Homemade Mint Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream

My son requested green ice cream for his birthday. So the first thing that popped into my mind was a refreshing homemade mint cookie ice cream. So I took my trusty Nielsen Massey vanilla ice cream recipe and doubled it, added some peppermint extract (be careful how much you use it has a lot of flavor plus you will be adding more mint flavor with the cookies), a few drops of green food coloring (which is totally optional), and crushed up some Keebler mint grasshopper cookies and tossed them in. Oh how I wish I had some of those delicious thin mint cookies that the Girl Scouts sell. That would have taken it over the top not that it wasn't already fantastic! Another mint option that I have not tried but think would be delicious would be to use peppermint patties instead of cookies.

 The recipe is below. Photos are of my finished mint cookie ice cream. 

 I doubled this recipe.

Homemade Mint Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream

original vanilla recipe by Nielsen Massey
changes made by Julie Hodges

(double the original recipe)
Makes: about  2 quarts of ice cream

Ingredients:

• 2 pints heavy whipping cream
• 2 pints half-and-half
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 TBSP. pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 peppermint extract (or desired amount)
• 1 sleeve of crushed chocolate mint cookies such as Keebler grasshopper cookies or Girl Scout Thin Mints or a few chopped peppermint patties

Directions:

Mix all ingredients until sugar dissolves. Cover and chill until ready to use. Follow the manufacturer's directions on your ice cream maker to churn and freeze ice cream. (see above picture remember to double the recipe if using the picture only)


original vanilla ice cream recipe by Nielsen Massey changes to the recipe made by Julie Hodges 
photos by Julie Hodges