Blackberry Italian Ice is the perfect option to serve as a dessert, palate cleanser or a refreshing snack. Deep in flavor with a minty fresh finish, it's a Gr8 make ahead recipe! Have it on hand ready to serve when the craving hits.
Prep Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Freezing3 hourshrs
Total Time4 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Course: Dessert, palate cleanser
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Blackberry Mint Italian Ice
Servings: 6standard size scoops
Author: Debbie
Ingredients
1cupsuperfine sugar, * See Gr8 Note below
1cupwater
¼cupjulienned fresh mint leaves, plus 6 full leaves for garnish
3cupsfresh blackberries, ** See Gr8 Note below regarding sweetness
¼cupfreshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1 large or 2 small lemons
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Instructions
Dissolve the sugar in water over medium low heat in a medium sauce pan. Add the mint and stir and warm until sugar dissolves and begins to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover. Let rest until room temperature, about 45 minutes. Refrigerate until completely chilled.
While mixture is chilling, place the blackberries in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add lemon juice and puree until evenly blended.
Place a mesh sieve over a bowl. Press the pureed mixture through the sieve, "scrubbing" with a rubber spatula or back of a large spoon to collect majority of the liquid. Discard solids (***OR see Gr8 Notes below). Place covered bowl in refrigerator to chill.
When completely chilled, strain the minty sugary syrup through a mesh sieve. Discard the mint pieces.
In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine both mixtures. Transfer into a shallow freezer safe container with a lid to fit. Freeze without "interruption" until solid and firm.
Once frozen, break up into large pieces. As it softens, mash with the back of a spoon, scoop and garnish with mint leaves. Or freeze scoops until ready to serve.
Notes
Gr8 Notes:
* You can purchase superfine sugar or make it yourself with granulated sugar.** Once tasting a fresh berry and you find it is already sweet enough, reduce the amount of sugar, but keep the water measurement the same. ***If you prefer a little chunkiness or solid pieces in the Italian Ice, add ⅛ cup or more of the solids to the mixture before freezing.If serving as dessert instead of a palate cleanser, depending on your desired scoop size, you may want to double the recipe.