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Have you ever had pop rocks in ice cream? Now’s your chance! I’ll show you how to make the perfect Ninja Creami recipe for the Super Bowl (this year it’s all about Taylor Swift right?) and for Valentine’s Day.
I know, the Super Bowl is all about football. But, if you only watch football for the commercials and snacks, get your Ninja Creami ice cream maker out and make Sparks Fly ice cream as a tribute to Taylor and Kelce. Save this recipe for after the Super Bowl because it’s PERFECT for Valentine’s Day!
Ok, so hear me out. Pop Rocks and ice cream shockingly go together really well! I wasn’t sure this was going to work. Pop rocks start popping when they are introduced to moisture. So, adding the Pop Rocks to the base recipe before freezing isn’t going to work. But, I will say that it works wonderfully when you add the Pop Rocks as mix-ins and when you sprinkle them on top! You can hear them popping in the ice cream and when you eat them. It’s pretty cool!
My recipe for Ninja Creami Sparks Fly ice cream is made of a vanilla and maraschino cherry flavored ice cream with extra cherries and Pop Rocks added as mix-ins. The texture is smooth and the flavor is sweet and tastes just like a maraschino cherry! The mix-ins add some texture and some fun popping sounds.
Keep in mind this is a maraschino cherry flavored ice cream. Maraschino cherries taste much different from fresh or frozen cherries. Maraschino cherries are much sweeter and have more of an imitation cherry flavor than you will find with fresh cherries. Due to the sweetness of the cherries, I did not add a lot of additional sweetener to the recipe.
I went back and forth on whether I should add red food coloring to make the ice cream a more intense pink or red color. I’m so glad I didn’t! The cherries and cherry juice added just enough color to the ice cream that it didn’t even need food coloring! The pink ice cream with the red bits and pieces of cherries throughout make it perfect for Valentine’s Day, Sweetest Day, or any pink themed event that you want to serve homemade ice cream at.
Tips for making Ninja Creami Sparks Fly Ice Cream:
Sparks Fly ice cream tastes like a jar of maraschino cherries mixed with a sweet vanilla ice cream base. The Pop Rocks don’t add much flavor to the ice cream themselves. But, they are fun, you can hearing them popping for quite sometime after adding them as mix-ins and they are great as toppings on the ice cream.
Maraschino cherries are real cherries. They just look and taste a lot different than fresh or frozen cherries. Maraschino cherries are light-colored cherries that have had most of the color removed from them. Once the cherries are very light in color they are soaked in red red coloring and a sweet sugar syrup. Maraschino cherries are very sweet compared to fresh or frozen cherries.
Ninja Creami leftover treats usually will be rock hard so you either need to process it again, leave it out on the counter or put it in the microwave until it’s soft enough to scoop, or add something like food grade vegetable glycerin to the ice cream before freezing. See the recipe card for instructions on how much glycerin to use.
Yes, you can substitute the dairy and sugar to fit your dietary needs. You can use any sugar substitute that you would like, just make sure that it is a 1:1 ratio with the sugar. The milk and half and half can also be substituted. However, some substitutes like oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and cashew milk have a lower fat content and will likely produce ice crystals and a less creamy result.
I did not need to use the re-spin cycle for this recipe. The texture after the first spin was not smooth, but it was not sandy. Instead, it was like little balls of ice cream. I simply added the cut up cherries and pop rocks and used the mix-in button. I did not add any additional liquid with the mix-ins. If you add unnecessary liquid with the mix-ins or during a respin, the consistency will become almost fluffy or like soft-serve.
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Ingredient substitutions for making Ninja Creami Sparks Fly Ice Cream:
The full ingredient list is found at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Milk– I used whole milk in this recipe. You can use a dairy-free substitute like unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened oat milk, or lower fat milk if you prefer but the lower the fat content, the less creamy the result will be.
Half and Half– If you don’t have half and half, you can use a mixture of ¼ heavy cream and ¾ whole milk.
Sugar– White sugar was used. You can use a sugar substitute that is a 1:1 ratio.
Vanilla Bean Paste- I prefer to use vanilla bean paste because it adds a deeper vanilla flavor and I find that it tastes less like alcohol. You can substitute the vanilla bean paste with vanilla extract.
