When you need to cool down, sometimes there’s nothing better than a cold bowl of ice cream. We’ve compiled 27 of our favorite ice cream recipes to help you chill out. Here are some highlights:

BEER ICE CREAM: Now you can have your beer, and eat it too. This recipe requires only four ingredients (beer, sugar, egg yolks and cream). Splurge a little with this one and use a good brew — quality shows in the finish. The base comes together in about 20 minutes, and is ready as quickly as your ice cream maker can churn it out. Cheers.

STRAWBERRY GELATO: Don’t have an ice cream maker? No problem. Mix chopped strawberries with a little sugar, orange juice and balsamic vinegar and freeze. Scrape the frozen berries into a food processor and process with mascarpone cheese to creamy goodness. If you happen to have any leftover after sampling, freeze it for later. That’s it.

BUTTERMILK ICE CREAM: Use a vanilla bean to give this ice cream rich vanilla flavor, balancing out the richness of the whipping cream and sweet sugar with the slight tang of buttermilk. The ice cream is great on its own, but works well with a variety of toppings.

CARROT CAKE ICE CREAM: Carrot cake fan? David Leibovitz can help. He came up with this recipe, which takes the best qualities of the dessert and combines them in an ice cream. Try it once, and you may never want another ice cream again.

GOAT CHEESE ICE CREAM: For some, the perfect way to end a meal is with dessert. For others, there’s cheese. Why settle for one? Serve this as a dessert, appetizer or maybe a dessert-cheese course.

CHOCOLATE MINT ICE CREAM: Real fresh mint, bittersweet chocolate, whipping cream, sugar and a touch of salt — you need only five ingredients for this classic ice cream flavor. Fresh mint gives the finished product a brightness and crisp flavor you won’t find with artificial flavoring. You can find the recipe below.

Click on the photo gallery for more recipes:

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One of the best ways to keep cool this summer is with beer ice cream.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

2/21

Recipe: Nectarine-cardamom ice cream

  (Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)

3/21

Recipe: Meyer lemon cardamom ice cream

  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

4/21

Recipe: Buckwheat ice cream

  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

5/21

Recipe: Green tea ice cream

  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

6/21

Recipe: Carrot cake ice cream

  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

7/21

Recipe: Vanilla Bean Buttermilk Ice Cream

  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

8/21

Recipe: Honeycomb ice cream

  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

9/21

Recipe: Tangerine ice cream

  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

10/21

Recipe: Mint ice cream

  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

11/21

Recipe: Pumpkin pie ice cream with pecan praline

  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

12/21

Recipe: Peppered balsamic ice cream with fresh strawberries

  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

13/21

Recipe: Prune-Armagnac ice cream

  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

14/21

Recipe: Rhubarb and raspberry ice

  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

15/21

Recipe: Ceremonious ice cream

  (Robert Lachman / Los Angeles Times)

16/21

Recipe: Jose Andres’ pan con chocolate with brioche ice cream

  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

17/21

Recipe: Balsamic-strawberry gelato (without an ice cream maker)

  (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

18/21

Recipe: Carob molasses ice cream

  (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)

19/21

Recipe: Goat cheese ice cream

  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

20/21

Recipe: Mango-ginger ice cream

  (Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)

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Recipe: Spiced plum ice cream

  (Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)

CHOCOLATE MINT ICE CREAM

Total time: 15 minutes, plus 8 hours steeping and freezing time | Serves 4 to 6

2 bunches fresh mint, stems removed, leaves washed and dried

3 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

Dash coarse salt

3 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

1. Chop the mint and place in a glass bowl. Add the cream and stir until blended. Cover and steep in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Strain the mint mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl, pressing on the mint to extract all the liquid. Discard the mint. Stir the sugar, salt and chocolate into the cream and mix well with a rubber spatula. Transfer to an ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Each of 6 servings: 559 calories; 74 mg. sodium; 163 mg. cholesterol; 50 grams fat; 30 grams saturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 3 grams fiber.

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