Minty Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Freckles

I brought this ice cream to a party recently. I was glad to share it with good friends; I've eaten a ridiculous amount of my homemade ice cream at home, by myself, after the kids are in bed. And food is for sharing!

I think the ice cream was a hit. A friend friend brought Beet Brownies to the party (awesome way to sneak vegetables in desserts!), and they were the perfect accompaniment.

This recipe is based on the methods in Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. If you want to know more about this book, read the series I recently wrote about it. Here's Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Minty Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Freckles

Special Equipment needed:
Ice Cream Maker
Glass Mixing Bowl with Lid
Immersion Blender (optional)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. grass-fed cream
2 c. grass-fed milk
1/3 c. sugar (I used half sucanat and half organic white sugar)
2 T. local honey
1 T. + 1 t. arrowroot starch
3 T. cream cheese, softened or not
1/8 t. sea salt
1 t. peppermint extract
3/4 t. vanilla extract
4 oz. dark chocolate

Directions:

1. Measure the cream and milk in a glass measuring cup. Pour into a large saucepan, leaving about 2 T. in the measuring cup.
2. Add the honey and sugar to the saucepan and whisk to combine. Heat over medium heat to bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Meanwhile, add the arrowroot to the measuring cup with the remaining milk/cream and whisk to combine.
4. In a medium glass mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and salt. (If you forget to let your cream cheese soften, it's okay. You can use your immersion blender later.)
5. When the cream mixture is gently boiling, whisk in the arrowroot mixture. Continue to heat, stirring with a heat-proof spatula, until it thickens slightly. If you're not sure if it thickened, taste some with a spoon (blow on it first!). Your tongue will know.
6. Whisk the cream mixture into the cream cheese. If your cream cheese wasn't softened, blend with an immersion blender until no lumps remain.
7. Add the peppermint and vanilla extracts, put a lid on the bowl, and chill either in a sink full of ice water or in the fridge. (It's okay to leave it in the fridge overnight if you run out of time!)
8. When the ice cream base is cold, churn in your ice cream maker. 
9. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler (I use a glass measuring cup in a pan of hot water). 
10. When the ice cream is frozen and start to pull away from the sides of the machine (about 25 minutes), pour in the chocolate, a little at a time. Allow it to break up, assisting it with a spoon if necessary. You want little freckles, not giant globs.
11. Transfer to a freezer-safe container with a lid. Work quickly so it doesn't melt!
12. Place in the freezer to chill for at least four hours before eating.

 My favorite part of making ice cream is scraping all the delicious bits out of the ice cream maker and eating it right off of the spatula. I invite you to do the same. :)

And then bring it to a party and share the ice-cream love!

If you try this recipe, I'd love to know what you think! 

This is part of: Pennywise Platter Thursday, Keep it Real Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Figure Friendly Comfort Foods, Fight Back Friday, Freaky Friday, Make Your Own Monday, Monday Mania, Weekend Gourmet

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