For the Peppermint Ice Cream

• 1 recipe Walt’s Dream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ teaspoons peppermint extract

For the Peppermint Patties

• Butter for the baking sheet
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons (65 g) vegetable shortening
• ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon peppermint oil
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 ounces (170 g) white chocolate
• 5 cups (500 g) confectioners’ sugar
• 12 ounces (340 g) bittersweet chocolate

For the Dark Chocolate Swirl

• 8 ounces (225 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream

1. Make the peppermint ice cream: Prepare Walt’s Dream according to the recipe directions. After cooling the base in the ice bath, add the vanilla and peppermint extracts and stir to combine. Pour the ice cream base through a wire-mesh strainer into a storage container and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, or until completely cool.
2. Make the peppermint patties: Butter a 12-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and 3 tablespoons of the vegetable shortening together on high speed, until light and fluffy. Add the cream, peppermint oil, and vanilla and mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined.

4. In a small saucepan, melt the white chocolate over very low heat, stirring regularly to prevent it from burning.

   

5. Add the white chocolate to the mixer bowl and beat on medium speed until combined.
6. With the mixer on low speed, add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup (100 g) at a time, increasing the mixer speed after each addition. Mix on high speed until smooth and well combined. Be sure to keep mixing until any lumps of sugar are gone.
7. Spread the peppermint mixture in an even layer, no more than ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, on the prepared baking sheet. It will be incredibly sticky and difficult to work with. Coat your hands in powdered sugar, and work the mixture evenly across the sheet, smoothing it out as much as possible. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the bittersweet chocolate and the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening over low heat. Pour over the chilled sheet of peppermint pattie mix, tilting the pan to coat it evenly. Return the baking sheet to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour more, until the chocolate coating is firm. Chop the peppermint pattie into small pieces and set aside.
9. Transfer the cooled base to an ice cream maker and churn it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
10. While the ice cream is churning, make the dark chocolate swirl: Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat until it starts to bubble up. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir gently until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
11. When the ice cream is almost finished churning, open the lid of the ice cream maker and add the pieces of peppermint pattie. Use as much of the pattie as you want; you won’t necessarily need the whole batch. Continue churning for a few minutes more.
12. Transfer the ice cream to a storage container, gently folding in heaping spoonfuls of the dark chocolate swirl as you do, softly lifting and spinning it throughout the ice cream. Be careful not to overmix. Serve immediately or harden in your freezer for 8 to 12 hours for a more scoopable ice cream.