Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I made this Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream a few weeks back and, let me tell you, this is the best ice cream I have ever made. The other times I've made ice cream at home, the ice cream has either been too sweet or had an artificial taste. This ice cream, on the other hand, tasted just like the store-bought ice cream. This recipe is definitely a winner! 

Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Source: Darryn M. Briggs on Allrecipes.com

2 cups 2% milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, stir together the milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

After about 10 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened, about 30 minutes later, spoon into a container, and freeze for 2 hours.
 

Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream

Today is my first class. I'm feeling a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and dread. Dread mostly because Cati doesn't want to nap today and I'm afraid that's going to sap all my energy and make me a blob of a person in the classroom. Not what I want for a first impression!

To celebrate going back to school and to give me a little sugar pick-me-up before I leave, I present you with this lovely recipe for Cookies n Cream Ice Cream. I love making ice cream from scratch, but my complaint is always the same: it's too sweet. On it's own, the vanilla ice cream was too sweet for me, but, surprisingly enough, once the Oreos where mixed in the ice cream tasted less sweet. I also always feel like I'm cheating on my favorite store-bought ice cream when I make ice cream at home. Anyone else feel that way?

The next time I make this ice cream I will be reducing the sugar. I also won't cut the Oreos into as small of chunks as I did because the 3 minutes in the maker were enough to literally crush the cookies to little bits. 


Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream
Source: Sweet Tooth who adapted from Baked Bree

1-1/2 cups whole milk
1-1/8 cups sugar
3 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp vanilla
15 Oreos, crushed

Make sure your ice cream maker is in the freezer for at least 24 hours before starting this recipe.

Stir the milk and sugar together in a medium-sized bowl until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Mix in the cream and vanilla. Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine and let it run for the manufacturer's recommended time. Add the oreos in about 3 minutes before the time is up.

Put the ice cream in the freezer to firm up completely.

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

David Lebovitz describes his Vanilla Frozen Yogurt as being tangy and I couldn't agree more. I tried to think of a better word to describe this frozen treat, but I didn't get much farther than tangy (unless tart counts). This frozen yogurt tastes exactly like frozen yogurt. I know you must be thinking, "Duh Steph" but when you go out and get frozen yogurt you are not getting this dessert. You are getting something sweeter and more like a vanilla soft serve. The frozen yogurt works perfectly fine on its own but it also lends itself to being paired up with anything you can think of. I decided to pair my frozen yogurt with chocolate syrup, caramel sauce, and honey roasted nuts (think: Snickers).

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

3 cups yogurt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for an hour. Then, freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

I Scream, You Scream

I'm so happy I tried this recipe. It doesn't taste like your store-bought ice cream sandwiches but they are still good. The sandwiches are made using a chocolate sheet cake and I was amazed at how well the cake held up after being frozen. It didn't stiffen one bit and none of the chocolaty flavor was lost. Alex called the dessert "amazing" but added that dipping the sandwich in a chocolate sauce that hardened would have made the sandwiches "even more amazing."

Ice Cream Sandwich
Source: Joy of Baking (here)
Makes 8 ice cream sandwiches

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (100 grams) white granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (65 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups (2 pints) ice cream (any flavor), slightly softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 10 x 15 inch (25 x 38 cm) rimmed baking sheet. Then line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch (5 cm) overhang on the two shorter sides.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and stir until combined and smooth. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cake is dry to the touch and the edges just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Using the paper overhang, gently lift the cake onto a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut the cake in half crosswise. Place one half of the cake, top side down, on a large piece of plastic wrap. Spread with the softened ice cream, smoothing with an offset spatula. Top with the remaining half of cake, top side up. Place the assembled dessert back into the baking pan and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the freezer until firm, about two hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, remove the dessert from the freezer, unwrap, and with a serrated knife, cut into eight rectangles. Wipe the knife with a damp kitchen towel or paper towel between each slice. Can serve immediately or wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and place back into the freezer. Can be stored in the freezer up to one week.

TWD: Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream

I'm a vanilla ice cream kind of girl (actually, I'm a bubble gum ice cream kind of girl but for the sake of simplicity I say vanilla), but every now and then I NEED chocolate ice cream. I was beyond happy when I saw that Katrina of Baking and Boys chose Dorie's Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream as her pick because I was having one of those I-need-chocolate-ice-cream moments. This ice cream is delicious. No, it's more than that. It's luxuriant. It's rich, silky, and overflowing with sultry chocolateness. I paired my ice cream with a heaping amount of whipped cream because I just love the combination of chocolate and whipped cream. I was actually sad when it was all gone. But then I was happy because I realized I can make this ice cream whenever I want since I always have the ingredients in my kitchen.

