Mint ice cream is a standard ice cream base recipe enriched with the flavor of mint. The recipe can be expanded to include other ingredients such as chocolate chips, strawberries, or bourbon. Prepared ice cream can be eaten alone or used to make milkshakes, ice cream sandwiches, or ice cream cakes and tortes.
A basic mint ice cream recipe gets its creaminess from a combination of whole milk and heavy cream, which are boiled and combined with egg. Sweetness can come from sugar that is blended with the mint in a food processor then added to the cream mixture. The entire batch is placed in an ice cream maker and prepared according to package directions. Specialty machines are required for preparing ice cream, as it won't set up properly in a standard freezer.
Mint ice cream can be customized through the addition of stir-in ingredients, with chocolate chips or flakes as the most popular option. Chopped fruits, such as strawberries or blueberries, are another possibility. The addition of bourbon can make a more adult version of the dessert, while spices such as basil or turmeric can add a hint of unusual but complimentary flavor.
Milkshakes are easily made using either the standard mint ice cream or a version with add-ins. The mint ice cream is simply scooped into a blender and combined with milk to thin out the texture. The proportions of ice cream to milk can be experimented with in order to create thicker and thinner versions of the milkshake. Whipped cream, chocolate sauce, or mint candies can be added to the top as an accent.
Ice cream sandwiches are a dessert featuring two cookie-like layers sandwiching mint ice cream between them. The outer layers can be made with chocolate chip, shortbread, or plain chocolate cookies. Cookies used for this purpose should be sturdy enough to support the ice cream, which needs to be firm when placed between the cookies or it will melt and create a mess.
A mint ice cream cake can be made for a summer gathering or as a birthday cake alternative. The cake can be made entirely of ice cream, layered into a cake dish over a crust of chocolate cookie crumbs. Another possibility is alternate layers of the ice cream with chocolate cake. Ice cream cakes will need to be frozen until firm enough to hold together well.
