Copycat Blue Bell Peppermint Bark Ice Cream

This copycat blue bell peppermint bark ice cream recipe is perfect for the holiday season.

When Blue Bell creameries decided to discontinue their peppermint bark ice cream, I knew I needed to bring you an authentic and delicious copycat recipe of this holiday favorite. This includes a video tutorial below! The result was a creamy and rich ice cream packed with smooth peppermint, white chocolate, and dark chocolate chunks.

Peppermint Bark was one of Blue Bell’s holiday flavors that were released in 2018. Blue Bell’s special seasonal releases are full of fun, festive flavors that my kids always look forward to. This particular flavor was either for a limited time or must not have sold well, because, in Christmas of 2020, it was nowhere to be found. Though it wasn’t around long, this smooth mint ice cream perfectly mixed with peppermint candy pieces, dark chocolate chunks, and white chocolate chunks captured the heart of one of my closest friends. We looked everywhere for one last carton of blue bell peppermint bark, but it was already gone. Its replacement was a pink, cool peppermint ice cream simply called “peppermint.” Not the same, Blue Bell!

Copycat Blue Bell Ice Cream

I decided a copycat version would make a fun Christmas gift for my friend. Though I am not new to making homemade ice cream, (I already knew some common ingredients to make it amazingly rich and creamy) I needed to come up with the right amounts to those ingredients to create a beautiful balance for this copycat bluebell ice cream. I worked with it, did my best, and then it was time for the taste test. Oh my! This was a delicious, new holiday flavor ice cream! It was just too good to keep my secret homemade recipe a secret.

This ice cream also makes a wonderful peppermint milkshake. It was simply bonus points for me when my son declared, “Holy Moly, Mom! You found the secret to Chick-Fil-A’s Peppermint milkshake!.” Anytime my kids declare me as good as Chick-fil-a it’s a success!

Copycat Blue Bell Peppermint Bark Ice Cream Recipe

3 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
One egg
3/4 cup peppermint candies, crushed (about 1 1/2 handfuls of Brach’s peppermint candies or 8 candy canes)
Ghiradelli white chocolate chips, 3/4 cup
3/4 cup Nestle semisweet chunk chocolate chips
Ice Cream Rock Salt
Ice Cream Maker
Silicone Ice Cream Container (or other freezer safe container)

In a medium saucepan, mix your heavy cream, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract over low heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. About ten minutes. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for ten minutes.

To temper the egg: add it to a separate bowl. Whisk well. Add the ice cream mixture 1 tbsp at a time to the egg mixture. Whisk well in between each tablespoon of ice cream mixture. Do this three times. Slowly pour the egg into the rest of the ice cream mixture, stirring constantly. Do not skip this step! If you add egg to warm liquid without tempering, you risk it cooking and turning into “egg drop soup.” See video below.

Refrigerate this mix for at least two hours before pouring it into your ice cream maker. It can be refrigerated overnight. Meanwhile, crush the peppermints. To do this, place the unwrapped peppermint flavor hard candies or candy canes, into a gallon-size plastic bag. Seal and gently pound with a mallet or hammer until you get small pieces. Set to the side.

How to Make Peppermint Ice Cream

Pour the cold ice cream mix into your churn ice cream maker. Add layers of ice and rock salt, and churn until it is soft serve. The time it takes will vary depending on the maker, but usually 30 minutes to an hour. Once it’s soft serve consistency, fold in the crushed peppermint, white chocolate, and chocolate chunks. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 6 hours or longer to ripen. These are my favorite silicone ice cream containers. This recipe makes approximately 1 1/2 quarts.

We ate it immediately and it was amazing!! I literally couldn’t stop spooning it. This is a custard-style ice cream base which I prefer in my homemade ice creams. It is the richest, most flavorful, and has the most creamy texture of ice cream recipes. If you like a lighter version of ice cream, substitute 1 cup of cream with another cup of whole milk. To me, this compromises the creamy texture and mouthfeel, but it can be done if preferred. Though I love peppermint hot chocolate and often make it with my hot chocolate bomb recipe, this is my new peppermint sweet treat for the holidays.