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These mint chip ice cream bon bons are homemade ice cream bites covered with chocolate. Super easy and way better than the ones in the freezer aisle.
Transform accessible ingredients into these irresistible homemade mint chip ice cream bon bons effortlessly.
Imagine homemade mint ice cream balls in the velvety embrace of a crisp chocolate shell. This dessert is the perfect balance between refreshing and scrumptious!
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Ice cream is good. Mint chip ice cream? Better! Mint chip ice cream bon bons? I mean, that’s pretty much the best! 😍
If you’ve never tried an ice cream bon bon before, it’s basically an ice cream scoop coated with chocolate.
You can combine your favorite flavors (raspberry ice cream and white chocolate, maybe?), but we’ll make the crowd-pleasing mint chip ice cream bon bons today.
We’re not even using store-bought ice cream because we’re making one from scratch. Don’t believe me that it’ll be easy? See for yourself and continue reading!
What Is A Bon Bon Ice Cream?
You’re probably familiar with bonbons or bon bons as chocolates filled with literally anything your sweet tooth can dream of. Think caramel, fruit, nougat, to even liquor!
But have you ever thought of making bon bons with ice cream? These ice cream bon bons are the marriage between the bite-sized chocolate confection and an ice cream scoop.
Bon bon ice cream bites will surely test your self-control as it’s easy to pick each piece and indulge in the sheer bliss of a creamy and refreshing dessert.
And because it’s a simple and straightforward recipe, the flavors you can make are endless! But for now, let’s check out these refreshing mint chip ice cream bon bons.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These ice cream bon bons will make your loved ones scream excitedly because we’re making handheld ice cream. Here are what you’ll get if you try this recipe now:
- Simple and Easy Dessert: Making these mint chip ice cream bon bons is super easy. I even think it can work as a fun activity for kids (yes, this dessert recipe is that simple!)
- Fun Treat: Imagine picking up an ice cream ball right between your fingertips or cracking a chocolate shell to reveal a rich and creamy mint ice cream inside. These ice cream bon bons are not just delicious but also enjoyable to eat!
- Refreshingly Delicious: The cool and rich mint chip ice cream and the sweet, crisp chocolate shell are a match made in heaven. It’s also the perfect dessert for those who don’t like overly sweet treats or just looking for a palate cleanser after a rich main course.
What Do Bon Bons Taste Like?
Bon bons taste sweet and indulgent, but these ice cream bon bons? They combine the best of both worlds!
Imagine the sweetness of a handheld confectionery, but once you bite or crack open the silky chocolate shell, you’ll get the ball of rich and creamy ice cream.
Now, let’s talk about the flavor we’ll make in this recipe: mint chip ice cream bon bons.
I don’t care what anyone else says; I think mint chip ice cream deserves a spot in the top ice cream flavors. It’s creamy and refreshing, and the sweetness is not sickening.
I know some of you understand what I mean. Sometimes an ice cream flavor is super rich, it becomes overwhelming after the second spoonful!
But before you come at me and say, “I don’t like mint chip ice cream; it tastes like toothpaste!” Well, I have good news for you!
These ice cream bon bons can be literally anything you want.
You can use any ice cream flavor from vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry; you name it. 😋
Are Ice Cream Bon Bons Healthy?
You and I both know the answer to this. Unfortunately, ice cream and chocolate are not bursting with nutrients.
However, enjoying desserts like these homemade mint chip ice cream bon bons now and then should be okay. After all, a healthy life is a balanced life.
What I mean is being mindful of how much you’re eating and ensuring that you enjoy desserts after a wholesome meal.
Plus, you can customize this frozen treat to suit your dietary needs. You can opt for dairy-free ice cream or use gluten-free chocolate chips for the coating!
What Are The Benefits Of This Homemade Mint Chip Ice Cream Bon Bons Recipe?
These homemade mint chip ice cream bon bons are simple and fun. You can even skip our process of making the ice cream from scratch and just use your favorite store-bought ice cream.
But where’s the excitement in that? I can assure you that making your own ice cream is an experience you shouldn’t miss.
And, of course, you’ll be rewarded generously with a refreshing, sweet, and delectable treat that you can pick between your fingertips. 🤤
Finally, bon bon ice cream is a good make-ahead dessert! You can make the bon bons on the weekend, so you can just grab a piece after a busy weekday.
Ingredients For Mint Chip Ice Cream Bon Bons
- Half & half – This adds fat to our homemade ice cream.
- Fresh mint – Besides mint extract, we’ll use actual fresh mint leaves for our creamy mint chip ice cream.
