the snow a little longer, giving it a stir now and then.

Serving Your Winter Treat

This ice cream is meant to be enjoyed right away. It’s soft, fresh, and has that homemade taste you just can’t buy in a store.

Try topping it with:

• A drizzle of maple syrup
• Mini chocolate chips
• Crushed cookies
• A sprinkle of cinnamon

Or enjoy it just as it is simple and sweet.

Why This Activity Works So Well

There’s something special about taking advantage of the season you’re in. Winter can feel long, but moments like this remind us that there’s still joy tucked into the cold days. Kids love the hands‑on part, adults love the nostalgia, and everyone loves the ice cream.

It’s a small thing, but small things are often the ones we remember.

Favorite Cheesecake Recipe

Some people like chocolate, others like pie, I eat cheesecake and I am happy. I don't eat store bought cheesecake, granted I have eaten grocer and bakery bought cheesecake in my time, BUT the best cheesecake that I ever had was made by my mom. 

Growing up mom made cheesecake all year round. The basic recipe allows you to top it with a variety of fruits, and in the fall and winter months, mom would make caramel and chocolate sauce and drizzle the sauces over the cake then top with roasted slivers of almonds or sugar coated pecans. Then add a dollop of freshly whipped cream and oh my gosh it was like biting into a slice of heaven

When my mom passed away it seemed that her recipes went with her. Then the other day I was going through a storage box and found my mother's recipe book. I was delighted to find her cheesecake recipe. 

The recipe that I share with you is one I found in my mother's recipe cards. The date on the card is 1968 and this is the same delicious dessert that my mother made when I was growing up.  On the bottom of her recipe card there is a special instruction; make the cheesecake the day before for best results and garnish with any fruit before serving.

Know that cheesecake is a wonderfully delicious sweet treat and the perfect ending to the evening meal.



Here is what you will need to make this recipe:

2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1 package lemon jello
1 cup hot water
1 can carnation evaporated milk

1. With your mixer cream the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla ingredients together until all are blended
2. Mix the jello and water together and then let set until it thickens.  Add jello to cream cheese batter and use a beat until all ingredients are blended.
3. Chill another large mixing bowl along with your beater in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove when chilled and then add 1 can carnation evaporated milk / approximately 1 2/3 cups to the bowl and whip. Continue to beat the milk until it is thick like whipped cream.
4. Fold the whipped cream into the cheese batter.
5. Pour the cheesecake batter into 2 ready-made graham pie crusts.
6. Refrigerate a day before serving.

So there you have it an easy and delicious cheesecake dessert for your family.

Here is an easy recipe for caramel sauce.

Learn how to make sugar coated pecans for your autumn or winter cheesecake