Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (Printable Version)

A cool, creamy frozen dessert with fresh mint flavor and chocolate chip crunch.

# What You 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)

# How to Make It:

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 separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
03 - Slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly to temper.
04 - Return yolk mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon, reaching 170–175°F (77–80°C). Avoid boiling.
05 - Remove from heat. Stir in peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and food coloring if desired.
06 - Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight.
07 - Churn chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add chocolate chips during the final minutes of churning.
08 - Transfer to a lidded container and freeze for 2 to 4 hours until firm before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The mint flavor tastes impossibly fresh because you're building it yourself, not relying on extract alone.
  • That custard base creates a silky texture that store-bought ice cream can't quite match, and it's genuinely worth the extra step.
  • Watching the chocolate chips get scattered in during the final churn feels like you're crafting something special, which you are.
02 -
  • The tempering step isn't fussy—it's the difference between silky ice cream and one with little cooked egg bits, so slow and steady really does win here.
  • If you're tempted to skip the chilling step and churn right away, resist; the mixture needs to be truly cold or your ice cream will turn out soft and icy instead of creamy.
03 -
  • If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can freeze the chilled custard in a shallow container and stir it every thirty minutes for three to four hours, though the texture won't be quite as smooth.
  • A thermometer takes the guesswork out of the custard—it tells you exactly when you've hit that sweet spot where the eggs are cooked but the mixture is still silky.
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