Naturally Dyed Blue Mint Ice Cream

Homestead Lady Tessa Zundel

Homemade blue mint ice cream with chocolate flakes and blueplant coloring. Add peppermint essential oil for healthy flavor, fresh dairy,and no preservatives. Options for lower-carb variation provided.

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Prep Time 30

Freeze Time 20

Course Dessert

Cuisine Dessert

Servings Servings

Equipment

Countertop Ice Cream Maker May also use your freezer

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Fresh Whole Milk May Use Coconut or Almond
2 1/2 Cups Fresh or Heavy Cream May use Coconut
1/2 Cup Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Syrup Or Butterfly Pea Flower Tea with 1/2 Cup of Organic Cane Sugar or Erythritol
1/2 Cup Organic Cane Sugar Very Optional but Will Set Up Better
1 Tbsp. Organic Beef Gelatin Optional but Recommended
1/8 tsp. Essential Peppermint Oil (Corn Mint Preferred) Or 1 tsp. Mint Extract
1/2 - 3/4 Cups Shaved Chocolate Or 1/2 Cup Cacao Nibs

Instructions

Add 1 1/2 cups milk, 2 1/2 cups cream, and 1/2 cup blue syrup in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Once the milk mixture is warm, whisk in the gelatin and continue to whisk until incorporated. Please see the notes section for substitution information.
Scald milk (until you see small bubbles at the edge of the milk). Whisk a few times to be sure the gelatin is melted.
Put the mixture into your countertop ice cream maker with the pre-frozen bowl. (It should churn for 20-30 minutes total. The less sugar you use, the longer it takes, FYI.)
After about 15 minutes, put in the 1/8 tsp. essential mint oil and the chocolate shavings. They will mix in well at this final stage of freezing.

Notes

The key to homemade ice cream is mostly the fat (and the sugar) you use. If you have a high percentage of cream, you will have good ice cream.

Because homemade ice cream doesn't have the harmful anti-freeze additives that commercial ice cream has, it will always set up more firmly once frozen. It may also taste a bit grainy to a palette used to commercial ice cream.

We include organic beef gelatin in our milk mixture because it acts like an emulsifier to provide a little extra smoothness. You can also use tempered egg yolks.

If your ice cream is truly rock hard and you want it to be a little softer, add a bit more sugar. Sugar lowers the freezing point of the water in the ice cream, so adding a little more will help it set softer.

If you don't want to add more sugar and you don't mind alcohol, add a few tablespoons of whiskey. Alcohol is an anti-freeze.

Additionally, freeze your ice cream as quickly as possible. Be sure the bowl of your countertop ice cream maker is pre-frozen. The quicker you make the change from liquid to solid, the smoother the ice cream will be.

Also, don't overmix your ice cream, if you're using a blender to incorporate ingredients. Some air introduced in the mixing process is fine, but lots of air will produce a harder final freeze.

Using Alternative Ingredients

When using alternatives to dairy, just keep the fat rule in mind. Use the highest fat subsitution you can find and be willing to experience different textures.

Remember, the flavor will still be delicious! Ice cream is simply cream, sugar, and flavoring. Regardless of texture, your experimental ice creams will still taste amazing. And you'll get used to the differences over time and find methods that work best for you.

Be advised that lower-carb sugars like erythritol are a little different from sugar cane sugars. When I make homemade ice cream with erythritol, I skip the countertop ice cream maker and put them into the freezer in a parchment paper lined pan. It takes a overnight to freeze, but the texture is almost as good and the flavor is great.

Read and experiment with a lot of different lower-carb, alternative milk recipes before you settle on one you like best. Everyone is giving you their best variation, but you may find that you and your family like one much better than another.

You CAN make ice cream with "weird" milks and sugars, it will simply be a little different from what you might be used to - which is fine!

Just remember to take the ice cream out 30-60 minutes before you want to eat it, regardless of what kind of sugar you use, so that it can soften.

Keyword healthy treats, Ice Cream, natural dye

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