5 from 1 vote

Mint chocolate chip ice cream gets an upgrade. Rich, creamy mint ice cream is loaded with chopped Andes mints, Oreos, hot fudge and a generous splash of Bailey's! Check out my other ice cream recipes when the next craving hits.

A big scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream loaded with add ins

Have you ever taken one of those quizzes that asks you for your favorite color, favorite animal, favorite ice cream, etc.?

Color: I'm 35 years old and I still don't have an answer for this. I like to wear black because it hides stains, I like purple dresses because they pop, I like blue because it brings out my eyes… my answer is always circumstantial.
Animal: As a pet? Dogs. Out of everything in existence? It's a tie between seals, sea otters and wombats.
Ice cream: This is a really hard one to answer. I think my go-to is cookie dough, but every time I have mint chocolate chip ice cream I'm always thinking I should eat this more often.

Side by side photos of chopped Andes mints and Oreo cookies

But every time I buy a thing of mint chocolate chip ice cream, I'm always left slightly disappointed. I always want it to have a little…. more. More chocolate chips, or bigger pieces of chocolate, or maybe a swirl of fudge. Just, more.

I fully admit that this is probably because Ben & Jerry's pints have ruined all other ice cream for me. Theirs are typically loaded with bits and pieces of delicious things so that each bite has a little texture or crunch.

So what I'm saying is that I basically had no other choice than to make my own version that is super duper loaded with all sorts of things. Plus alcohol. I make no apologies for who I am and what I do.

A pan of mint chocolate chip ice cream loaded with add ins

Tips for making loaded mint chocolate chip ice cream

You also don't have to add alcohol if you don't want to. I love to add Bailey's Irish Liqueur because of the creamy mint flavor it provides, but there's nothing wrong with leaving it out. No adjustments need to be made to recipe itself, you can just omit the liqueur.
Use as much green food coloring as you see fit. I use a pretty concentrated brand of food coloring gel, and I find that around 10 drops gets me the light green color I want. Depending on the dye you're using, you might need more or less, and if you want it to be a more intense green – add more! Don't want it to be green at all? Just leave it out! It doesn't add flavor, only color.
Speaking of flavor, do not add too much mint extract. I can't emphasize this enough. Too much mint extract makes it smell and taste like toothpaste, and that is NOT what we're going for. I never use more than 1/8 teaspoon of mint extract.

Adding green food coloring to ice cream batter to turn it light green

You don't have to use the same add ins as me – make it your own! I love to add chopped Oreos, Andes Mints, a hearty swirl of hot fudge and a generous splash of Bailey's. But generally speaking, you don't want to add more than 2 cups of chunky add ins per quart of ice cream.
For whatever add ins you use, make sure they're not too big. You know that feeling when you dig into a pint of Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream and there's half a damn peanut butter cup in there that you have to try to dig out like a freaking archaeologist? Don't do that to yourself, and chop things into smaller pieces.

A pile of chopped Andes mints and Oreo cookies on a cutting board

Yes, you will need an ice cream maker for this one. I adore my KitchenAid ice cream maker and wouldn't trade it for anything, but you can use whatever you have and like.
Pour your add ins into the ice cream maker in the last few minutes of churning. When it's gotten to a point there it's pulling away almost entirely from the sides of the mixer on each turn, pour them in a few different additions to allow for more even mixing.

Pouring add ins into ice cream maker for mint ice cream

Spread your ice cream into a long, short container, versus a taller one. I typically put mine into a 9×5″ baking pan. It just makes it easier to get an even spread of your add ins, since they could sink to the bottom of a taller container as you're pouring it in. Plus, it helps gives a nice even distribution of your hot fudge swirl, too!
Save a handful of add ins to top things off. I like to set aside a small amount of chopped add ins to add to the top for presentation's sake, and also to guarantee I have some cronch cronch in my first scoops.

Four photo collage showing the process of assembling mint chocolate chip ice cream in a pan

This isn't going to get rock hard in the freezer, so you don't need to worry about the old run-the-ice-cream-scoop-under-hot-water trick. I mean, you can still do it if you want to, but you should be good without it.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream being scooped out of a pan

You know what else might be good? Swap out the mint extract for peppermint extract and the mints for crushed candy canes – boom! Ice cream made for the Christmas holiday.

Overhead shot of a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream

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