Peppermint + creamy white chocolate = ice cream heaven! These two flavors combine to create a divinely refreshing, smooth frozen treat perfect for the winter holidays.
And, equally as perfect for a hot summer's night! When in doubt, remember it's white chocolate peppermint ice cream to the rescue.
Homemade Ice Cream is so worthwhile
If you've never made homemade ice cream before, I would highly recommend you dive in headfirst starting... NOW.
Not only is it easier than you think it to be, it's also so much fun to come up with new flavor combinations. And, of course there's the whole you-know-what's-in-it-if-you-make-it-yourself thing. A huge plus in my opinion.
Mellowing out Peppermint Ice Cream
Peppermint was always a flavor I really disliked when I was a kid. I could never understand why people would want to grab a mint from a restaurant on the way out.
Or, why kids loved peppermint candy canes so much.
Now? Well, I simply can't get enough of it! The only problem I faced when attempting this homemade peppermint ice cream recipe was trying not to have it taste like toothpaste.
Harsh and overly minty was not what I was going for here.
The perfect solution? Combining peppermint with white chocolate! I could have gone for a more traditional approach here and added semi-sweet chocolate to this ice cream.
However, I was trying to mimic one of my fave peppermint stick ice cream recipes from this little scoop shop near where I went to college.
Sadly, it's no longer there, but the memories of their homemade, creamy, smooth peppermint stick ice cream will always stick (pun intended!) with me.
I found that for this recipe, the white chocolate really helped to mellow out the sharp bite of the peppermint while adding depth and richness to the ice cream. Peppermint Ice cream perfection!
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Temper your eggs into the ice cream base. This is a critical step. If you add raw egg yolks to the hot milk/cream mixture, you will end up with scrambled eggs. Instead, whisk your eggs in a separate bowl while the milk/cream mixture is coming up to temperature. Gently dip a ½ cup measuring cup into the mixture to fill it up, and while continuing to whisk the eggs with one hand, very slowly pour in the milk mixture. Keep whisking for a few seconds after you’ve finished pouring. Then slowly pour the egg mixture you just whisked back into the pot with the remainder of the milk/cream while whisking the milk/cream with one hand. Continue whisking for a few seconds after you’ve finished pouring. This will ensure your egg yolks get incorporated and not scrambled
- The ice cream base needs to be 100% cooled in order to use in a standard ice cream maker. The bowl of the ice cream maker is frozen and needs to remain as cold as possible in order for the ice cream to churn and turn into ice cream. This requires a little bit of patience to cool the ice cream base, I know. However, it’s well worthwhile. If the bowl gets too warm, it won’t turn into ice cream so it will all be for naught anyway. Take the time, at least 4 hours but preferably overnight, to sufficiently chill your ice cream base before churning it. Also be sure you’ve frozen the bowl of the ice cream maker (if you have this model or a similar one) at least overnight so it’s sufficiently frozen
- I find homemade ice cream made in an ice cream maker is best when frozen for a few hours before consuming. Don't get me wrong, waiting for it to freeze is very difficult! However, I find the ice cream to be too soupy when served straight from the machine. A spoonful from the machine to taste should tide you over until it's ready to be scooped!
Useful Kitchen Tools for Making White Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream
Ice Cream Freezer Storage Container
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream divided
- 3 tablespoons nonfat milk powder
- 1 cup chopped white chocolate or white chocolate peppermint chunks
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 10-12 crushed peppermint candies or 4-5 crushed candy canes
Instructions
Prepare White Chocolate:
- In a saucepan, bring ¾ cup heavy cream and 3 tablespoons nonfat milk powder to a simmer.
- In a separate bowl, place chopped white chocolate.
- Pour hot cream mixture over white chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Set aside
Prepare Ice Cream Base:
- In another small pot, simmer remaining ¾ cup heavy cream, milk, sugar and salt until sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks.
- Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks to temper the eggs, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream.
- Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170º degrees F on an instant-read thermometer).
- Once ice cream base has come to temperature, remove from heat and stir in white chocolate mixture and peppermint extract.
- Strain ice cream base through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours or overnight
Churn Ice Cream:
- Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- About 2 minutes before ice cream has finished churning, slowly pour in crushed peppermint candies.
- Serve directly from the machine for soft serve, or store in freezer until needed
Notes
- Ice cream should be stored in an airtight, freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months
- Ice cream base recipe adapted from NYTimes.com
Nutrition
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Comments
Jen
Mmmm - peppermint! Definitely a favorite
Kimberlee Ho
What could be better, right?! Thanks so much for making it and sharing your experience!
Robin Smith
Very creamy and rich - the white chocolate balances the peppermint nicely. I did 2 tsp of peppermint extract and the recipe doesn't specify how much salt - I added 1/8 tsp. Also, I didn't find that 170 degrees was even close to getting the custard temp - I took it to around 200 degrees.
Kimberlee Ho
I'm so glad you love this recipe! It is definitely rich and creamy! The salt measurement is 1/8 teaspoon - that's been updated in the recipe, thanks for pointing it out!