Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts by Jeni Britton Bauer (Artisan, 2011 & 2014)

Note: This recipe follows Jeni Britton Bauer’s method for ice cream made with cream cheese as the stabilizer. If you’re new to the technique, see my Sweet Cream Ice Cream post for a detailed explanation and book recommendations.

Note: If you have an immersion blender, it will come it handy, but it's not necessary.

Makes about 1 quart

Chocolate Base

 Make this first.

75g cocoa powder (I use Guittard Rouge Cocoa Powder)
2/3 cup strong brewed coffee
100g sugar (I use Domino Golden Sugar)
2 ounces chopped chocolate (I use Guittard 70% chocolate)

Mix the cocoa, coffee, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate, let stand for 5 minutes so the chocolate can melt, and stir until smooth.

Sweet Cream Base Specifically for Chocolate Ice Cream

600g whole milk
336g heavy cream
132g granulated sugar (I use Domino Golden Sugar)
3 tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup
14g Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour (what I use) or cornstarch
56g cream cheese
1/8 teaspoon salt (I use fine sea salt.)

Weigh the tapioca flour or cornstarch into a small prep bowl.

Weigh the cream cheese onto a small flat plate and sprinkle the salt over it. Use the tines of a fork to press the salt into the cream cheese, then transfer it to a container that can handle a bit of warm liquid—I use the tall beaker that came with my immersion blender.

Measure the Lyle’s Golden Syrup into a small glass—I use a 5-ounce measuring glass. You can microwave it for 30 seconds to make it easier to pour.

Pour the milk into a saucepan. Take a small amount of that milk and whisk it into the bowl with the tapioca flour until completely smooth. Set the slurry aside.

Add the heavy cream to the milk in the pan. Stir in the sugar and Lyle’s Golden Syrup. Bring to a low boil and boil gently for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.

Stir the tapioca slurry once more to make sure it’s smooth, then whisk it into the hot milk mixture. Return the pan to the heat and bring it back to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for exactly one minute—no more—then remove from the heat.

Add the warm chocolate base to the container with the cream cheese and use an immersion blender (or a whisk) to blend until smooth. Pour this chocolate–cream cheese mixture back into the saucepan and whisk to fully incorporate.

Strain the base through a fine-mesh sieve into a container. I do this in two steps: first through a rounded sieve into an 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup, then through a conical sieve into a tall glass container with a lid. (Jeni says you can use a 1-gallon Ziplock freezer bag, but I don’t.)

Make a water bath to chill the base. I use reusable gel ice packs stored in the freezer, since I don’t have an ice cube maker. Either works well.

Place the container of ice cream base into a deep bowl, preferably stainless steel, and fill the bowl with cold water—being careful not to let any water into the container. Surround the container with frozen gel packs or ice cubes. Jeni says the base is usually cold enough to spin after about 30 minutes, but I typically refrigerate it overnight to cure and chill it thoroughly.

When ready, spin the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

I divide the finished ice cream between two pint-sized cardboard containers—like the ones Ben & Jerry’s uses—and place a 6-inch circle of parchment directly on the surface before sealing. This helps reduce ice crystals and keeps the texture smooth.

This ice cream is best after about 8 hours in the freezer. I like to cure the base overnight, spin in the morning, and have it ready by dinner.

 

Glass Container I Put Ice Cream In

Pint Container I Freeze Ice Cream In

Ice Cream Chilling in an Ice Bath with Gel Packs Instead of Ice Cubes