What's your favorite Girl Scout cookie? Mine is definitely Thin Mints. A couple of weeks ago, my husband brought home a few of boxes from work. While we certainly don't need help polishing them off, I had the itch to take some and use it to make a batch of Thin Mint ice cream.
So I simply whipped up a minty ice cream base. Maybe I should say, gelato. I used a simple base recipe from The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato. It's custard base, using a higher ratio of milk to cream, which is typical of gelato recipes. I really like this because not only is it lighter, it also gives the flavor more of a chance to shine.
I considered doing more of a "cookies & cream" base and flavoring the custard with vanilla but, in the end, I added peppermint extract and kept the mint theme going.
I find that after churning ice cream/gelato, it's a very good idea to let it "rest" overnight or a day in the freezer. The flavor gets a chance to meld and intensify and you taste more than just the dairy.
I find that after churning ice cream/gelato, it's a very good idea to let it "rest" overnight or a day in the freezer. The flavor gets a chance to meld and intensify and you taste more than just the dairy.
So this is another way to enjoy your Thin Mint cookies. I love ice cream with chunks and lots of texture so embedding minty ice cream with hunks of Thin Mint cookies is a good way to go.
I've been putting my ice cream maker to work pretty consistently. Now that spring is here and summer isn't far behind, I can't wait to whip up more batches!