Thanks Katrina for your awesome selection! Make sure to head to her blog for the recipe and don't forget to go to the TWD site to read about what the other bakers thought of this ice cream.

Bubble Gum Dreams

One of my favorite childhood memories is eating bubble gum ice cream. I used to eat it all the time as a little girl in Chicago and I remember missing it when we first moved to Florida. It took me several years to discover a place that sold bubble gum ice cream, but when I did I was ecstatic. Swensen's bubble gum ice cream took me back to Chicago and it made my world just a little bit brighter. I had to beg Alex to take me to Swensen's because he finds my obsession with bubble gum ice cream a little weird. This ice cream is amazing and it tastes just like gum balls. One day, when I'm not feeling lazy, I will actually make this ice cream (check out this great looking recipe).

Heaven on Ice

I wish I could take the whole thing home.

Peanut Butter Yum

As soon as I saw the recipe for Peanut Butter Ice Cream on Milk & Honey's blog I knew I had to make this ice cream. I thought Alex would propose to me all over again because I made him something with peanut butter in it. Why would he propose again, you ask? Because I am weird. I am not a fan of peanut butter in any kind of dessert. I can sit and eat a whole tub of peanut butter on its own but the moment you put it in a dessert I won't touch it. I just don't like the taste. So for me to make this ice cream was a real treat because it means Alex did something special to deserve it. And he did do something special...he got good grades in school! I swear I treat the man like a little kid sometimes. However, if you would have seen his expression when he tried this ice cream you would have thought he was a little kid because he loved it so much :)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Source: Bruce Weinstein's The Ultimate Ice Cream Book (here)

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

Directions
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the eggs until thickened and pale yellow. Set aside.

Bring the milk to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Slow beat the hot milk into the eggs and sugar. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stire constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble. Remove from the heat and beat in the peanut butter. Pour the hot custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl. Allow the peanut butter custard to cool slightly. Stir in the cream and vanilla. Cover and refigerate until cold or overnight.

Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in your ice cream machine according to the instructions. Add chocolate chips when ice cream is semi-frozen. Allow the machine to mix in the chips. Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least two hours.

With some chocolate chip cookies..yum!

Chocolate Strawberry Bliss Cupcakes

How cool do ice cream cupcakes sound!? I bet you are jumping out of your seats and exclaiming, "That is so freaking cool!" Oh you aren't that excited? Well, what's wrong with you? When is the last time you had an ice cream cupcake? If you haven't had one in the last six months, then you should be very excited about this post.

I came across this event hosted by Cupcake Project and Scoopalicious one day while browsing the good old internet. The event was all about putting your creative hat on and making an ice cream cupcake. I was immediately drawn to the idea of making ice cream and cupcakes and combining the two into something delicious. I knew I wanted to make something fun and colorful. I ran a whole slew of combinations in my mind and pictured what would look the best until I reached a combination I was satisfied with. I decided to be efficient and use the white chocolate cupcakes I had made earlier in the day and top it off with some homemade strawberry ice cream. It gets better though because I decided to top that with some delicious white chocolate frosting and a cute strawberry slice.

For more information about the event, make sure to check here. I had a lot of fun making these and I'm sure you would too, so give it a go!

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
Source: Whole Foods

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar

Set aside 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries. In a blender or food processor, combine remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. Add reserved slices. Pour into ice cream maker and finish according to manufacturer's directions. (It's 20 minutes of a Cuisinart ice cream maker).

For this event it's best to halve the original cupcake recipe. This will yield 12 half-filled cupcakes liners.

These are other tips that Stef has posted on her blog:

How to Make Ice Cream Cupcakes

A simple ice cream cupcake is just cake on the bottom, ice cream on the top, and some frosting.

1. Use any cake recipe you like. Just fill your cupcake liners half as full as you normally would. You don't want the cake to come to the top because you want to leave lots of room for ice cream. Bake as normal, although you may need to cut baking times a bit since there is less cake.
2. When the cupcakes are done baking, let them come to room temperature and stick them in the freezer. I froze mine right in the cupcake tins to make it easy.
3. Remove the cupcakes from the freezer and use a spatula to cover the cupcake with ice cream. I worked with ice cream that was out of the freezer for just a couple of minutes. It was still hard but not so hard that I couldn't spread it.
4. Return the cupcakes to the freezer and wait for the ice cream to get hard again.
5. After the ice cream is hard again, you can further smooth the tops by dipping your spatula in hot water and running it over the top of the cupcakes.
6. Frost the cupcakes with your favorite frosting - I think a cream cheese frosting works best. You can also frost the cupcakes with ice cream. The words "Ice" and "Cream" in the photo above were frosted with ice cream. I found this to be REALLY hard. As I tried to pipe the ice cream, it would melt and as soon as it melted it wouldn't hold any shape. If anyone knows a good way to do this, please write about it!