Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Fresh Mint

Name: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Fresh Mint
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 48 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1½ cups (360 ml) whole milk, cold; 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, cold, for warming with the milk; 0.38 cup (75 g) granulated sugar, for warming with the milk; 2 cups, tightly packed (50 g) fresh mint leaves and tender stems, rinsed, patted completely dry, and roughly torn in half; 5 yolks (95 g) large egg yolks, at room temperature; 0.38 cup (75 g) granulated sugar, for whisking with the yolks; ¼ tsp (1½ g) fine sea salt; 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, straight from the fridge, for the chilling bowl; 1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract; ⅛ tsp (0.6 ml) pure peppermint extract, added only if the chilled base tastes too mild (optional); 4 oz (115 g) dark chocolate (60–70% cacao) bar, finely chopped; 2 tsp (10 ml) neutral oil (such as canola or refined coconut oil)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A silky egg-custard ice cream infused with a big handful of fresh mint, then streaked with thin, crisp shards of dark chocolate. The flavor is cool and garden-fresh, not toothpaste-sharp. The color is a soft cream-green, since nothing is dyed.

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 13 min
Wait: 8 hr 50 min
Total: 9 hr 38 min
Makes: About 1½ quarts (1.4 L), 8 servings of ¾ cup

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the mint custard
1½ cups (360 ml) whole milk, cold
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, cold, for warming with the milk
⅓ cup (75 g) granulated sugar, for warming with the milk
2 cups, tightly packed (50 g) fresh mint leaves and tender stems, rinsed, patted completely dry, and roughly torn in half
5 yolks (95 g) large egg yolks, at room temperature
⅓ cup (75 g) granulated sugar, for whisking with the yolks
¼ tsp (1.5 g) fine sea salt
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, straight from the fridge, for the chilling bowl
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
⅛ tsp (0.6 ml) pure peppermint extract, added only if the chilled base tastes too mild (optional)
For the chocolate chips
4 oz (115 g) dark chocolate (60–70% cacao) bar, finely chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) neutral oil (such as canola or refined coconut oil)

Equipment (9)

2½- to 3-quart (2.4–2.8 L) heavy-bottomed saucepan
Ice cream machine (1.5–2 quart / 1.4–1.9 L capacity)
Fine-mesh sieve
Large bowl (3 quart / 2.8 L) for the ice bath, plus a medium bowl (2 quart / 1.9 L) for the chilled base
Heatproof silicone spatula
Instant-read thermometer
Small microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan
Airtight freezer container, 2 quart (1.9 L), ideally shallow, plus parchment paper
Rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment (for the chocolate, optional)

Steps

Before you start

Freeze your ice cream machine's bowl for at least 24 hours (or follow your machine's instructions). It should be solid with no sloshing when shaken.
Plan ahead: the custard needs a 30-minute mint steep and at least 4 hours of chilling (overnight is best), then about 20 minutes of churning and 4 hours of freezing. Total time is about 9½ hours, but most of it is hands-off.
Use fresh, perky spearmint or garden mint, not dried and not wilted. Rinse it and pat it completely dry so you don't dilute the base.
Separate the eggs while they are cold, and save the whites for another use (meringues or an omelet).

