Delicious & Easy Snow Cream Recipe | What Mommy Does (2024)

FAQs

What is snow cream made of? ›

In a large bowl, whisk milk, sugar, vanilla and salt together until combined. Go scoop up some fresh (clean!) snow, and immediately stir it into the milk mixture until you reach your desired consistency. (The ice cream should be fluffy, not runny.

Though children might be excited to catch those first few snowflakes, these will contain more pollutants from the atmosphere (though levels are still very low). Since snow itself cleans the atmosphere of particles like soot, the longer it falls, the cleaner the snow will be.

Snow cream can be one of two distinct desserts. A dessert consisting of whipped cream with added flavorings. A dessert in which snow is mixed with a sweetened dairy-based liquid to make an ice cream substitute. This is also known as snow ice cream.

While it is undoubtedly delicious, is it actually safe to consume? Most experts say, “yes, but not all snow.” The National Snow and Ice Data Center said, the fresher the snow, the less contaminated it can be with things like algae, bacteria and pollution.

Ice cream made with snow is a beloved Southern tradition. Maybe people in other parts of the world eat snow cream, but rest assured, that does not negate the previous statement.

There are records that the Persians made frozen beverages made from snow around 500 BC. Our own Native Americans may have beaten that date by sweetening snow with maple syrup. On that same line the Canadians have an old tradition of pouring hot maple syrup onto snow to make a kind of maple toffee.

But the real difficulty in this recipe comes from making your snow cream as safely as possible. After all, snow has the chance to collect a wide array of pollutants as it falls, including nitrates, mercury, dust, and sulfur.

As snow falls from the sky, it travels a decent distance before it lands on the ground, giving it ample opportunity to collect things along the way. Sulfur, nitrates, mercury, or formaldehyde are potential clinger-on-ers to those initial flakes.

In 2022, the Washington Post asked the same question. According to WaPo, scientists have found that new snow can contain gross stuff like pesticides and even formaldehyde. However, the substances are at extremely low levels, meaning it is technically safe to eat.

Food: Never make snow cream from the first snow.

How long is snow cream good for? ›

Any leftover snow cream can be stored in the freezer for up to one week. We found the texture after holding a few days to be a bit more icy, not quite a granita, but not smooth ice cream either.

Recipe FAQs

You can make this snow ice cream recipe from the first snow or the last snow, as long as it's fluffy, freshly fallen, and clean (yeah, stay away from that yellow snow, folks).

Because the pesticide concentrations are low... So the one-time dose is very low and not a risk to health." Additionally, there are measures you can take to ensure the snow you are eating contains lower amounts of these potentially harmful substances.

In addition to the collected airborne pollutants, the first snow to fall is often in direct contact with the ground. This contact allows it to also absorb chemicals and molecules from the soil like dirt, animal waste, pesticides and fertilizers. If the snow has been disturbed in any way, it is best to avoid eating.

Sweet Cream (Condensed Milk)

You can make your supply of sweet cream last longer by diluting it with evaporated milk.

Baking soda and shaving cream. Mix together 1 pound of baking soda, and slowly add shaving cream until you reach the perfect snowy consistency. Let kids knead the fake snow with their hands until it's all combined. Baking soda and water.

Ingredients: Aqua, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Parfum, Potassium Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Alpha- Isomethyl Ionone, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Alcohol, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool.

Artificial snow is made of a polyacrylate polymer, such as sodium polyacrylate, which is shredded to produce flakes of a similar size and colour to real snow. Sodium polyacrylate is a superabsorbent polymer, also known as a hydrogel, and can absorb up to 800 times its own weight in water.