Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Fresh mint leaves and dark chocolate come together in this creamy no-churn ice cream made without mint extract or an ice cream maker.
Servings 8
Calories 2851
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream cold
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk one 14-ounce can
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ cup finely chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate chips
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil optional, for chocolate ripple
- green gel food coloring optional, for color
Mint Syrup (yields about ¼ cup syrup)
- 1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- Make the mint syrup: Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the mint immediately. Cover and steep for 20 to 30 minutes, tasting after 20 minutes and continuing until the mint flavor is as strong as you'd like.
- Strain and chill: Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, firmly pressing the mint with the back of a spoon to extract the syrup. Measure ¼ cup and chill completely in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Prepare the chocolate: Melt ¼ cup dark chocolate chips with the coconut oil until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Make the ice cream base: Combine the cold heavy cream, condensed milk, ¼ cup cold mint syrup, salt, and green gel coloring, if using. Adjust the color now, while the mixture is still liquid.
- Beat with an electric mixer until very thick and fluffy, about 3 minutes or longer, depending on your equipment. When you drag a spoon through the mixture, the trail should hold its shape without collapsing. Don't over-whip.
Video
Notes
Notes
The mint syrup must be completely cold before adding it to the cream. Don't boil the mint leaves; steeping them off the heat gives you a fresher mint flavor. If using food coloring, add it before whipping. Once the mixture is thick, stop beating it. The chocolate-and-coconut-oil mixture isn't meant to stay as a soft ripple. It freezes into thin, crisp chocolate shards.
Erren's Top Tips
Keep everything cold. Thoroughly chill the cream and mint syrup before whipping.
Don't boil the mint. Add it after removing the sugar syrup from the heat. You're infusing the syrup, not cooking the leaves.
Measure the syrup after steeping. Use ¼ cup in the ice cream regardless of how much your batch produces. Too much additional liquid can make the finished ice cream icier.
Go easy on the food coloring. Gel coloring is concentrated. Start with the smallest amount you can get onto the tip of a toothpick and build from there.
Chop the chocolate finely. Large chunks become extremely hard when frozen. Smaller pieces give you chocolate in every bite without fighting your spoon.
Watch the cream, not the clock. Stop whipping once the mixture is thick and holds medium peaks. Over-whipping can make the finished ice cream heavier or slightly buttery.
Give it enough freezer time. Six hours is the minimum, but overnight gives you the most consistent scooping texture.
Variations & Add-Ins
Mint Oreo: Fold roughly chopped chocolate sandwich cookies into the base along with or instead of the chocolate chips. Mint Brownie: Add small cubes of fudgy brownie just before transferring the mixture to the pan. Chocolate Mint: Whisk a few tablespoons of sifted cocoa powder into the condensed milk before adding the remaining ingredients. Extra Stracciatella: Skip the chocolate chips and increase the thin chocolate ripple for lots of delicate chocolate shards throughout the ice cream. White Chocolate Mint: Swap the dark chocolate for finely chopped white chocolate for a sweeter version. Natural Color: Skip the food coloring altogether. Fresh mint doesn't naturally turn cream bright green, and the pale cream-colored version makes it obvious that the flavor comes from real mint leaves.Storage & Freezing
Store the ice cream tightly covered in a freezer-safe container. For extra protection against ice crystals, press plastic wrap or parchment directly against the surface before covering the container. For the best texture, I like it within about 2 weeks, although properly covered no-churn ice cream can be kept longer. If it becomes very firm after extended freezing, leave it at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping. Don't thaw and refreeze the entire container repeatedly. Scoop what you need and return the rest to the freezer.Nutrition
Calories: 2851 | Carbohydrates: 172g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 233g | Saturated Fat: 165g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 44g | Cholesterol: 540mg | Sodium: 341mg | Potassium: 1852mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 126g | Vitamin A: 8929IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 975mg | Iron: 5mg