This recipe holds loads of nostalgia for me as it’s my childhood favorite: so this homemade version is my dream come true. We’ve cracked the code to making this popular ice cream flavor at home! My 4-year-old self would be proud.
“The mint flavor was the perfect amount and the bittersweet chocolate was an excellent complement. The texture over storage time was completely consistent – tastes delicious, scooped perfectly. 100% will make again!” -Nicole “My husband told me, ‘This is exactly what I look for in mint chocolate chip ice cream. It’s the perfect level of mint and the right ratio of chocolate: I get some in every bite. I kindly request you make this again!’” -Brianna
Whole milk Heavy cream Cornstarch Granulated sugar Vanilla and peppermint extract Green food coloring Bittersweet chocolate Neutral oil
Make the color as green as you like, or omit the food coloring. To us, mint chocolate chip ice cream should be mint green. But if you’re a purist about food coloring in your desserts, we get it. Omit the food coloring and it tastes just as good! The color will look pretty extreme before churning but it evens out afterwards. Peppermint extract is very strong. All you need is ½ teaspoon here. You’re welcome to use more, but we found it had an aftertaste of alcohol with more extract. Use the vanilla extract too! Using only peppermint extract tastes a little one note. Add the vanilla extract and it balances out the flavors. (Trust us!)
Straciatella is the name of a gelato flavor with a vanilla base and irregular-shaped shreds of chocolate (inspired by the Italian soup of the same name). Traditionally melted chocolate is poured into the ice cream towards the end of churning, where it solidifies and then gets broken into very small pieces. How to do it? In this recipe, we add melted chocolate to the cold ice cream after churning and stir with a spoon (instead of continuing to churn). This achieves large chocolate chunks instead of the very fine chunks in straciatella. Adding a bit of oil to the chocolate makes the chocolate pieces have a softer, easier to bite texture. (It’s similar to Graeter’s ice cream chocolate chunks, if you are familiar with this brand!) Of course, you can skip the melting altogether and just stir in chocolate chunks…but this method is 100% worth it.
Freezer bowl ice cream maker (inexpensive). Find any sort of freezer bowl ice cream maker for the most economical choice. Here’s the 2 quart freezer bowl ice cream maker we use; it’s a little more expensive but it’s held up well. Make sure to freeze the base of the ice cream maker overnight before making this recipe. Automatic ice cream maker (expensive but easy to use). Do you make ice cream often? You might want to consider this automatic ice cream maker, which is larger and more expensive. However, it requires no pre-freezing, so you can make ice cream any time you please! You can also make multiple batches back to back without needing to freeze the base again.
Make the custard (5 minutes): Simmer the cornstarch, whole milk and sugar 4 to 5 minutes. Then add the heavy cream, more milk, vanilla, peppermint extract, food coloring, and salt. Cool the custard (30 minutes): Cool down the custard before churning it. We typically transfer the mixture to a large metal or glass bowl and place the bowl in a smaller bowl of ice water for 1 hour. Churn (25 minutes): Churn the ice cream in the ice cream maker. Add chocolate (10 minutes): Melt the chocolate and oil in the microwave. Place half the ice cream in a loaf pan, drizzle in the chocolate, and break it into pieces and stir in with a spoon. Repeat, then add the remaining half ice cream and repeat. Freeze for hard ice cream texture (at least 2 hours): Freeze the ice cream for 2 to 4 hours for a scoop-able, hard ice cream texture (or eat right away for soft serve).
Grab Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, with a vanilla base using the same chocolate method Go for our classic Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Ice Cream, or buzz-worthy Coffee Ice Cream Opt for our Homemade Ice Cream, or go dairy free with Vegan Ice Cream Try Cheesecake Ice Cream or Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Opt for Rocky Road Ice Cream or Cookie Dough Ice Cream Opt for seasonal Peach Ice Cream, Lavender Ice Cream, or Peppermint Ice Cream
5 from 1 review
