Now that I’ve stepped into the dangerous zone of no churn ice cream, there’s no turning back.  The cherry cheesecake ice cream I made was damn good, and the kid and I have been steadily chipping away at it.  As luck would have it, I got a bunch of fresh mint from the CSA last week.  Fresh mint = mint ice cream!!  I tried making fresh mint ice cream a few years ago, but it was a more complicated process where I steeped the mint in cream, cooked it into a custard, used the ice cream machine, etc.  It was a pain in the ass, and I didn’t even like it that much.  Now that I have a pretty good grasp on the no churn method, I wanted to try again.  I decided to add Oreos into the mix, because, why the hell not?!  Cookies and Cream Mint Ice Cream!

I picked up my CSA loot on a super hot and muggy day.  It was such a gross day, that during the drive home, my mint wilted into a sad, limp handful of nope.  BUT.  I saved them.  There is an easy way to rescue wilted vegetables and herbs.  I wrote about it in my Efficient Like a Boss post.  I put the mint into a cup and poured enough water to cover the bottom of the stems.  Then I put a plastic bag over the mint and wrapped a rubber band to secure the bag to the cup.  After a few hours in the fridge, the mint perked right back up.  This method keeps herbs and vegetables fresh longer, and also works to rescue limp produce that you might otherwise toss.  Actually, at this very moment, I have a large cup full of Swiss chard, kale, and fennel in the fridge keeping fresh and perky.

Anyways, back to making ice cream.  I’m not actually sure how much fresh mint to use for the ideal minty flavor.  I only had the bunch I received from the farm, and that came out to be about a half cup.  So, if you have access to more mint, then by all means, use more.  If you don’t have any fresh mint, then you can use mint extract.  I ended up using both fresh mint and mint extract.  I used my old fashioned mortar and pestle to grind up my mint leaves.  I added a tablespoon of sugar.  Honestly, I don’t think the sugar was necessary, but I was making stuff up as I went, and it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.  So, we’ll say, sugar is optional.  You can use a food processor, but I like the mortar and pestle because using them make me feel like an alchemist.  Plus, the food processor ends up mangling and ripping the leaves and does not extrude all the minty goodness out of the leaves.

It only took a minute to mash up the leaves into a dark green paste.  Set that aside.

I whipped 2 cups of heavy cream with a teaspoon of vanilla extract into whipped cream.  I started on low speed to avoid splatter and worked my way up to high speed as the mixture thickened.  Mix on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Stiff peaks.  Put the whipped cream in the fridge if you’re not ready to use it yet.

I strained the mint paste and used a spoon to squeeze out as much minty liquid as I could out of that clump.

I added a can of sweetened condensed milk to the mint liquid.

Then I got the whipped cream out and gently folded it into the minty condensed milk.  Don’t be too rough and mix vigorously, or the whipped cream will deflate and get too liquidy.

Smooth creamy ice cream base after the folding is complete.  Give it a taste.  If it’s not minty enough, add mint extract.  To me, the mint flavor was too gentle, so I added half a teaspoon of mint extract.  If you decide to add more, add a little at a time because mint extract is potent stuff.

I chopped up about 8 Oreos to make a heaping cup of cookie chunks.

I gently folded the cookie chunks into the ice cream, and then poured it into a freezer-safe container.  It’ll take a few hours for the ice cream to harden.

Needless to say, the ice cream disappeared very quickly.  The dainty Hello Kitty cup and saucer made it even more enjoyable.

No Churn Cookies and Cream Mint Ice Cream

Ingredients
– 1/2 cup packed mint leaves
– 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
– 1/2 teaspoon or more mint extract (optional)
– 2 cups heavy whipping cream
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 1 can sweetened condensed milk
–  8 Oreos 

Directions
– Chop up the Oreo cookies into small chunks, set aside.
– Mash the mint leaves and optional spoonful of sugar with a mortar and pestle until a dark, wet paste forms.  Strain the clump using whatever method (strainer, cheesecloth, etc) and get as much of the mint liquid out as possible.  Set aside.
– Whip the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.  Store the whipped cream in the fridge until ready for use.
– Mix the strained mint liquid with the can of condensed milk.  Gently fold in the whipped cream.  Avoid vigorous mixing so the whipped cream stays fluffy.  If the mixture is not minty enough, add half a teaspoon of mint extract at a time until you’re happy.
– Fold in the chopped cookie chunks.  Pour the ice cream into a freezer-safe container.  Put it in the freezer for about 4 hours or until the ice cream hardens.