When Life Gives You Snow, Make Snow Cream

By NPR Staff

Published December 22, 2012 at 4:39 AM CST

Snow cream, ice cream made from fresh snow, is a bit of a tradition in North Carolina, though snowfalls aren't common.

There's snow across much of the country this weekend. In eastern North Carolina, where it doesn't snow a lot, snowflakes are an occasion for some folks to flock outside, scooping up what falls to make "snow cream."

That's ice cream made from fresh snow — but you have to mix it fast, before it melts.

Chloe Tuttle runs a bed and breakfast in Williamston, N.C., and she's a bit of an expert on snow cream. She tells Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon the trick is to use soft, freshly fallen snow.

"With that you mix heavy cream, sugar and vanilla and stir it until it's soft," Tuttle says. "It tastes like homemade ice cream, but very special because you can only get it once a year."

You can make your own batch of snow cream this year using the recipe below. It doesn't necessarily have to be snow from the country, but just be sure that it is fresh and clean.

Snow Cream Recipe

Directions: "Stir until it's soft," Chloe Tuttle says.

1/2 to 3/4 cup cream

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg (optional)

1 bowl of light, clean snow (6-8 cups)