Homemade Ice Cream perfect summer treat

New Orleans is known for its cuisine. The creativity in the kitchens knows no boundaries. From Po-boys and Muffulettas, Oysters Rockefeller to Bananas Foster, there’s no ends to the new dishes that comes from the area.

Why stop at the kitchen? A few adult beverages have been created in the Big Easy. This recipe does not contain a drop of alcohol. It does, however, mimic an after-dinner drink that was supposedly created at Tujague’s restaurant in the French Quarter.

The Grasshopper gets its color and flavor from Creme de Menthe. The drink taste like a chocolate after-dinner mint. To give the flavor without the alcohol, chocolate and peppermint extract is used. Since the ice cream doesn’t use an ice cream maker, this can be made at anyone’s house. So gather your ingredients, and Let’s head to the kitchen!

No Churn Grasshopper Ice Cream

This ice cream is also great by itself. If you don’t want to heat up your kitchen, just serve it by the scoop with a touch of chocolate syrup.

2 cups cold heavy whipping cream

14-ounces sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Green gel food coloring (optional)

Loosely wrap a 13x9-inch rimmed baking sheet in plastic wrap, and place in freezer.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cold cream at medium speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Fold in sweetened condensed milk by hand until combined. Fold in chocolate, peppermint extract, and food coloring (if using) until combined. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze overnight or up to 3 months.

Grasshopper Ice Cream Sandwiches

Of course, you can use any ice cream you want for your sandwiches. The “bread” part of the sandwiches can be made in advance.

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

No-Churn Grasshopper Ice Cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour cocoa, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Add flour mixture to butter mixture all at once, and beat at low speed just until combined, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350℉. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a 2-tablespoon spring-loaded scoop, scoop dough, and gently roll into balls. place 2 inches apart on prepared pans.

Bake until edges are set, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.

Using a 2 3/4-inch cookie cutter, cut 7 portions of No-Churn Grasshopper Ice Cream. Place ice cream disk on flat side of half of cookies. Place remaining cookies, flat-side down, on top of ice cream. Freeze ice cream sandwiched are ready to serve. To store longer, wrap sandwiched individually in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Even when crafting adult beverages in New Orleans, it’s all about the flavor. Even without the green food coloring, the re-creation taste just like the original. Think of these treats as large frozen Andes mints. It’s always good to end a meal with something to refresh your taste buds.