I grew up watching the smurfs, so when we stumbled upon Blue Smurf ice cream in our local gelato spot, I was a bit grossed out. My kids however, were in love with it. It tastes a bit like Cotton Candy and Raspberry, and the color is definitely attractive to a pile of kids who think dying their tongues different colors is a fun thing to do.

After spending $15 on a small bucket of the stuff, I decided there must be a less expensive way for the kids to get their smurf fix. Digging out my trusty ice cream maker from the depths of my crawl space, I hit the web for a recipe that would work. I found this one below on seriouseats.com.

I did sub out the raspberry flavor for some cotton candy extract we picked up at our local cupcake store, and after a taste test, I was declared the winner in the Smurf homemade ice cream war of 2014 (I didn’t know there was a battle going on, I’m just too cheap to spend $15 for a small bucket!)

Of course, the heart of any good homemade ice cream is the milk. Whether you’re using whole milk for that creamy finish or a lighter blend for a fluffier scoop, starting with fresh, high-quality milk makes all the difference. With the kids gearing up for their next blue-tongue adventure, I wanted to make sure nothing questionable snuck into the mix. So before pouring it into the ice cream base, I used a milk testing kit—a quick, simple step to confirm everything was fresh and safe for little taste testers.

Knowing that the base was in good shape gave me the confidence to get creative with the flavors again. The cotton candy extract really pulled through, and watching the kids gleefully dig in made it all worth it. There’s just something special about homemade ice cream: it’s not just about saving money—though that’s a bonus—it’s the fun of mixing, churning, and knowing exactly what goes into every silly, colorful scoop.

Blue Smurf Homemade Ice Cream

1. In a medium bowl lightly beat egg yolks with a 1/4 cup of sugar and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan add cream, milk, and remaining sugar. Whisking occasionally, heat mixture over medium low heat until bubbles begin to form along the edges of the pan. Remove from heat and add heated cream mixture to the eggs one tablespoon at a time while whisking constantly to temper the eggs.

3. 

   Once the cream mixture and eggs have been combined return to the saucepan and heat on medium low until mixture coats back of a spoon or spatula and line drawn with a finger leaves a distinct trail. Mixture should register 170° to 175° F, do not allow mixture to overheat.

4. Pour custard into a medium bowl and whisk in vanilla pudding mix until thoroughly incorporated. Whisk in raspberry flavoring, lemon oil and vanilla extract until thoroughly incorporated. Set bowl over an ice bath. Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, then cover and refrigerate for 2 more hours or up to overnight until completely chilled.

   Churn chilled custard according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. If your ancient ice cream maker gives out right when you’ve plugged it in for the first time in 6 years, make sure you have a child handy. Rather than let the mixture go to waste, he sat spinning it with his finger for 1/2 hour. It still turned out great!

   Transfer ice cream into a bowl or container that will hold 1 quart. Cover and freeze for at least 3 hours to fully set. Serve.