Description
This homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe combines fresh mint leaves with rich cream and chopped mint chocolate to create a refreshing, creamy dessert. Made without any artificial flavors, this ice cream is infused with natural mint and churned to perfection before being frozen to a smooth, scoopable consistency.
Ingredients
Scale
Ice Cream Base
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- â…” cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 egg yolks
Mint and Chocolate
- 3 cups fresh mint leaves (about 2 ½ ounces)
- 4 ounces mint chocolate, chopped (about 1 cup)
Instructions
- Prepare the ice cream base: In a small pot, whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, sea salt, and egg yolks until fully combined. Add the fresh mint leaves to infuse the mixture with natural mint flavor.
- Heat and steep: Place the pot over medium heat and whisk frequently until the mixture gently simmers, which helps to thicken it slightly and extract the mint essence. Remove from heat and let the mint leaves steep for 1 hour to deepen the flavor infusion.
- Strain and chill: Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, discarding the mint leaves. Refrigerate the strained cream until it is thoroughly cold to prepare it for churning.
- Churn the ice cream: Pour the chilled cream base into your ice cream maker. Churn the mixture for about 30 minutes until it reaches a creamy and thick consistency.
- Add mint chocolate: Add the chopped mint chocolate to the churned ice cream and continue churning for another minute to evenly distribute the chocolate bits throughout the ice cream.
- Freeze for firmness: Transfer the churned ice cream into a large baking dish and place it in the fridge. To prevent ice crystals and maintain creaminess, every 30 minutes for at least 2 hours, scrape and stir the frozen edges with a fork and mix well.
- Final mix and serve: Before serving, stir in any remaining chopped mint chocolate to enhance texture and flavor. Serve chilled and enjoy your fresh, homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Notes
- Using fresh mint leaves provides a natural, vibrant mint flavor that is superior to extract.
- Steeping the mint leaves for an hour is essential for a rich infusion.
- Chilling the cream base before churning helps achieve smooth texture.
- If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can try freezing and stirring every 30 minutes for about 3-4 hours for a similar effect.
- Use good-quality mint chocolate for the best flavor and texture contrast.
- Egg yolks provide richness and help stabilize the ice cream, producing a creamy texture.