Guar Gum– If you don’t have guar gum, you can use about a tablespoon of cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of vanilla instant pudding mix (reduce or omit the vanilla bean paste in the original recipe), or xanthan gum.
Maraschino Cherries and Juice– This recipe uses the jarred maraschino cherries. You could probably use canned or frozen cherries instead. However, the color and flavor will be different. Maraschino cherries have a distinct flavor and color that work well with this recipe. Changing the cherries will change the entire flavor of the ice cream.
Cherry Flavor Oil (Lorann)– You can use cherry extract instead of cherry oil. Be very careful not to add to much flavoring as a little goes a VERY long way.
Cherry Pop Rocks (1 Packet (use half of the package as a mix-in and the other half of the package as a topping))- If you can’t find cherry flavored pop rocks, you can use strawberry. The pink and red colors go well with the theme of this ice cream. You technically don’t have to use any pop rocks, but they make the ice cream so much fun!
Directions for making Ninja Creami Sparks Fly Ice Cream:
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the milk, half and half, sugar, cherries, cherry juice, vanilla bean paste, guar gum, and cherry flavored oil into a small blender and blend until all ingredients are fully combined. Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container.
- Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid getting a bump on the top of the frozen mixture, freeze with the lid off of the container.
Process the Ice Cream
- After 24 hours, remove the pint container from the freezer.
- Place the pint container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on "ICE CREAM.”
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking, pour in a tablespoon or two of milk and then re-spin. If the ice cream looks more like dippin dots, (little balls of ice cream), use the re-spin function without adding liquid.
- Dig a hole in the center of the ice cream and pour in the cherries that have been cut in half and the pop rocks. Process on mix-ins.
- Your ice cream is ready to eat! Top with more pop rocks and enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Sparks Fly Ice Cream
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Equipment
Add Food Grade Vegetable Glycerin To Make Leftover Ice Cream Scoopable Right Out of the Freezer
Per 16 ounce pint: *Add 1 Teaspoon to full fat/full sugar bases *Add 1.5 teaspoon to high protein bases *Add 2 teaspoons to low sugar/low fat lite bases. Freeze and process per the recipe. Take the leftovers out of the freezer and scoop without having to reprocess. ***This is a guideline and adjustments may be needed based on your recipe.
Original, Breeze, Swirl, and Deluxe Ingredient Measurements
Use the multiplier below to adjust quantities based on the machine that you own. ***If you have the Original, Breeze, or Swirl machine, which use 16 ounce containers, choose the 1X option. ***If you have the Deluxe or XL machine, which use 24 ounce containers, choose the 1.5X option.
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base
- ⅔ Cup (157 ¾ ml) Whole Milk
- ⅔ Cup (161 ⅓ g) Half and Half
- ¼ Cup (50 g) Sugar
- 12 (12) Maraschino Cherries (Drained)
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Maraschino Cherry Juice
- 1 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon) Vanilla Bean Paste
- ¼ Teaspoon (¼ Teaspoon) Guar Gum
- 4 Drops (4 Drops) Cherry Flavor Oil (Lorann)
Mix-Ins
- 4 (4) Maraschino Cherries (Cut in half)
- .33 Ounce (9 ⅓ g) Cherry Pop Rocks (1 Packet (use half of the package as a mix-in and the other half of the package as a topping))
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the milk, half and half, sugar, cherries, cherry juice, vanilla bean paste, guar gum, and cherry flavored oil into a small blender and blend until all ingredients are fully combined. Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container.
- Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid getting a bump on the top of the frozen mixture, freeze with the lid off of the container.
Process the Ice Cream
- After 24 hours, remove the pint container from the freezer.
- Place the pint container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on "ICE CREAM."
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking, pour in a tablespoon or two of milk and then re-spin. If the ice cream looks more like dippin dots, (little balls of ice cream), re-spin without adding liquid.
- Dig a hole in the center of the ice cream and pour in the cherries that have been cut in half and the pop rocks. Process on mix-ins.
- Your ice cream is ready to eat! Top with more pop rocks and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Optional ingredients are not included in the nutrition information.
Recipes that use allulose:
Allulose is a low calorie sweetener that your body doesn't fully digest, so it provides only 0.4 calories per gram instead of 4. That's why the calorie total doesn't match what you'd expect from the carb count. Calories from allulose are calculated based on metabolized carbohydrates. Allulose contributes fewer calories than standard carbohydrates.
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