Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (Printable)

Creamy frozen dessert featuring fresh mint flavor and crunchy chocolate chips for a cooling treat.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 2 cups heavy cream
02 - 1 cup whole milk

→ Sweeteners

03 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar

→ Egg Base

04 - 4 large egg yolks

→ Flavorings

05 - 1 1/2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract
06 - 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
07 - Optional: a few drops green food coloring

→ Add-Ins

08 - 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (mini or chopped)

# Method:

01 - Combine heavy cream, whole milk, and half the sugar in a medium saucepan; heat over medium until steaming but not boiling.
02 - In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with remaining sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
03 - Slowly add about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture to the yolks while whisking constantly to temper.
04 - Return the yolk mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon (170–175°F). Do not boil.
05 - Remove from heat; stir in peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and green food coloring if using.
06 - Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl; cool to room temperature then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight.
07 - Churn chilled custard in an ice cream maker per manufacturer instructions; add chocolate chips during the last few minutes of churning.
08 - Transfer to a lidded container and freeze for 2–4 hours until firm before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The mint flavor tastes brighter and more natural than anything from a carton, without that artificial toothpaste edge.
  • You control the sweetness and the chocolate ratio, so every bite can be exactly how you like it.
  • It's surprisingly forgiving once you get the hang of tempering eggs, and the results feel fancy without much fuss.
02 -
  • If you cook the custard too fast or too hot, the eggs will scramble and you'll end up with sweet mint-flavored scrambled eggs, which is as bad as it sounds.
  • Chilling the custard completely before churning makes a huge difference in texture, so don't rush it even if you're impatient like I was the first time.
  • Add the chocolate chips at the very end of churning, or they'll sink to the bottom and clump together instead of distributing evenly.
03 -
  • Use a thermometer the first few times you make custard so you learn what the right thickness looks and feels like, then you can go by instinct.
  • If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour the custard into a shallow pan and freeze it, stirring vigorously every 30 minutes for the first few hours to break up ice crystals.
  • A splash of vodka or other alcohol in the custard keeps the texture softer and more scoopable straight from the freezer, though it's totally optional.
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