- Granulated sugar – To sweeten our homemade ice cream.
- Egg yolks – Did you know yolks are responsible for the stability of ice cream? They also thicken the ice cream for a perfectly creamy and delicious consistency.
- Heavy cream – For smoother and tastier homemade ice cream.
- Pure mint extract – We’ll add mint extract to make our mint chip ice cream mintier. 🥶
- Creme de menthe – This is optional, but it creates a more refreshing taste on the ice cream. Perfect with the sweetness of chocolate!
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – For our chocolate shell.
Tools Needed To Prepare Mint Chip Ice Cream Bon Bons
- Saucepan for cooking the ice cream mixture
- Bowl for mixing the ingredients
- Whisk for combining the ingredients
- Wooden spoon for stirring the ice cream mixture
- Spatula for stirring and incorporating ingredients together
- Airtight containers for setting the ice cream in the freezer
- Fine-mesh strainer for straining the custard
- Parchment paper for lining the baking sheet
- Ice cream scoop for the ice cream
- Baking sheet for the bon bons
- Bamboo skewers for easier handling of the ice cream bon bons
Ingredient Additions & Substitutions For Mint Chip Ice Cream Bon Bons
White chocolate
Ice cream bon bons will also be delicious with a white chocolate shell. Imagine white chocolate bon bons with a peach or strawberry ice cream inside! 😋
Vegetable oil
You can make a quick chocolate coating for your ice cream bon bons with coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. Coconut oil also gives a glossy finish to the bon bons.
Nuts
Textures make desserts more enjoyable, and for our crisp and creamy ice cream bon bons, you can sprinkle them with nuts before their shells harden. My personal faves are slivered almonds or chopped walnuts.
How to Make Mint Chip Ice Cream Bon Bons
Ingredients
FOR THE MINT CHIP ICE CREAM:
- 2 cups half & half
- 2 cups fresh mint, washed, leaves removed from the stems
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure mint extract
- 1 teaspoon creme de menthe, optional
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
FOR THE CHOCOLATE COATING:
Tools you need:
- Saucepan
- Bowl
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon
- Spatula
- Airtight containers
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Parchment paper
- Ice cream scoop
- Baking sheet
- Bamboo skewers
Instructions:
FOR THE MINT CHIP ICE CREAM
STEP 1: Combine the half & half, fresh mint, and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan.
STEP 2: Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
STEP 3: Once the sugar dissolves and the mixture is steaming, remove the saucepan from the heat.
STEP 4: Let the mixture infuse for an hour, or much better, transfer it to an airtight container, and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
STEP 5: After the mixture has been infused, pour it into a saucepan and place over medium heat.
STEP 6: In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks for 2 minutes or until pale and thick.
STEP 7: Once the half & half mixture is steaming, slowly pour it into the egg yolks, whisking continuously.
STEP 8: Once all of the half & half is incorporated into the egg yolks, scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium heat.
STEP 9: Allow the custard to heat up and thicken, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once the custard is at 165ºF, it should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. The custard is done if a line remains when you swipe your finger across the back of the spoon.
STEP 10: Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl.
STEP 11: Whisk in the heavy cream, mint extract, and creme de menthe.
STEP 12: Pour the custard into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
STEP 13: Place an airtight container in the freezer.
STEP 14: The next day, churn the custard according to your ice cream maker’s instructions for about 20 to 25 minutes until thick and airy.
STEP 15: About 5 minutes before the ice cream is done churning, place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 20-second increments, stirring in between heatings until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
STEP 16: Remove the ice cream from the freezer, and using a silicone spatula, drizzle the melted chocolate into the container quickly, flicking your wrist back and forth to make small chocolate lines in the bottom and on the sides of the container.
STEP 17: When the ice cream is done churning, spoon a layer of ice cream into the airtight container. Drizzle more melted chocolate on top of the layer.
STEP 18: Repeat this process until all of the ice cream is in the container. Using a spatula, stir the ice cream in the container to break up the hardened chocolate lines into small bits.
STEP 19: Cover and freeze for at least an hour before scooping.
ASSEMBLING THE BON BONS
STEP 1: Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
STEP 2: Using an ice cream scoop (you can use whatever you have!), scoop ice cream out of the container and place it onto the parchment baking sheet, leaving room between each scoop. Remember to work quickly!
STEP 3: Once all of your ice cream is scooped onto the baking sheet, place a wooden skewer into the center of each scoop about halfway through the scoop.
STEP 4: Place the pan in the freezer for at least an hour or overnight if possible.