1
Melt the chocolate
- Put the 115 g (4 oz) finely chopped dark chocolate and 2 tsp (10 ml) neutral oil in a small microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between each, until about three-quarters melted, usually 40–60 seconds total.
- Stir off the heat until completely smooth.
- Let it cool at room temperature while you make the custard.
- It should stay fluid and feel just barely warm, not hot.
- Also put your frozen machine bowl in place and set the ice bath: fill the large bowl halfway with ice and cold water, and set the medium bowl inside it.
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Ready when: Chocolate is glossy, smooth, and fluid, with no lumps.
Tip: The oil keeps the chocolate thin and brittle when it hits the cold ice cream, so you get delicate flakes instead of hard, waxy chunks.
2
Warm milk and cream
- In the saucepan, combine the milk, 1 cup (240 ml) cream, and 75 g (⅜ cup) sugar.
- Set over medium heat and stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the surface is steaming with small bubbles around the edge, about 5 minutes (about 170°F / 77°C).
- Do not let it boil.
- Remove from the heat.
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Ready when: Steaming, with tiny bubbles at the edge and no sugar granules on the bottom when you scrape with a spatula.
3
Steep the mint
- Add the torn mint to the hot milk mixture and press the leaves under the surface with a spatula so they are all submerged.
- Cover the pan and let it steep for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Don't steep longer than 45 minutes, or the flavor turns grassy and slightly bitter.
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Ready when: The liquid smells strongly of mint and has turned a pale greenish tan.
Tip: Tearing the leaves breaks open the oil glands for a fresher flavor. Don't blend or crush them to a paste, which makes the base look murky and taste grassy.
4
Strain and set up
- Pour 1 cup (240 ml) cold cream into the medium bowl sitting in the ice bath and set the fine-mesh sieve on top.
- Pour the steeped mixture through a second sieve into the saucepan, pressing firmly on the mint with the spatula to squeeze out all the liquid.
- Discard the mint.
- You should have about 2 cups (480 ml) of infused liquid.
- Return the saucepan to the stove and rewarm over medium-low heat until steaming again, about 2 minutes.
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Ready when: Liquid is steaming again but not simmering.
Tip: The mint soaks up some liquid, so pressing hard matters. That's where much of the flavor is.
5
Whisk the yolks
- In a medium bowl, whisk the 5 egg yolks, 75 g (⅜ cup) sugar, and ¼ tsp salt vigorously for about 1 minute, until thick, pale yellow, and slightly ribbony when the whisk is lifted.
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Ready when: Mixture is pale yellow and falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon.
Tip: Whisk the sugar and yolks together promptly. If they sit together undisturbed, the sugar can start to 'cook' the yolks and form specks.
6
Temper the yolks
- While whisking the yolks constantly, slowly drizzle in about 1 cup (240 ml) of the hot infused liquid, a ladleful at a time.
- Then pour the warmed yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining liquid, whisking as you pour.
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Ready when: Mixture is smooth, uniformly pale, and slightly thickened, with no scrambled bits.
Tip: Go slowly with the first few ladlefuls. Pouring hot liquid in too quickly scrambles the yolks.
7
Cook the custard
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and corners with a heatproof spatula in a figure-eight motion, for 6–8 minutes.
- Keep an instant-read thermometer in the custard.
- Remove the pan from the heat when it reaches 175°F (79°C), or when the custard coats the back of the spatula and a finger drawn across it leaves a clean line.
- Do not let it boil.
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Ready when: 175°F (79°C), and the custard coats the spatula so a finger-drawn line holds its shape.
Tip: If the heat creeps above 180°F (82°C) the custard will curdle. If you see any lumps, pull the pan off the heat immediately and keep stirring.
8
Strain and chill
- Immediately pour the hot custard through the sieve into the cold cream in the ice-bath bowl.
- Stir in 1 tsp vanilla.
- Stir for 2 minutes to cool it quickly.
- Taste: if the mint flavor seems faint, stir in up to ⅛ tsp peppermint extract (the flavor mellows and deepens as it chills, so go lightly).
- Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, until the base is thoroughly cold, below 40°F (4°C).
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Ready when: Base is completely cold and noticeably thicker, like heavy pouring cream.
Tip: A warm base makes icy, grainy ice cream and can melt your frozen bowl, so don't rush this step.
9
Churn the ice cream
- Set up the ice cream machine with the frozen bowl and turn it on.
- Pour in the cold custard base, stirring it first if it has settled.
- Churn for 20–25 minutes, or per your machine's instructions, until it looks like thick soft-serve and holds a mark when the paddle passes.
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Ready when: Thick, billowy soft-serve texture that clings to the paddle and has roughly doubled in volume.
Tip: Don't overchurn. Once it stops getting thicker, stop the machine, or it can turn buttery.
10
Add chocolate flakes
- With the machine still running, drizzle the cooled melted chocolate in a thin, steady stream over about 1 minute.
- It hits the cold ice cream and shatters into fine flakes and shards.
- Stop the machine as soon as the last of the chocolate is in.
- If your machine can't run while you pour, stop it, drizzle the chocolate, and fold gently with a spatula for 20 seconds.
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Ready when: Chocolate is evenly dispersed as thin flakes and shards throughout the ice cream.
Tip: Pour the chocolate off to the side of the paddle, not directly onto it, so it doesn't clump.
11
Freeze until firm
- Spoon the soft ice cream into the chilled airtight container, pressing a piece of parchment directly onto the surface.
- Seal and freeze at least 4 hours, until firm enough to scoop cleanly.
- Let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping.
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Ready when: Firm all the way through and scoopable without being rock hard.
Tip: Pre-chilling the container in the freezer for 15 minutes keeps the ice cream from melting as you pack it.

Good to know

Tips

Don't skip straining and pressing the mint. It captures the flavor and leaves a smooth, clean-looking base.
For a deeper green color, add a handful of fresh spinach leaves to the steep. They add color without any taste. Don't use food dye if you want a natural look.
Make sure the base is below 40°F (4°C) before churning for the creamiest texture.
Chop the chocolate finely so it melts evenly and quickly without scorching in the microwave.

Make ahead

The custard base can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Churn it when you're ready. Finished ice cream is best after at least 4 hours of freezing and can be made up to a week in advance.

Storage & reheating

Freezer: store in an airtight container with parchment pressed on the surface for up to 2 weeks for the best texture (safe longer, but it gets icier). Not suitable for room-temperature or refrigerator storage; serve straight from the freezer after 5 minutes of softening on the counter. If it's too hard, rest it 10 minutes at room temperature.

Substitutions

dark chocolate (60–70% cacao) bar → semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips. Use the same weight. Chips contain stabilizers and may give slightly thicker flakes.
fresh mint leaves and tender stems → fresh peppermint or chocolate mint. Peppermint is a bit stronger and cooler, so use about 40 g (1½ cups packed). Chocolate mint gives a rounder flavor.
whole milk → half-and-half. Swap for a richer, creamier ice cream. The texture will be a little softer in the freezer.
neutral oil (such as canola or refined coconut oil) → refined coconut oil. Use the same amount. It firms up faster in the cold ice cream for crisper flakes.