Fresh Mint & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Fresh Mint & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is probably my favourite flavour of ice cream.
And whether you have an all-singing, all-dancing ice cream maker, a simple one like mine, or none at all, this creamy, fresh and indulgent treat is really easy.
Jump to Recipe
FRESH MINT & CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM
In this recipe it’s the fresh mint that makes all the difference.
Yes, there’s a few drops of peppermint extract in there. But only because I’ve an ancient bottle of the stuff in the cupboard. You don’t actually need it.
Anyway, I much prefer the taste of fresh spearmint from the garden with its slightly sweet edge.
Also, while I’ve called it Fresh Mint & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, that’s a bit of a misnomer.
Because, rather than using boring old chocolate chips, I pour melted dark chocolate into the cold mixture as it churns.
This creates irregular sized shards of chocolate. The Italian word for this is stracciatella which means little tatters or shreds. I think the effect is much nicer than uniform bullets of chocolate chips from a packet.
By the way, you don’t need a fancy ice cream maker to make ice cream. In the recipe card at the end of the post I give instructions for making by hand or machine.
My own ice cream maker is a very simple one. You need to remember to put the inner bowl in the freezer the night before, but it does save on the periodic whisking needed if making by hand.
EASY METHOD
All you do to make this creamy, fresh and indulgent treat is:
- Warm milk, sugar and fresh mint until the sugar dissolves.
- Leave to go cold while the milk takes up the minty flavour.
- Strain, then stir in double cream and optional mint extract.
- Churn, adding the melted chocolate & finely chopped fresh mint when the ice cream’s nearly ready (if making by hand, pop in the freezer and whisk every hour to prevent ice crystals forming, stirring in the chocolate and chopped mint half way through).
I think this is one of the most perfect ice cream flavours there is. Sweet and creamy, but with the fresh, herby taste of mint and studded with pieces of dark, slightly bitter chocolate.
Have you made this ice cream? Rate the recipe and let me know what you thought!
If you like mint, you might also want to try my homemade Mint Cordial.
Fresh Mint & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Fresh mint & cool shards of melted chocolate give this ice cream the edge. Easy with or without an ice cream maker.
Ingredients
- 200 ml milk
- 50 g sugar
- 1 large handful mint leaves left whole
- 200 ml double cream
- 2-4 drops peppermint extract optional
- 75 g dark chocolate
- 2 tsp finely chopped mint leaves
Instructions
-
If you have an ice cream maker which requires the inner bowl to be left in the freezer overnight, don't forget to do that the day before!
-
Put the milk, sugar and mint leaves in a saucepan over a low heat.
Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then take off the heat.
Pour into a suitable container, put in the fridge and leave until completely cold.
-
Put a sieve over a jug and pour in the mixture. Discard the mint leaves in the sieve.
-
Stir the double cream into the milk, plus the peppermint extract if using.
Mixture can be returned to the fridge at this point, including overnight, if convenient.
-
MAKING THE ICE CREAM
a. USING AN ICE CREAM MAKER
If necessary, remove your ice cream maker's inner bowl from the freezer and put it into the ice cream maker.
Following the manufacturer's instructions, pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn.
When the mixture is almost ready, melt the chocolate (I use a microwave, using 10 second blasts & stirring in between), then drizzle it in as the ice cream is churning, along with the finely chopped mint.
Transfer to a suitable container and freeze until your preferred consistency is reached.
b. MAKING BY HAND
Put the mixture in a freezer box and freeze for 1 hour.
Remove from the freezer, stir or whisk well to break up ice crystals then return to the freezer for another hour.
Melt the chocolate (see above).
Remove the ice cream from the freezer, whisk, then drizzle in the chocolate plus the finely chopped mint. Lightly stir and mix in.
Return to the freezer for another hour, remove and stir again.
Return to the freezer until your preferred consistency is reached.
Recipe Notes
If the ice cream has been in the freezer for some time, before eating transfer the container to the fridge for 30-60 minutes until it's at your preferred consistency.
Best eaten in 2-4 days.