STEP 5: Combine the chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a small metal bowl, and set this atop a saucepan with about an inch or so of water in the bottom.
STEP 6: Place the saucepan over medium-high heat, and stir the chocolate mixture frequently until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.
STEP 7: Remove the frozen ice cream scoops from the freezer. Holding the scoops by the wooden skewer and over the bowl of melted chocolate, spoon melted chocolate over the top and sides of the ice cream scoop to coat it completely. Dip the bottom of each scoop into the chocolate quickly, then place it back on the parchment baking sheet.
STEP 8: Repeat until all scoops are covered in chocolate. Remove the skewers from the top of each bon bon, and freeze for 30 minutes before enjoying.
What To Serve With Ice Cream Bon Bons
You can serve and plate your ice cream bon bons with something crunchy. I don’t think you’ll need a super indulgent accompaniment because these bite-sized delights are already rich and delicious.
My recommendations? Try these bon bons with pretzels, graham crackers, or granola!
But since this particular recipe is mint chip ice cream bon bons, I have two chocolatey desserts that will be pure bliss when paired with the indulgent morsels.
Try your bon bon ice cream with our double chocolate banana bread and chewy turtle chocolate chip cookies!
Tips About Making Mint Chip Ice Cream Bon Bons
There’s no need to be intimidated by these ice cream bon bons. Here are some extra tips to consider when making them at home:
- As much as possible, let your half and half with mint mixture sit overnight in the fridge to get the best minty flavor.
- These ice cream bon bons are easy to make, but make sure to work fast when covering the ice cream balls. They’ll melt, and the chocolate coating will harden quickly.
- Be creative with different flavors of homemade ice cream. You can even make a super easy banana ice cream by just blending frozen banana chunks and vanilla extract.
How To Store Ice Cream Bon Bons
You can make these mint chip ice cream bon bons in advance! Even busy bees can get their sweet tooth fixed by preparing these bon bons ahead of time.
- Freezer: Transfer your mint chip ice cream bon bons to a freezer-safe bag. They can last up to three months frozen!
I doubt you’ll keep your ice cream bon bons for months in the freezer, but because they’re coated in chocolate, remember that you don’t want to store them for too long to avoid sugar bloom.
How to Shape the Mint Chip Bon Bons
Shaping these ice cream bon bons is the most fun part, but you need to be quick when working.
Each scoop is around a tablespoon of ice cream, but you can always make bigger ice cream balls, depending on how big you want your bon bons to be.
After scooping, it’s important to freeze the ice cream balls in a baking tray for at least an hour, so they’ll be easier to coat with chocolate. I prefer to freeze them overnight for perfectly shaped bon bons!
After coating the scoop of ice cream with chocolate, allow your ice cream bon bons to set in the freezer for half an hour. And voila! Mint chip bon bons are ready to enjoy.
Are There Ice Cream Bon Bons?
Yes! We’re all probably familiar with bon bons as balls of chocolate with a soft filling. But since bon bons or bonbons, whatever you want to call them, are composed of a hard shell, they’re also perfect with ice cream.
The secret is ensuring that your ice cream balls are firm and frozen so they’re easier to coat.
After scooping, it’s important to freeze the ice cream balls in a baking tray for at least an hour, so they’ll be easier to coat with chocolate. I prefer to freeze them overnight for perfectly shaped bon bons!
After coating the scoop of ice cream with chocolate, allow your ice cream bon bons to set in the freezer for half an hour. And voila! Mint chip bon bons are ready to enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ice Cream Bon Bons
What exactly are bon bons?
Bon bons or bonbons are small confections coated in chocolate. The filling can be anything from caramel to even liquor.
How do you eat bon bons?
You eat bon bons as you would with any confection. Their size and shape are perfect for picking and in fact, there’s a phrase “sitting around eating bonbons” which implies spending time being lazy. 😅
What is in a Bon Bon?
A bon bon or bonbon is a small bite-sized confection composed of a chocolate shell and sweet filling. Back then, bon bons are filled with candied fruit, but nowadays, a bon bon can be filled with caramel, ganache, chocolate, fruits, and so much more.
Does Walmart sell bon bons?
Walmart sells bon bons like these boxed Belgian premium bonbon truffles. But if you want ice cream bon bons like what we did in this recipe, I only found ice cream bites, and they’re not really bon bons since they’re not covered in chocolate.
Who makes ice cream bon bons?
Brothers International Desserts makes ice cream bonbons. Their bon bons are vanilla ice cream balls covered in dark chocolate.
Are bonbons candy or ice cream?
