Jeni’s backyard mint chocolate chip ice cream is bound to be one of your new favorites! It’s smooth, creamy and minty!
Looks like 2015 is starting off as the Year of Ice Cream around these parts. I was so blown away by the salty caramel ice cream recipe that I immediately set out to make another one of Jeni’s recipes. Since mint chocolate chip is my favorite flavor, it only made sense that I tried making it next.
The ice cream base starts off the same as the salty caramel flavor – you make a cornstarch slurry, set aside a bowl with cream cheese and salt mixed together and then boil milk, sugar and cream in a saucepan. Finally, you mix it everything together, allow it to cool and churn. Simple enough.
Similar to the salty caramel flavor, this batch of Jeni’s backyard mint chocolate chip ice cream was extremely creamy and smooth. The ice cream melted in my mouth, and it definitely puts the store-bought mint chocolate chip ice cream to shame.
Maybe I should invest in Jeni’s ice cream cookbook. What do you think?
P.S. I am already thinking about my next batch of Jeni’s ice cream, so stay tuned.
Jeni's backyard mint chocolate chip ice cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk divided
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 and ½ ounces (3 Tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 and ¼ cups heavy cream
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon mint extract
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix 2 Tablespoons of milk with the cornstarch to make a slurry. Set this aside. Reserve the remaining milk and keep it separate.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese with the sea salt until well combined. Set a fine mesh sieve above it and set aside.
- In a medium sized saucepan, heat the cream, remaining milk, sugar and corn syrup on medium to medium-high heat until boiling. Allow the mixture to boil for 4 minutes.
- Take the saucepan off the stove and very carefully add the cornstarch/milk slurry. Mix until everything is well incorporated and put the pan back on the stove. Allow the mixture to come back to a boil and until the liquid becomes slightly thicker, about 1 minute.
- Turn off the stove and pour the liquid through the sieve into the large bowl with the cream cheese/salt. Add the mint extract and mix well until everything is fully incorporated.
- At this point, you have two options. You can either set the ice cream over an ice bath (pour the contents into a large zip-top bag, seal it shut and place it over a large bowl with ice cubes), or put it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
- Once the mixture is completely cool, churn it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Fold in the chopped chocolate by hand.
- Pour the ice cream into a container and set it in the freezer until it has hardened (at least 4 hours).