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.
Ooooh Sommer!! What a delightful lavender ice cream!! A truly beautiful recipe too!
Thanks for the useful links where to buy stuff etc!! MMMMMMM,…!!!!!! I also love your other lavender dishes too!
What a stunning dessert. Like you, I think fresh herbs complete a meal. Lavander reminds me of my father (he grows huge bushes in his yard) so thank you for sharing this with me tonight. It made me crave icecream and recollect fond days of childhood.
I have never seen lavender ice cream. How cool! And I’ve never heard of vanilla paste. I’m going to buy some and give it a whirl. Soo glad I came across your blog. Kudos to you.
OMG!!! This sounds like an amazing ice cream. Too bad I didn’t pick up any of the great lavender from Toulouse during the Salon de l’Agriculture which took place here a couple of weeks ago. I’m going to save this recipe and try it when I can find some lavender. Yum!
Sommer, this is incredible! Truly drooling! I am a huge fan of ice cream, but I’ve never played with it in this manner… I’d love to give this a try! Besides, it will be nice to use the ice cream maker that just sits there collecting dust.
Beautiful! Wow, I seriously need an ice cream maker. Thanks for the note about the vanilla bean paste. I’ve never seen that before, but vanilla beans are expensive and an alternative would be nice.
Only recently have I discovered lavender and I just loved its flavor. This ice cream must taste divine!
I love the flavors here! I am a huge lavender fan. And your photos are, as usual, beautiful.
With all the times I’ve been to Provence, I have never seen lavender icecream..Definitely, I have to try your recipe! Thanks!
looks divine!:)
What a heavenly frozen treat! I love the idea of lavender-chocolate flavor combination, sounds amazing, a must try!
What beautiful ice cream. Ill have some nice lavender this spring and am itching to try my hand at ice cream.
I am a sucker for ice cream! I could eat it year round…in fact, I crave it more in the winter! I can’t wait to try this! :)
My children both loved the lavender ice-cream we tried last summer and have been begging me to make some ever since. The chocolate might even convince my partner to try it too.
Bewitching, indeed. What a fantastic idea!
Yay! Warm weather and ice cream!!! Those bowls of ice cream look absolutely delicious! Thanks for the tip about vanilla bean paste – I will definitely check that out! And here’s to lavender season right around the corner!
how lovely, we must have been on the same wave length..i made lavender brownies yesterday!! I love the color..simply stunning
have agreat weekend!!
sweetlife
This does look welcoming. A bit chilly here so ice cream will wait but the lavender does entice. I’m ready to plant herbs. Unfortunately the ground is not. Gorgeous photos.