Lavender Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Lavender Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream – Rich, creamy, and fragrant Lavender Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream recipe. Lt. Dan’s absolute favorite ice cream recipe, hands down!
Lavender Ice Cream with Fresh Herbs
We’re making Lavender Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream today, fresh and fragrant!
If there is anything I love to shop for, it’s fresh herbs.
I’m often found standing in the produce department (or at the farmer’s market) with bouquets of greenery under my nose, placidly inhaling their intoxicating scent.
I kneel amongst my flowerbeds tenderly rubbing their leaves between my fingers, to accentuate the earthy perfume.
I can’t wait, until my beds are full of mint, basil, thyme, dill, and lavender. In my mind, no dish is complete without a fresh aromatic herb!
Homemade Ice Cream Recipe
Lavender is an herb that comes and goes in culinary popularity. Known for its piney, yet floral essence, it’s considered a wonderful accompaniment to mild proteins like chicken and fish.
Personally, I think lavender deserves a little more credit. Its flavor may be subtle at first, but has an accumulative quality that can hold its own against strong flavors like lemon, or even chocolate.
In today’s Lavender Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream recipe, I’ve paired lavender with dark chocolate for a surprisingly balanced and bewitching frozen treat!
This Lavender Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream puts most mint chip ice creams to shame, and is a pleasant departure from your everyday freezer-aisle flavors.
What Ingredients You Will Need
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 1/2 tablespoons dried lavender buds, or 4 tablespoons fresh chopped lavender
- 1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1-2 drops of purple food coloring, optional
- 4 ounces dark chocolate bar
Note: No eggs or egg yolk is needed in this recipe!
How to Make Lavender Ice Cream
Pour the cream, half-and-half, sugar, and salt into a medium saucepan. Place the pot over medium heat until it comes to a low simmer.
If using a vanilla bean, cut the bean down the center lengthwise. Carefully open the bean and scrape out the paste. Add the buds and vanilla paste to the cream mixture. Stir; then remove from heat and cover. *Add a drop or two of food coloring if you want to enhance the lavender color.
Place the covered pot in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to cool. (If you’re in a hurry, place it in an airtight container and put it in the freezer for 1 hour until thoroughly chilled, but NOT frozen!)
Once the ice cream base mixture is chilled, strain out the lavender buds and pour into an ice cream maker. Churn for 20+ minutes until the desired consistency is reached.
Meanwhile, chop the chocolate bar into fine shards for your mix-ins. Add the chocolate to the ice cream maker. Churn until the chocolate is evenly distributed. Serve immediately or put in an airtight container and freeze.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does this ice cream last?
You can keep this ice cream in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let the container sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes to soften a bit before you scoop it with an ice cream scoop and serve it in a bowl or waffle cone.
What other lavender recipes do you have?
Here are three additional lavender recipes: Lavender Lemon Tom Collins, French Lavender Lemonade, and Creamy Lavender Flan.
Are there any benefits to eating this lavender ice cream flavor?
You can put lavender in many different recipes. Some benefits that people have noticed when increasing their lavender intake are relief from migraines, help to regulate sleep cycles, or some improvement in your hair and skin’s health.
Other Great Dessert Recipes
- Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
- Coconut Milk Churn Ice Cream (Dairy Free)
- 4-Ingredient Avocado Vegan Ice Cream
- Banana Pudding Milkshake with Fresh Bananas
- Raspberry Sweet Buns
- Caramel Chocolate Ice Cream Cake
- Homemade Caramel Sauce Whipped Cream by The Travel Palate
- Peanut Butter Custard Base Ice Cream by Ice Cream From Scratch
- Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream by A Latte Food
Lavender Dark Chip Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 1/2 tablespoons dried lavender buds, or 4 tablespoons fresh chopped lavender
- 1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1-2 drops purple food coloring, optional
- 4 ounces dark chocolate bar
Instructions
- Pour the cream, half-and-half, sugar, and salt into a medium sauce pot. Place the pot over medium heat until it comes to a low simmer.
- If using a vanilla bean, cut the bean down the center lengthwise. Carefully open the bean and scrape out the paste. Add the buds and vanilla paste to the cream mixture. Stir; then remove from heat and cover. *Add a drop or two of food coloring if you want to enhance the lavender color.
- Place the covered pot in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to cool. (If you’re in a hurry, place it an airtight container and put in the freezer for 1 hour until thoroughly chilled, but NOT frozen!)
- Once the mixture is chilled, strain out the lavender buds and pour into an ice cream maker. Churn for 20+ minutes until the desired consistency is reached.
- Meanwhile, chop the chocolate bar into fine shards. Add the chocolate to the ice cream maker. Churn until the chocolate is evenly distributed. Serve immediately or put in an airtight container and freeze.
Congrats on your top9. This is exactly what I was looking for as another way to use some lavender. I actually have that same tin. A perfect summer flavor or something to provide at a spring gathering. You had me at Bewitched!. Thanks for sharing.
Stuart
I feel like your dog in the background right now :)
I LOVE lavender – and do grow it, too! I also make a ton of homemade ice creams – so you have me on this recipe. YUM. I cannot wait to try it – but will wait until I have my own flowers!
Did I miss you first on line cooking class? I haven’t posted for over 2 weeks which is a first to me in three years, I think. I have been knee deep in the throws of planning a local food conference with our local slow food convivia. Great work. Time well spent, but I miss cooking, writing, reading and YOU!
I will catch up soon, I hope.
:)
Valerie
Oh goodness how delightful this is. Amazing flavor!
I made a lavender sorbet last year that was wonderful, so I can not wait to make this!
Slight correction: “scrape” not “scrap.”
Thanks Christian! ;)
I love the way it’s pastel purple with flecks of dark choc!
So lucky to get lavender beans and fresh vanilla pods! Love the colorful and flavorful ice cream.
Oh, this has got to be the most beautiful and delicious ice cream flavour I’ve ever come across. If I saw this in the ice cream freezer at the supermarket, I would pounce on it!! LOVE the photos!
Having personally taste tested this amazing creation, I can think this is now my personal favorite ice cream flavor!! STELLAR!
I don’t know what it is, but when I see that ice cream I think about the movie Brigadoon.I love everything about it and while I know the chocolate thing would keep me away, I can’t imagine it being any different than it is. It is a perfect, sophisticated ice cream. Wow.
Wow this looks and sounds wonderful. I just did a post on my herb garden the other day. I am so ready to go out and pick all of the wonderful herbs in our garden! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.