Mint Chocolate Cookie Homemade Ice Cream

My parents received a fun set of dishes--four flowered bowls with matching napkins for their wedding.  When I moved off to college I appropriated them.  {I never really remember using them growing up--there were more than 4 people in our family!}  After I married my husband and I would have ice cream and use these dishes. 

We make homemade ice cream a few times a year.  It is a special treat!  I've made mint chocolate chip ice cream once before and decided to try a new twist on that recipe.  Yummy!!!


Mint Chocolate Cookie Homemade Ice Cream
4-6 cups milk
4 cups cream
2 cups sugar
1 box small vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. peppermint extract
about 12 drops green food coloring
2 cups chopped Keebler Grasshopper Fudge Mint Cookies

Stir together the cream, sugar, pudding mix, salt, vanilla, peppermint extract, and food coloring.  Add it to the ice cream mixer's freezing bowl.  Add the milk to below the fill line and stir.  Freeze until partially frozen.  Add the chopped cookies.  Finish freezing.  Serve soft (my favorite!) or transfer it to the freezer and allow to harden.  Makes 4 quarts.

Additional Notes: I found the inspiration for the above recipe from this recipe on allrecipes.com.  The chocolate mint cookies work wonderfully in this ice cream.  They did tend to settle to the bottom--maybe I should have added more?  I think I'll add more next time!  {They're one of my favorite cookies--they are similar to Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies.}