Fresh Mint Ice Cream
Homemade fresh mint ice cream recipe is a delicious way to use up all of that mint you have growing in your garden. This sweet, flavor-packed herb is great with chocolate added in at the end, or even some chopped mint to give it an extra hit of flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 oz fresh mint leaves two huge handfuls or 10-15 stems
- 5 egg yolks
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- Optional finishes: 2 tbsp of fresh chopped mint 4os semi-sweet or dark chocolate (chopped) or 15 Oreo cookies
Instructions
- De-stem your mint off the stalk
- Tear the mint leaves into small pieces to allow all of the mint oil to be released
- Combine milk and heavy cream in a medium pan
- Sprinkle in mint leaves
- Place over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, until it reaches 180 degrees
- Remove from heat and cover with a lid.
- Let sit for at least 2 hours for maximum mint flavor
- Strain mint milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
- Press all of the liquid out of the mint leaves with a wooden spoon (cream will look light green/yellow)
- Transfer mint milk into your medium sauce pan and heat until it just starts to boil, giving it a regular stir so it doesn’t burn
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until smooth and a light yellow color.
- Slowly pour 1/2 cup of your heated milk mixture into the egg yolk to temper, whisking to combine
- Pour the tempered egg mixture into the mint milk, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine and create a custard.
- Simmer mixture, while stirring constantly, until the back of the spoon is coated (about 170 degrees)
- Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large, heat-proof bowl.
- Stir in vanilla and salt.
- Allow custard to cool down to room temperature (you can place the custard bowl in an ice bath- take a larger bowl with ice and put your smaller bowl of cream mixture on top- to speed up the process)
- Cover or transfer to an airtight container.
- Set in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight until completely chilled.
- Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker
- Churn ice cream mixture for 25 minutes
- During the last minute of churning, add in 2-3 tbsps of very finely chopped fresh mint (*see notes below for chocolate variations)
- Scoop ice cream into a freezer-safe container, drizzling a little more chocolate ontop.
- Harden in freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight
Notes
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (chopped up), 70% chocolate or dark chocolate bar (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
Mint Chip Ice Cream Instructions
- Combine chocolate and oil in a microwave safe bowl.
- Melt chocolate in the microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring between times (you can also melt chocolate using a double boiler)
- Pour melted chocolate into a pastry bag or zip-top bag. Do NOT snip the bag until you are ready to pour into the ice cream. Push out all of the air if using a bag before sealing.
- Keep melted chocolate bag in warm water to keep it from solidifying
- Once the mint ice cream is a soft-serve consistency (about 2 minutes before completed), snip the top of your bag.
- Slowly drizzle the chocolate into the ice cream, while still churning, adding a little at a time so it can break up into thin chips.
- Scoop ice cream into a freezer-safe container, drizzling a little more chocolate ontop.
- Harden in freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Enjoy your homemade ice cream!
- Simply break apart 15 Oreo cookies (or Mint Oreos!)
- Slowly fold/stir into your churned mint ice cream.
- Allow your Mint Oreo ice cream to set in the freezer for a few hours. It will absorb more of that mint Oreo flavor you love.