Two years ago, my mom gave me a cute little mint plant. It was about three inches tall and just one measly plant. Two years later, it has taken over my life...er...flower box. I kind of knew that mint was aggressive and took things over, but I guess I didn't realize it to this extent. It has exploded, and I'm not really a huge mint user. I love it in mojitos, and I love some mint chip ice cream. And that's about it for my mint usage. However, I never thought about making my own mint chip ice cream until I posted a picture of my crazy mint plant on Instagram and someone suggested it. (PS, I love Instagram...follow me! Emily_SheMakesandBakes)
I'm so glad I got the ice cream suggestion because it is fantastic. It has a wonderful fresh mint flavor that you don't get from the ice cream at the store. It's not artificially colored, and you can choose what kind or how many chips to put in the ice cream. It takes a tad longer than other ice creams to make because you have to steep the mint in the hot milk mixture to extract the flavor, but it's so worth it! As usual, I scaled it down for two servings because I'd rather have a large variety of ice creams in my freezer than a lot of one kind. The notes below tell you how to make a bigger batch.
Mint Chip Ice Cream for Two Recipe
Makes two cups
Print this recipe
Note: To make six cups of this ice cream, multiply all the ingredients by three but only use 5 egg yolks. Follow the same process.
2/3 cup whole milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar, divided
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, cream, salt, vanilla, and half of the sugar. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add in the mint leaves and let them steep for 20-30 minutes. Remove the mint leaves and return the mixture to a boil.
While the milk mixture is reheating, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and thick.
When the mixture has come to a boil, slowly whisk it into the eggs. When you have whisked in approximately two-thirds of the milk mixture, return everything to the saucepan. Using a spoon, stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Don't let it boil. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about a few hours. Churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last couple of minutes, add in the chocolate chips.
Source: Adapted from Cuisinart
I'm so glad I got the ice cream suggestion because it is fantastic. It has a wonderful fresh mint flavor that you don't get from the ice cream at the store. It's not artificially colored, and you can choose what kind or how many chips to put in the ice cream. It takes a tad longer than other ice creams to make because you have to steep the mint in the hot milk mixture to extract the flavor, but it's so worth it! As usual, I scaled it down for two servings because I'd rather have a large variety of ice creams in my freezer than a lot of one kind. The notes below tell you how to make a bigger batch.
Mint Chip Ice Cream for Two Recipe
Makes two cups
Print this recipe
Note: To make six cups of this ice cream, multiply all the ingredients by three but only use 5 egg yolks. Follow the same process.
2/3 cup whole milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar, divided
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, cream, salt, vanilla, and half of the sugar. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add in the mint leaves and let them steep for 20-30 minutes. Remove the mint leaves and return the mixture to a boil.
While the milk mixture is reheating, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and thick.
When the mixture has come to a boil, slowly whisk it into the eggs. When you have whisked in approximately two-thirds of the milk mixture, return everything to the saucepan. Using a spoon, stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Don't let it boil. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about a few hours. Churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last couple of minutes, add in the chocolate chips.
Source: Adapted from Cuisinart
