All Things Ice Cream Blog

Peppermint has a long standing tradition of being helpful for relieving stomach ailments.  I, myself, have recently invested in a few boxes of peppermint tea to finally get some control over my years of tummy troubles.  I’m not a big tea drinker, so I’m always on the lookout for alternative ways to use things.

Here’s a great recipe for Chocolate Mint ice cream from The Happy Gelateria using peppermint tea & cashew nuts instead of dairy.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup of cashew nuts, soaked for 4 hours and then drained and rinsed .
* 1/2 - 1 cup of strong peppermint tea (brewed by steeping 2 teabags in 1 cup of fresh boiled water, and leaving until cold).
* 3 baby figs, or 2 standard figs pre-soaked for a few hours.
* 10 mint leaves.
* 2 teaspoons of cacao powder

How To:

* Blend the cashews with enough of the mint tea to form a smooth cream.
* Add the figs, and blend again until smooth.
* Add the mint leaves and cacao powder, and blend one last time until smooth and evenly mixed.
* Either transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions, or follow our steps for making gelato without an ice cream maker.
* Enjoy a blast of choco-minty freshness!

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup heavy cream

4 ounces Egg Beaters or other egg substitute

2 tablespoons sugar

Dash salt

3 (1.5-ounce) chocolate-covered peppermint patties

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 hard peppermint candies, crushed (optional)

Combine half-and-half, cream, Egg Beaters, sugar and salt in a blender or food processor. Blend to combine.

Cut peppermint patties into 1/2-inch chunks, add to blender with vanilla and process on high until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to freeze. Blend for a few seconds before pouring into the ice cream maker.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for freezing.

(Tip: Before unwrapping hard peppermint candies, hit each piece with a rolling pin or mallet to crush into small pieces. Do this at the last minute, because candies will absorb moisture from the air and stick together. Add the candy pieces to the mixture before you put it into the freezer, or wait until the ice cream is partially frozen and then add the candy.)

(Source: www.razzledazzlerecipes.com)

[Makes 1 Pint]
1 pint of Half & Half*
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
Add ¼ cup crushed peppermint candy.
Optional: add a few drops red food coloring and/or 1/8 teaspoon mint extract.

*Using whole cream makes a richer creamier ice cream. Using part milk and half and half makes a lighter ice cream, but takes longer to freeze.