This ice cream is so exciting. It took me two days to make it and it is absolutely perfect. It's so perfect that I find myself bringing it up to folks I run into, as if I've got some juicy, interesting story to tell. "You'll never guess what I've just discovered!" And as I delve in to all of the fascinating details, the person I'm talking to pretends to be interested. 

But it is fascinating!.

This ice cream doesn't have any artificial peppermint flavour.  Absolutely all of the flavour comes from the mint leaves and their stems. Perhaps that's what's so exciting. The flavour left by this beautiful herb is delicate yet quite pronounced. There is no sharp peppermint bite, but there is a deep mint earthiness. It's true mint and it's so lovely.

This ice cream also doesn't contain any dairy. Now, I recently made my very first batch of good old fashioned French Vanilla ice cream in my ice cream maker (I'd never, ever made real ice cream at home until recently). I used all organic ingredients; real cream, real whipping cream, real vanilla bean and lots of beautiful, golden egg yolks. It turned out wonderfully and I did not want to waste a single bite. So I ate it and enjoyed it; and after each serving, I suffered approximately one hour's worth of cramps and crankiness. So while this recipe is not for a vegan ice cream, it is for a dairy free ice cream. It's also low in sugar and absolutely luscious. You can see by the "extra rich" label on this can that I am not holding back. Fat is the key to a good ice cream (and to a good life), and it's vital in this recipe. If you're interested in all the reasons why full fat coconut milk should be included in your healthy, whole foods diet, then check out my Hot Chocolate post. I don't want to be redundant, so I'm leaving all of that great info out of this one. But, basically, coconut milk contains GOOD FATS and you should drink/eat/enjoy it regularly.

Now, steep those mint leaves in 3 cans of extra rich coconut milk for a good long time. I used approximately 2 cups of packed leaves with the stems still attached. Place everything into a heavy sauce pan and bring it to a light simmer, then turn the heat way down and steep for 2 - 4 hours (I left the stove on for about 2 hours and turned it off to let it all just sit and hang out for another 2 hours).

After this long, important steep, strain the milk and whisk together 1/2 cup of honey and 6 egg yolks. Once combined and a bit thick, slowly whisk in the strained milk. Mix all of this well and pour it back into your heavy sauce pan and heat on med/low, stirring often until a custard forms and it's slightly bubbly (if you want to use a thermometer, it should reach 170 degrees F). Add a pinch of sea salt and allow this to cool in the fridge over night.

In the morning, after you've enjoyed a peaceful cup of coffee and a bit of internet browsing, set up your ice cream maker and churn away according to the manufacturer's instructions. Using my Kitchenaid, it took about 15 - 20 minutes for the ice cream to churn to perfection.

Over the course of those 15 - 20 minutes, the ice cream will expand quite a bit.

While that's going on, melt some cute, dark, top quality chocolate chips over a double boiler.

ps. While I was shopping for chocolate chips, I compared these guys (Cocoa Camino 70% chips) to another well known brand's bittersweet chips. The other brand had 8g of sugar per tablespoon compared to Cocoa Camino's 5g per tablespoon. This matters, because, by choosing these guys, I've avoided adding 24g of unnecessary sugar into my ice cream. Remember, good quality chocolate does not contain quite as much sugar as other brands. 

And in the very last minute or two, when the ice cream is thick and frozen, drizzle in your melted chocolate. You might need a little spoon or fork to help it out a bit.

This is a blurry action shot, but a good example of what should be happening when you pour in your melted chocolate. Drizzling will encourage the chocolate to freeze in light, thin ribbons as it hits the ice cream, resulting in an oh-so-satisfying light, crispy chocolate snap. Adding straight up chocolate chips or chunks just does not compare.

You can kind of see what I'm talking about in the above shot.

Pour the churned ice cream into a prepared dish and freeze for 4 -8 hours.

And here's what it looks like when it's all done and you've helped yourself to a serving or two.

It's utterly scoopable and so so satisfying.

The chips are evenly distributed and appear in various sizes. Just the way I like it!

mmm...

Coconut Mint Chip Ice Cream

• 3 cans (1200ml) of full fat coconut milk
• About 2 cups packed mint leaves with stems
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup honey
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, melted

1. In a heavy sauce pan, bring the mint leaves and coconut milk to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat and steep on low (or just covered on the stovetop, with heat off) for 2 - 4 hours.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the honey until thickened (a minute or two).
3. Slowly whisk in the warm, strained cream, continue to whisk until combined.
4. Return the cream to the heavy sauce pan and heat on medium low until a custard forms (slightly thickened cream that coats the back of a spoon) and gentle bubbles occur (a thermometer inserted would read 170 degrees F).
5. Cool in the fridge over night.
6. Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions (mine took about 15 - 20 minutes).
7. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler.
8. In the very last couple of minutes, drizzle the melted chocolate into the thickened, frozen, still churning cream. Continue to churn for another minute or two to ensure the chips have been evenly distributed. 
9. Pour into a prepared container and freeze for 4 - 8 hours.

Enjoy!