Time references: The ice cream takes about 30 minutes for initial prep, then 3 hours for chilling (1 hour at room temp, 2 hours in fridge). Then it takes 25 minutes to churn for soft-serve consistency. If you desire it to be classic ice cream texture, then give time for it to harden in the freezer for 3-5 hours after churning.

1. Pre-freeze: ***Make sure your ice cream bowl has been frozen for at least 24 hours (this is for the Cuisinart ICE-70 Series).
2. Making the ice cream: In a large saucepan, mix together the milk, cream, and fresh mint leaves. Heat over medium heat, stirring with a whisk often, until steaming or very lightly simmering. Do NOT allow a rolling boil.
3. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt until it lightens in color.
4. Once the cream/milk mixture is steaming: Using a hand whisk, start whisking the maple syrup mixture and very slowly pour 1/3 of the steaming milk/cream/mint into the bowl. Whisk for a few seconds. Then, while continuing to whisk, slowly pour another 1/3 into the maple syrup bowl. Then, pour everything back into the saucepan and place over LOW heat on the stove. Stir constantly on low heat for 2 minutes. Do not let it boil or the eggs will overcook.
5. Let it cool: Remove from heat and let it cool at room temperature for an hour. Then place in the refrigerator for 2 hours before straining the leaves.
6. How to strain the mint leaves: Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl to remove the mint leaves. Press down on the mint leaves (or put into cheesecloth and squeeze) to extract more mint flavor if you want.
7. For churning the ice cream: Press Ice Cream and then Start/Stop. Pour the mixture through the spout and then cover with the cap. Let mix 25-30 minutes until thickened (or according to your ice cream maker). In the last 5 minutes, melt the chocolate chips with the oil or butter, then pour the melted chocolate through the opening while it’s churning. It’ll naturally harden and break up while it churns.
8. You can serve as soft-serve, or transfer the ice cream to an ice cream container and place in the freezer for 3-5 hours to harden before serving.

Notes:

• You have a few methods for incorporating chocolate into the ice cream: 1 – You can melt 1/3 cup chocolate chips with 1 1/2 tsp of avocado oil or butter and pour it in (melted) while the ice cream is still churning. 2 – You can finely chop / sliver chocolate (start with 2 Tbsp and add to taste) and add it in the last few minutes of churning. 3 – You can simply put 1/3-1/2 cup mini chocolate chips into the ice cream in the last few minutes of churning. Use whatever method you prefer.
• If leaving to chill in the refrigerator overnight, then strain the leaves before placing in the fridge unless you are okay with a stronger mint flavor. I’ve done it both ways and I don’t find it significantly stronger, but I did personally enjoy the method of straining at the 2-3 hour mark instead of leaving overnight.
• Fun fact: The alcohol in vanilla extract helps the ice cream stay on the softer side rather than freezing hard. If you prefer harder ice cream, then omit the vanilla or use a vanilla bean instead. I personally like using vanilla extract for the benefits of keeping the ice cream on the softer side.
• For a lighter ice cream, you can use equal parts milk and cream (creating total of 3 1/2 cups, so 1 3/4 cups each). Keep in mind it won’t be as creamy.