Mint Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Happy Wednesday!
I’m here to introduce you to the most popular treat in my freezer- Mint Cookies and Cream Ice Cream. I’ve mentioned my abundance of garden mint before, but things have gotten even wilder! This mint is taking over the garden like a boss! I’ve been thinking about making mint ice cream with it for a few weeks, but a little twist came to me when I discovered Newman-O’s Hint-O-Mint cookies. They’re just like Oreos, but with a creamy mint filling. The perfect add-in for mint ice cream.
Now, this is not your run-of-the-mill mint ice cream. The fresh flavor that comes from steeping the mint is crisp and lingers on the tongue- you won’t find anything like it in the store. The mint ice cream alone would be a great palate cleanser at the end of a meal or between courses, but I prefer it doctored up with the cookies. If you’re a fan of regular Cookies and Cream, you’ll be in love with this brisk, minty edition.
If you don’t have the fresh mint, you can still make the ice cream with some mint extract (not peppermint!) and I’m sure it will be tasty, too. Whatever you do, stock your freezer with cool desserts like this for easy summer entertaining. Or just come share a scoop with me- that giant mint patch guarantees that there will be gallons and gallons in my deep freezer at all times.
Mint Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
adapted from David Lebovitz
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream, divided
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
- 5 large egg yolks
- 10-15 mint cream-filled chocolate cookies, like Newman-O’s Hint-O-Mint
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream, salt, and mint.
- Once the mixture is hot and steaming, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for an hour to infuse the mint flavor.
- Remove the mint with a strainer, then press down with a spatula firmly to extract as much mint flavor and color as possible. (You can also use well-washed hands to do it as well, making sure the mixture isn’t too hot to safely handle.) Once the flavor is squeezed out, discard the mint.
- Pour the remaining heavy cream into a large bowl and set the strainer over the top.
- Rewarm the infused milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, then slowly pour some of the warm mint mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.
- Cook the custard, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. If using an instant read thermometer, it should read around 170ºF (77ºC).
- Immediately strain the mixture into the cream, then stir the mixture over an ice bath until cool.
- Refrigerate the mixture thoroughly, preferably overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- While the mixture is freezing, melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pot of simmering water, or in a microwave oven on low power, stirring until smooth. Place a storage container in the freezer.
- When the ice cream in the machine is ready, scribble some of the chocolate into the container, then add a layer of the just-churned ice cream to the container. Scribble melted chocolate over the top of the ice cream, then quickly stir it in, breaking up the chocolate into irregular pieces. Continue layering the ice cream, scribbling more chocolate and stirring as you go.
- When finished, cover and freeze until firm.
Looks delicious! You said not to use peppermint extract, but I have fresh peppermint in my garden… Do you think it would work for this?
Any type of fresh mint should work well for this. I say not to use the peppermint extract because it has a stronger, more distinct flavor than the mint extract. It will taste more like a peppermint patty and not like mint chip ice cream. Try your mint and let me know how you like it!
Ohhhhhh yummmmmm. This is amazing. And especially great is the fact that my bf is not a mint fan. More for ME!
I can’t get mint (or basil for that matter) to grow here for the life of me. Go figure when I had it (basil) taking over my tiny garden in GA. Send me some of your mint juju, because that ice cream looks heavenly and absolutely perfect for a summer treat!
I have a field of mint growing in my yard that desperately needs to be put to some good use… Can’t wait to try this ice cream. It looks fabulous!
This is one of my favorite ice cream flavors, but I’ve never made it homemade. I love that you used fresh mint from the garden…it makes it perfectly summery 🙂