The original bonbon is a type of chocolate candy that covers a sweet filling. You can also make ice cream bon bons, which are bite-size balls of ice cream coated in chocolate.
Do bonbons need to be refrigerated?
You don’t need to refrigerate bonbons. The decorated confections are made from chocolate, so for the best texture and look, it’s best not to refrigerate the bonbons.
Are bon bons cold?
Bon bons are not cold since keeping them in the fridge creates a white cast, which not only ruins their look but also the texture and flavor of the chocolate. But of course, ice cream bon bons are just ice cream covered in chocolate, so they’ll be cold.
Mint Chip Ice Cream Bon Bons
These mint chip ice cream bon bons are homemade ice cream bites covered with chocolate. Super easy and way better than the ones in the freezer aisle.
Ingredients
FOR THE MINT CHIP ICE CREAM:
- 2 cups half & half
- 2 cups fresh mint, washed, leaves removed from the stems
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure mint extract
- 1 teaspoon creme de menthe, optional
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
FOR THE CHOCOLATE COATING:
Instructions
FOR THE MINT CHIP ICE CREAM
- Combine the half & half, fresh mint, and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Once the sugar dissolves and the mixture is steaming, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Let the mixture infuse for an hour, or much better, transfer it to an airtight container, and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
- After the mixture has been infused, pour it into a saucepan and place over medium heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks for 2 minutes or until pale and thick.
- Once the half & half mixture is steaming, slowly pour it into the egg yolks, whisking continuously.
- Once all of the half & half is incorporated into the egg yolks, scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium heat.
- Allow the custard to heat up and thicken, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once the custard is at 165ºF, it should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. The custard is done if a line remains when you swipe your finger across the back of the spoon.
- Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl.
- Whisk in the heavy cream, mint extract, and creme de menthe.
- Pour the custard into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
- Place an airtight container in the freezer.
- The next day, churn the custard according to your ice cream maker's instructions for about 20 to 25 minutes until thick and airy.
- About 5 minutes before the ice cream is done churning, place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 20-second increments, stirring in between heatings until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer, and using a silicone spatula, drizzle the melted chocolate into the container quickly, flicking your wrist back and forth to make small chocolate lines in the bottom and on the sides of the container.
- When the ice cream is done churning, spoon a layer of ice cream into the airtight container. Drizzle more melted chocolate on top of the layer.
- Repeat this process until all of the ice cream is in the container. Using a spatula, stir the ice cream in the container to break up the hardened chocolate lines into small bits.
- Cover and freeze for at least an hour before scooping.
ASSEMBLING THE BON BONS
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Using an ice cream scoop (you can use whatever you have!), scoop ice cream out of the container and place it onto the parchment baking sheet, leaving room in between each scoop. Remember to work quickly!
- Once all of your ice cream is scooped onto the baking sheet, place a wooden skewer into the center of each scoop about halfway through the scoop.
- Place the pan in the freezer for at least an hour or overnight if possible.
- Combine the chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a small metal bowl, and set this atop a saucepan with about an inch or so of water in the bottom.
- Place the saucepan over medium-high heat, and stir the chocolate mixture frequently until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.
- Remove the frozen ice cream scoops from the freezer. Holding the scoops by the wooden skewer and over the bowl of melted chocolate, spoon melted chocolate over the top and sides of the ice cream scoop to coat it completely. Dip the bottom of each scoop into the chocolate quickly, then place it back on the parchment baking sheet.
- Repeat until all scoops are covered in chocolate. Remove the skewers from the top of each bon bon, and freeze for 30 minutes before enjoying.
Notes
- Allowing the heated mixture of half and half with mint to sit overnight in the fridge makes the ice cream extra minty!
- It’s important to work quickly because the ice cream will melt, and the chocolate coating hardens fast.
- Experiment with different flavors of homemade ice cream! For example, just blend frozen banana chunks and vanilla extract for a super easy banana ice cream.
* This recipe was originally published on 07/2020 by Jaclyn. Notes and photos updated on 06/2023.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 25 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 206Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 8mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 23gProtein: 2g
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for the most accurate results.
Conclusion
Indulge in a refreshing treat that you can pick between your fingertips!
These mint chip ice cream bon bons are super simple and versatile; you might find yourself making them whenever you have ice cream in the freezer!
The secret is to ensure your ice cream balls are frozen and solid, so they’ll be easier to cover in melted chocolate.
I hope our homemade mint chip ice cream recipe has also inspired you to do other ice cream flavors at home. 😉
And if you love desserts that are literally something you can pick for a pick-me-up, like these ice cream bon bons, you’ll like these recipes:
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