The nostalgia of the snow cone brings us back to our fondest Summertime memories. Going as far back as the Industrial Revolution, young children would wait for leftover ice shavings, on hot summer days, from Ice export wagons along the route from New York to Florida. You might even say that you could determine your generation based on the history of the Snow Cone! Children of the Great Depression knew them as snowballs, an affordable summer treat. Where as the Snoopy Snow Cone Machine takes us children of the 80’s back to better times. Dating all the way back to Winters during the Roman Empire, the wealthy would flavor the snow with fruit juices. In short, the snow cone has played a historic role for countless generations, bringing happiness to all to whom enjoy them. Given the hot, humid weather outside, we thought to pay homage to this childhood favorite treat, with a few great recipes to make at home. From classic snow cones and authentic Hawaiian shaved ice, to all natural ingredients and grown-up snow cone recipes, we’ve got you covered.
How to Make the Snow
Investing in a snow cone maker or a shaved ice machine is well worth the $30-$50 on hot summer days. You can find great options online at Amazon or from Hawaiian Shaved Ice for under 30 bucks! However, all you really need to make ice shavings is ice cubes, ziploc baggies and mallet. If you do not have a crushed ice setting on your freezer door, put a few handfuls of ice cubes into a doubled up ziploc baggie and beat up the ice using a meat tenderizer, until the ice is chopped into small pieces. Place the crushed ice into a food processor or blender. Tip: Freez the plastic container portion of the blender/processor for an hour before reattaching it to the electric base. Crush the ice until it’s desired shaved ice or snowy powder consistency. Use a spatula to scrape the shavings into a plastic cup or desired snowcone container, gently forming the top into a ball like shape. Freeze until you are ready to add syrup and serve to avoid melting prematurely. Tip: place a straw in the ice before freezing
Classic Snow Cone Syrup Recipe
Add 1 cup of sugar to 2 cups of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir the boiling water for a minute longer to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and add a packet of your favorite flavored kool-aid or other powdered soft drink, stirring well until completely dissolved. Give the mixture ample time to cool off, before pouring it into a container with a pour spout. Refrigerate until you are ready to use. Liberally pour the syrup over the shaved ice and enjoy immediately!
‘Onolicious Shaved Ice: The Authentic kama`aina (Hawaiian Native) Shaved Ice
Pour 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar into a saucepan. Cut a vanilla bean lengthwise down the center and scrape the seeds out well. Add the whole pod into the sugar water. Turn the stove on medium high heat, stirring the mixture continuously until the sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and remove the vanilla bean. Stir in a teaspoon of Vanilla extract to the pot. Allow the syrup to reach room temperature before refrigerating it until ready to serve. The authentic Hawaiian Shaved Ice is not just crushed ice and syrup. When you are ready to serve, Add a scoop of Vanilla ice cream to the bottom of the cup. Add a few Azuki Sweet Beans next (Found at specialty grocers, organic/natural food and vitamin shops or try Walmart’s international food section). Fill the remainder of the cup with shaved ice and pour a generous amount of flavored syrup on top. Finally top with a few ounces of evaporated or sweetened condensed milk and serve with a spoon and straw. Your friends and family will be saying “Mahalo” a thousand times over!
Au Naturale Snow Cone Syrup
Make a simple syrup by heating equal parts (i.e. 1 cup to 1 cup) of water and granulated sugar in a saucepan, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved completely. Remove from heat and set aside. In a blender, puree your favorite fresh or frozen fruit until the fruit is of smoothie like consistency. Add enough simple syrup to the fruit until desired sweetness is reached and the mixture is of a syrup like consistency. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Mojito Mo Problems Snow Cone Syrup
This syrup is for grown ups only! Follow the basics of making of a simple syrup… heat 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved completely and remove from heat. Tip: Replace granulated sugar with raw or turbinado sugar. Chop a generous handful of mint into broken pieces and allow the mint to steep in the warm simple syrup for a half hour minimum. Strain the solid pieces of mint out of the mixture. Stir 4-6 ounces of white rum and the juice of one or two limes into the syrup. Pour the infused syrup into a container and refrigerate for at least an hour. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Optional: Add one of our Au Naturale fruit syrup recipes in addition to the mojito syrup for maximum flavor. The best fruits to infuse with a Mojito are Coconut, Blueberry, Pink Grapefruit, Mango, Watermelon, Strawberry and Pomegranate.