Description
This Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream recipe offers a refreshing and creamy treat infused with fresh mint leaves and studded with rich mint chocolate pieces. Using a custard base with egg yolks and a steeping technique, this no-machine-required recipe delivers smooth, flavorful ice cream with a delightful minty crunch. Perfect for cool summer desserts or anytime you crave a classic mint chocolate chip delight.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- â…” cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 egg yolks
Mint Flavoring
- 3 cups fresh mint leaves (about 2 ½ ounces)
- 4 ounces mint chocolate, chopped (about 1 cup)
Instructions
- Prepare Custard Base: In a small pot, whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, sea salt, and egg yolks until smooth and well combined. Stir in the fresh mint leaves to infuse the flavor.
- Heat Mixture and Steep Mint: Place the pot over medium heat and whisk often to prevent curdling. Heat the mixture until it gently simmers without boiling. Remove from heat and allow the mint leaves to steep in the hot custard for 1 hour to extract maximum flavor.
- Strain and Chill: Strain the custard mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove the mint leaves. Refrigerate the strained custard until completely cold, which helps in achieving a smooth texture when frozen.
- Churn the Base: Pour the chilled custard base into an ice cream maker. Churn for approximately 30 minutes until the texture becomes creamy and thick, resembling soft serve ice cream.
- Incorporate Mint Chocolate: Add the chopped mint chocolate to the ice cream and churn for an additional minute to distribute the pieces evenly throughout the mixture.
- Freeze and Stir: Transfer the churned ice cream to a large baking dish and place it in the refrigerator freezer. Every 30 minutes, use a fork to scrape and stir the edges that start to freeze, mixing them back into the center. Repeat this process for at least 2 hours to achieve a creamy, frozen texture without large ice crystals.
- Final Mix and Serve: Before serving, stir in any remaining chopped mint chocolate for extra texture and flavor. Scoop and enjoy your homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream!
Notes
- Steeping the mint leaves in the hot custard is essential for a fresh and vibrant mint flavor.
- Using an ice cream maker simplifies the churning process, but the manual stirring method ensures no ice crystals form in the freezer.
- Be careful not to boil the custard mixture to prevent curdling the eggs.
- Allow the ice cream to soften slightly after freezing before scooping for the best texture.
- For a more intense chocolate flavor, use high-quality mint chocolate or add extra chips as desired.
