It takes me 1 1/2 blocks (driving) to finish a toasted sesame seed bagel with cream cheese. It takes me the opening song of The Wire to finish my cornbread pizza. It takes me the 30 minutes before leaving for dinner to make this ice cream, leaving me just enough time to switch my shoes and put on lipstick.
Do you ever buy the ingredients to make something discovering that you can’t make it until you’re ready. I don’t know what makes one ready, but sometimes it takes me a minute. And I find that I have to read ice cream recipes over and over to feel good about diving in. There are so many small bowls of things, things to heat, remove from heat, and add back to heat. But honestly, this ice cream was a breeze to make! And if the time that it just felt right to make this was in the 30 minutes before leaving for burger dinner, then I have total confidence that you can also make this all willy-nilly like.
Oh! And most importantly, this ice cream is SO GOOD. It tastes like brownie batter, like the center of a truffle, like a chocolate dream. Did you know that when I get frozen yogurt I get a combo of german chocolate, chocolate, and dark chocolate? One spoonful of this wins for chocolate-ness than that fro-yo f’sho could ever muster!
The Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream In The World (makes 1 quart)
Recipe from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home
Ingredients:
chocolate syrup –
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate (55-70% cacao), finely chopped
ice cream base –
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 T + 1 t cornstarch
- 1 1/2 oz. (3 T) cream cheese, softened
- 1/8 t fine sea salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 T light corn syrup
equipment –
- one 1-gallon Ziploc bag
- ice cream maker
Directions:
- Make chocolate syrup. Combine the cocoa, coffee, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 30 seconds. Place chopped chocolate in a large bowl. Remove from heat and pour over chopped chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Make ice cream base. Place 2 tablespoons of the whole milk in a small bowl. Slowly add the cornstarch and whisk until combined to make a smooth slurry. Add cream cheese and salt to chocolate syrup and whisk until smooth. Meanwhile fill a large bowl with ice and water.
- Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened (about 1 minute). Remove from heat.
- Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Transfer mixture to a 1-gallon Ziploc bag and submerge sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary until cold (about 30 minutes).
- Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once churned, pack ice cream into a storage container, pressing a piece of parchment directly onto the surface. Seal with an airtight lid. Freeze for at least 4 hours.
Yay! Click HERE for a printable pdf right HERE.
This ice cream tastes like brownie batter and the center of a truffle.
to.die.for. looks so luscious:) x
Thanks, Holly! I wish I could mail you some!
This is perfect! We just pulled out our ice cream maker for the first time the other day and made some chocolate ice cream, but we both thought “This isn’t chocolately enough.” You’ve solved our problems! This looks amazing!!!
Oh man, I hear ya! It needs to be chocolate on top of chocolate, right?!
it’s really the chocolatiest!! and so cute in a cone too!
Thanks, girl! I’m glad you got to sample this frozen goodness.
Wow. This looks Ah-mazing! I am always ready for ice cream that tastes like brownie batter *swoon*!
And I totally know what you mean about being “ready”. Sometimes it feels like the planets have to align.
!Those heart sprinkles are adorable!)
Yes! The brownie-est. Yeah man, the planets aligned when I had just 30 minutes, but the universe knew it would only take that long! And thanks! Sprinkles always remind me of you!
I cannot believe this, but I am out of cornstarch…so annoying! I want this in my mouth immediately. Heading to the store after naptime…damn kids! Looks unbelievable.
Oh man, I know how that is! I had EXACTLY enough cocoa powder. It was a cocoa miracle.
Gurl that whole first paragraph is why we’re friends. Also this ice cream, I’m going to have dreams about it.
I wish we could bagel it up sometime on the real.
Oh yum, this looks amazing!
Thanks, Rosie! It’s truffletastic!
This will haunt me until I make it! haha Thanks for sharing!
The ghost of ice cream of the future!
Duuuuuuude. I need this ice cream.
Ah! You just really do!
Just pinned—Such unusual ingredients in this, have to make it asap.
Yes! No eggs?! But it makes super creamy almost chewy ice cream. Totally stays soft when super frozen. No scoops will be bullied here.
Sprinkles!! can’t have ice cream with out them and I’m ready for this ice cream..
Sprinkles are ice cream’s best accessory!
I adore Jeni’s ice cream base recipe for the home machine. She’s brilliant, isn’t she? And so are you. This looks so decadent- I wanna sit on the couch with a big bowl full of this and an episode of Game of Thrones. And I wouldn’t feel bad about that at all. Nope, I sure wouldn’t. Gorgeous!
She really is. I’d like to be BFFs with Jeni, fo sho.
And thanks!
excuse me while I forward this post to my husband…. he doesn’t think I need an ice cream maker…. now he will
Oh girl, this should totally do the trick! He just doesn’t realize how good homemade ice cream is!
Is there a strong coffee taste in the ice cream? Can you leave the coffee out or sub it for something else? Thanks
Hey! There isn’t a coffee taste really. It’s just there to enhance the chocolate. To avoid it completely just use water instead of coffee. Hope you love it!
Made the base for this three days ago. Made the chocolate syrup two days ago. Mixed the two together one day ago. Churned it last night. Have been in heaven all day. Thank you!!
The texture of this ice cream is the best of any I have made. Even when I store it in the deep freezer, which tends to make ice cream a little too solid. I was worried when I poured the ice cream into my storage vessel bc it was thinner than usual even after 30 minutes of churning, but I worried for naught.
This is perfection. Can’t wait to try other variations.
Yes! I’m so glad you love it. I found the texture perfect too! And I know what you mean, I totes thought mine seemed thin and was nervous also. Hell to the yeah.
Oh also, what was the texture for you after you had churned it? And what type of ice cream maker do you have?
The texture of mine was super smooth and almost chewy (not in a weird way), but like you said it doesn’t ever get TOO firm in the freezer. And I have a little Cuisinart ice cream maker!
Cool, good to know! I can’t wait to try some more variations.
Chocolatey chocolateness? Yes puh-lease. I am declaring summer 2013 the season of ice cream adventure, so I may as well add this to the list!