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When it comes to ice cream, I know what I like. Chocolate, Mint Chip, Vanilla with oodles of chocolate sauce on top. In that order.
So when I made this ice cream over the weekend, it didn’t take long for me to fall in love.
Ever since I bought my very first grown-up ice cream maker
in June, I’ve been on the hunt for the bomb-diggitiest chocolate ice cream a girl can churn. It’s been one of the most important quests of my life – one does not fool around when it comes to chocolate ice cream – and I’m happy to say that this weekend I made the breakthrough that had me eating three scoops of this stuff in one sitting before I even thought about lunch.
Yeah. It was a great day.
I internet searched “best chocolate ice cream ever” for a few days, tried a few things, and ultimately strung together a bunch of techniques I liked to get exactly the right result. Hopefully all you chocolate ice cream lovers out there will be as happy as I am with this recipe. In the middle of summer, this is like air conditioning on a spoon. Covered in chocolate. AKA the best thing ever out of ALL THE THINGS EVER.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 cups whole milk
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (I used a whole Ghirardelli bar. Because YUM)
Instructions
- Whisk cocoa powder, half and half, and whole milk together in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks until they lighten slightly in color. Add sugar a bit at a time and whisk vigorously.
- Add vanilla extract to egg yolk mixture and whisk until combined. Set aside.
- Simmer the cream and cocoa mixture for about three minutes, then remove from heat.
- Temper the egg mixture with the cream and cocoa mixture by adding a tiny bit of hot liquid at a time to the eggs and whisking constantly. Add a few tablespoons of hot liquid at a time until you’ve incorporated about half of your hot liquid into the egg mixture. (Tempering is a process of gradually cooking the eggs so that they don’t curdle or scramble, but instead form a smooth custard for the base of your ice cream).
- Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot liquid and whisk together. Return to the stove on low heat, stirring frequently, until the custard has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon, like so:
- In a separate bowl, break up the semi-sweet chocolate into small chunks.
- Remove the chocolate custard mixture from the stove and pour slowly over the semi-sweet chocolate. Let sit for a minute, then gently stir until all the chocolate is melted and fully incorporated into the custard.
- Let custard cool on counter for 15-20 minutes
- Place custard in the fridge, uncovered, for 3o minutes to an hour. After an hour, cover the mixture with an airtight lid and leave it in the fridge overnight.
- You’re ready to churn your ice cream! Pour your mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Notes
Inspired by recipes from Alton Brown, David Lebovitz, Simply Recipes, and AllRecipes
yuuummmmy!!!!
“Air conditioning on a spoon” — love it!
Also love the “Air conditioning on a spoon” phrase!