Chocolate Ice Cream

The second recipe I made in my new ice cream maker is this Chocolate Ice Cream recipe. I don't usually care for chocolate ice cream but one of my sons has been asking me to make it. I made a chocolate recipe a few years ago and didn't like it (neither did my husband, so it wasn't just me!), so this morning I searched for a new one to try. I came across this recipe, which looked good. After reading through the comments, I discovered the mixture overflowed in most commenter's 1.5-qt. ice cream makers, which is the size I have. I also read that it helps make the ice cream less gritty if you sift the cocoa and sugars first. I used these two suggestions and adapted the amounts as best I could to come up with the recipe below, which we all loved! Everyone had a second helping, even me. I put some cut up fresh strawberries on top of mine which made it even better.

I used some half & half in place of some of the heavy whipping cream, but if you don't have it or don't want to use it, use 1 cup of whole milk and 2 cups of heavy whipping cream - or any combination of milk and cream to equal 3 cups.

I'm happy I found a chocolate recipe that tastes good and we can now use this as a base for other recipes (chocolate chocolate chip, chocolate peanut butter, rocky road, etc.) or just have it as plain chocolate!

Chocolate Ice Cream

Adapted from Chew Out Loud Website

 

2/3 cup cocoa powder, good quality, unsweetened

¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

½ cup white sugar

1 cup whole milk, very cold

1 cup half and half, very cold

1 cup heavy cream, very cold

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Sift the cocoa powder, brown sugar and white sugar together to enable a finer mix into the cold ingredients - it makes the ice cream taste less gritty.

 

In a chilled bowl, combine the sifted cocoa and both sugars, whisking to combine well. Add cold milk and whisk until the sugars are dissolved. Stir in cold heavy cream and vanilla. The colder everything is, the better.

 

Optional: Refrigerate mixture for at least 4-6 hours or overnight for better results (using a quart-sized mason jar works well to store this amount of mixture).

 

Pour mixture into the freezer bowl of ice cream maker. Let it run for 20-25 minutes, or until the mixture is thick, soft, and creamy. Churned ice cream should increase in volume, reaching the top of the machine's freezer bowl.

 

If adding something extra, mix for 15-20 minutes and then add 1/4 cup (or up to 1 cup):

·      Mini chocolate chips

·      Oreos

·      Snickers

·      Reese's cups

and mix for 5 more minutes.

 

Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours or until ice cream is desired consistency.

 

Prior to serving, let ice cream sit at room temp for a few minutes just to soften enough for easy scooping.