Mint Chocolate Ice Cream
We tend to link ice cream with summer but when we think about it, there’s not really a “specific” season to enjoy this cold treat. Although winter is cold, we still add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a hot Sticky Toffee Pudding, freshly baked Apple Cheese Pie or Grand-Pères (Maple Syrup Dumplings). When blood oranges 🍊 are in season (December to April), I love making ice cream with them.
St Paddy’s Day ☘ is tomorrow and of course whatever is green will be worn, drank or eaten. Like in previous years, I like to highlight it with recipes such as Shamrock Shake Copycat, Gnudi aka Malfatti, Green Smoothie – super healthy 💚 & delicious 😋! -, our scrumptious Canadian Chocolate Mint Nanaimo Bars or even Chocolate Grasshopper Martini… a favorite digestif of mine! There’s also this new one… Mint Chocolate Ice Cream!
This cold treat is incredibly tasty 😍! It’s far from the commercial ones because you totally taste the “real mint” flavor! To amplify the taste, I also add an unusual ingredient… Crème de Menthe. Not only does it add a little “je ne sais quoi” in the background but also accentuates the color. I don’t recommend adding peppermint extract. It’s already strong as it is but hey, it’s your Mint Chocolate Ice Cream so add some if you want.
Many people asked me for more “ice cream maker” recipes and the process of making it is so easy. After the custard is made, the rest is kiddie play. Because I use dark chocolate 🍫 which in my book is healthier than milk chocolate, it needs some sweetness and this is something you can adjust to your liking! I’m fine with ½ cup of granulated sugar but my husband thinks it needs more… guess who’s sweet enough, ME 😇!
I make this ice cream all year round but here’s a little tip. If you ever come across chocolate mint – yes, the nurseries sell them -, I highly suggest you buy or grow some 👩🌾. It’s like a double dose of chocolate while preserving the earthy taste from the mint… it’s awesome! When I filmed 📽 this recipe, the only kind I could find was spearmint but peppermint is probably the best choice.
I use an entire Madagascar vanilla bean in this recipe and I know it’s pricey but it can be replaced by pure vanilla extract. In that case, you’ll need 2 teaspoons of extract and the same amount if you decide to go with vanilla bean paste. I don’t suggest using imitation vanilla extract for ice cream recipes… keep it for your baked goods 🍩🍰 only.
When the seeds are scraped off from the pod and transferred to a small bowl, DON’T throw the bean out! Repurpose it to make Vanilla Sugar or even vanilla salt! If you want to poach some fruit, reuse it by placing the pod in the simmering syrup… it gives another flavorful dimension to your dessert. To make your own vanilla extract, place the pod in a cup of vodka and keep adding more to compensate – soon I’ll be showing you my video on Homemade Vanilla Extract • How to, so stay tuned!
Let’s talk about the color… Homemade Mint Chocolate Ice Cream 🍦 comes out yellowish; there’s not a slight tint of green to it. Adding some Crème de Menthe helps to brighten it up a little but using food coloring will certainly bring it to a nice lovely green color. I don’t use the commercial ones and instead, I use my own natural recipe. To get it, click on the link… 4 Natural Food Colorings
Making Mint Chocolate Ice Cream from scratch is far better then what’s on the market because it has “real mint” flavor to it! With added dark chocolate, this is a cold treat to enjoy all year round. Turn on your machine and celebrate St Patrick’s Day 🧚♀️ with a bowl of yumminess…
Bon Appétit!🍽
Here are more scrumptious ice cream recipes for you to try…😀
– Black Cherry Ice Cream
– Chocolate Ice Cream
– Coffee Ice Cream
– Strawberry Ice Cream
– Piña Colada Ice Cream
– iceMaple Walnut Ice Cream
and for even more cold treat recipes 🍧🍦, click on this link… Recipe Category • Ice Cream & More
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel 📽 by clicking on this link… Club Foody YouTube
Mint Chocolate Ice Cream
Hover to scale
Ingredients
- 2 cups 35% heavy cream
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, or more to taste
- 1 cup mint leaves, packed tips & tricks
- 1 large vanilla bean, seeds scraped Footnote
- 5 large free-range egg yolks, beaten
- 1/8 tsp. fleur de sel
- 4 ounces dark chocolate, shaved or chopped into small pieces
- 1 tbsp. Crème de Menthe optional
- 5 drops food coloring, optional see Recipe
Directions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add heavy cream, milk and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved heat the mixture just before it starts to simmer (between 160ºF to 170ºF).
- Turn off the heat, add mint leaves, stir, and let the mixture steep for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve sitting over a bowl, pressing down the solids with the back of a wooden spoon; discard the mint leaves.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to the stove. Warm up the mixture on medium heat.
- When it reaches around 140ºF, ladle some up and slowly pour in a tiny amount at a time to the yolks, whisking constantly.
- When the yolks are tempered, add them to the saucepan and whisk continuously.
- When the custard temperature reaches 170ºF, remove from the heat and pass it through a fine sieve sitting over a bowl or a large measuring cup; discard any cooked eggs if there are any.
- Add vanilla seeds and a small pinch of fleur de sel; whisk until well blended.
- Place a piece of wax paper on top making sure it touches the surface and let it cool off about 30 minutes before transferring it to the fridge to chill overnight.
- The next day, pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- About halfway through churning, add shaved chocolate.
- A couple minutes before it’s done, add Crème de Menthe and a few drops of food coloring; continue churning.
- When the desired consistency is reached, spoon the mixture into a 2-quart container, place a lid on and transfer to the freezer until frozen, about 4 hours.
Notes
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