Napping with Peppermint Bark: Ice-Cream #9

It felt a little strange to make my Christmas peppermint bark in July, but the result was well worth it. My whole family loved the creamy mint flavor and the soft chunks of bark. It was the perfect way to enjoy one of our favorite holiday treats in delicious summer fashion.

I delighted to be submitting this recipe to my friend, Savor the Thyme's Ice-Cream Social. She and two other blogger friends, Scotty Snacks and Tangled Noodle, are hosting this social in honor of National Ice-Cream Month. Naturally, after learning about my summer-long The Naptime Chef Great Ice-Cream Festival, they were excited for me to participate. Enjoy!

Naptime's Peppermint Bark Ice-Cream
Yields 1 quart

For the 2-layer Peppermint Bark:
loosely adapted from Gourmet, 1998
8 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (at least 60%), finely chopped
3 candy canes OR 10 individual swirled peppermint candies, crushed
3 T. cream
1/4 t. peppermint extract

1. Line a 8x8 baking dish with aluminum foil. Set aside.

2. Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the bowl and water do NOT touch. Stir the white chocolate until it is totally melted. Working quickly, pour the melted white chocolate into the dish with aluminum foil and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan using an icing spatula. Cover with crushed candies. Place in the refrigerator to harden, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a heavy bottom sauce-pan melt cream, bittersweet chocolate and peppermint extract. Stir until fully combined and chocolate is shiny. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

4. When the white chocolate is ready, pour the dark chocolate over the white chocolate to form a second layer. Spread evenly with an icing spatula. Place in the freezer to harden for at least 4 hours.

5. To put into ice-cream, remove peppermint bark and coarsely chop it with a knife. To give as gifts, break it into large chunks and place in gift bags.

For the Peppermint Ice-Cream:
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk
1/4 t. peppermint extract
3/4 c. granulated sugar
5 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt

1. Coarsely chop half of the peppermint bark and place it in the freezer.

2. Combine milk, heavy cream, salt and peppermint extract in a large saucepan and bring to a low boil. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar. Add one cup of hot milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly. Add remaining milk mixture to eggs, then pour full mixture back into sauce pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats the back of a spoon – about 5 minutes.

3. Pour mixture over a mesh strainer into clean glass bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, and/or up to overnight.

4. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions on time. Add peppermint bark chunks halfway through churning. Scoop into container and freeze for a minimum of two hours.