Chocolate Thin Mint Ice Cream

Are you ready for Christmas?! I am so excited to see my kids open their presents tomorrow! But until then... I found my new favorite chocolate ice cream! Seriously. I honestly haven't ever made chocolate ice cream before and didn't have high hopes cause I've had some really good chocolate ice cream. This was better than all of them. Its rich, but not too rich, its creamy, smooth, a little minty with the cookies. Its worth making even in the middle of winter!

Chocolate Thin Mint Ice Cream
Recipe Source: Life Made Simple

2 cups Heavy Cream
1 cup Whole Milk
3 Tablespoons Dutch-process Cocoa Powder
5oz Semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cups Granulated Sugar
5 Egg Yolks

1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Pure Peppermint Extract
1/8 teaspoon Salt
15 Thin Mints or Grasshopper Cookies, chopped

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of heavy cream and cocoa powder, whisk until blended. Bring the mixture to a boil then remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stirring until smooth. Then add remaining heavy cream and stir. Pour into a large bowl, scrape the saucepan removing all chocolate. Set a sieve over the bowl. In the same saucepan warm the milk, sugar and salt.

2. In a small bowl whisk the egg yolks lightly. Pour the warm milk, sugar and salt mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Constantly stir the mixture over medium heat with a silicone spatula, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom. The mixture will coat the spatula a little and will reach 170 degrees on a thermometer. Remove from heat and pour through the sieve into the chocolate mixture. Stir in vanilla and peppermint.

3. Place the bowl in an ice bath until cool and then place in the refrigerator to chill about 25-30 minutes. Once chilled pour the mixture into ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Churn for 20 minutes then fold in the thin mints. Store in an air-tight container and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.