How To Make Delicious CBD Ice Cream

Who doesn’t want to try CBD Ice Cream?

Ben and Jerry’s made a big announcement in 2019, saying: “we can’t wait to get into the latest food trend: cannabidiol, or CBD.” Imagining the possible combinations of CBD ice cream with Half Baked and Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies lit the cannabis-loving world on fire.

But unfortunately, everyone is still waiting for CBD ice cream. As Ben and Jerry’s clarified, “We are open to bringing CBD-infused ice cream to your freezer as soon as it’s legalized at the federal level.” And the federal level is still tied up in a bureaucratic quagmire of deliberations about the safety, efficacy, and legalities of cannabidiol.

Why You Can’t Buy CBD Ice Cream at the Supermarket

Technically, CBD is still in a legal gray area in the US. As per WayofLeaf, “In 2018, the Farm Bill was signed by President Trump. This 2018 bill lifted a former ban on producing hemp. But the bill leaves each state to interpret how they see CBD and cannabis products, and some states still classify these as illegal.”

Today, CBD is sold in the US under a variety of categories: supplement, nutraceutical, cosmetic, food additive, and more. Whether or not these are legal categories is still unknown. Although CBD is legal, these applications remain unregulated. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the main regulatory body responsible for keeping drugs, foods, and cosmetics safe, effective, and clean. The FDA hasn’t decided whether CBD is safe, clean, and effective, even if one in seven Americans use CBD oil as a supplement, food additive, and cosmetic (according to a 2019 Gallup poll).

Without such regulation, it makes it difficult, if not outright legally impossible, for companies like Ben and Jerry’s to add CBD into their creations. At the local level, you may find artisan ice cream makers infusing their products with a dash of cannabidiol, but at the national level, this is not yet a reality.

How to Make Cannabidiol Infused Ice Cream at Home

(Recipe adapted from Way of the Leaf and New York Times)

Can’t wait for Half Baked Ben and Jerry’s infused Ice Cream? It’s time to whip up a batch of basic vanilla CBD ice cream at home. A vanilla base is all you need to create a world of flavors, from berry blends to chocolate ripples, to your own Half-Baked creations.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• ⅔ cup honey
• ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
• 6 large egg yolks
•  2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 gram of CBD isolate powder (water soluble)

Directions:

1. Using a double boiler, combine honey and CBD isolate powder. Stir until dissolved. Do not allow the mixture to go above 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. In a separate saucepot, add heavy cream, milk, honey-CBD mixture, and salt. Stir until dissolved.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Whisk yolks for 30 seconds in a separate bowl. Drizzle some of the hot cream mixtures into the yolks, whisking rapidly the entire time to prevent the yolks from curdling. This will bring the eggs up to temperature.
6. Whisk the yolk mixture into the cream mixture, and place back on medium-low heat.
7. Simmer until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and/or reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Chill mixture in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
9. Following the ice cream maker instructions, churn the ice cream.
10. Store in the freezer until ready to eat.

How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Topping for CBD Ice Cream

Now comes the best part – the gooey, sweet topping. We’re going to add CBD to this too!

Adapted from foodnetwork.com.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup refined sugar
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 1mL CBD Oil (peppermint flavored)
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Combine heavy cream and sugar, stirring until sugar is thoroughly mixed into the cream.
2. Heat 4 tbsp of butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat.
3. Simmer the melted butter and slowly whisk in the cream/sugar mixture. Whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved.
4. Whisk in chocolate and stir until smooth.
5. Remove from the heat and add in vanilla and CBD oil
6. Once it cools slightly, you can add as a hot, delicious topping for your CBD ice cream.

Enjoy!

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More Infusions for Your Next Bowl

Even if commercially produced CBD ice cream isn’t technically available yet, you can still add a dose to your next ice cream sundae. The big wild world of CBD-infusions has many options perfectly suited to scoop on top of your ice cream.

Upgrade your plain vanilla ice cream with chunks of CBD-infused dark-chocolate made with peppermint or citrus-flavored CBD. Or add a big drizzle of Cannadish’s infused salted caramel sauce. If you feel like an ice cream sundae, bake up a batch of cannabis cheesecake brownies, made with CBD instead of THC. Cut into pieces and tuck around the dish just before the presentation.

Have some CBD extract on hand? Make a batch of CBD-BHO Gummy Bears to recreate memories of summers past. Here’s a potential topping inspiration: mash up a chocolate-peanut butter ice cream bowl with CBD-infused Cannabis Peanut Butter Balls.

Cooking with cannabis is about getting creative in the kitchen, and often about working with what you have. The beauty of canna-cooking is versatility. Cannabis may work best within fat-based dishes, so thankfully, a big bowl of ice cream makes for the perfect delivery method. Whether you choose to infuse the ice cream yourself or add CBD infused toppings is up to you.