Chocolate Ice Cream
Oh.My.God. In his prologue to this recipe in The Perfect Scoop
, David Lebovitz says that when he first made this ice cream it was so good he licked the dasher clean when it was done churning. I may have done him one better. After licking the dasher clean, I took a spoon to clean up all the bits of ice cream that were still frozen to the sides of the bowl and hadn’t made it into the freezer container. This is, without question, the absolute best chocolate ice cream I have ever eaten. And I certainly have eaten enough to guarantee that the previous statement is statistically accurate. Smooth, creamy, and the most intense chocolate flavor you will ever find in a chocolate ice cream.
Let’s talk about the chocolate, shall we? This recipe calls for Dutch-process cocoa powder*, which adds a tremendous amount of depth and richness to this ice cream. I believe it’s a drastically improved flavor over what you would get using a regular unsweetened cocoa powder. The recipe then gives the option of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate and I used 60% bittersweet. I love dark chocolate and it definitely added an extra oomph of richness to the ice cream. I really just can’t say enough about the incredible flavor of this ice cream and I think the Dutch-process cocoa and the bittersweet chocolate is a stellar combination.
And now, on to the texture. This is the first time I have made ice cream using egg yolks to thicken the custard and I’ve been officially converted. While the other ice creams I’ve made have had a nice texture, this ice cream is completely unmatched. It is unbelievably smooth and creamy, and you can run a spoon through it straight from the freezer like you’re cutting butter. Absolutely superb.
And now I need your help. I am in need of a quality ice cream scoop. I want the pretty round scoops. Does anyone have any recommendations? I recently saw the Rösle ice cream scoop
received high praise from Cook’s Illustrated, but am interested in hearing about any that you use and love. Thanks for the input!
*I typically can’t find Dutch-process cocoa powder in the regular grocery stores in my area; if you’re in the same boat, you can easily order it online. I have ordered it both from Penzeys and Amazon
with no problem. I would highly recommend getting it, as you can use it in many other chocolate baked goods as well. Penzeys offers smaller quantities, so if you just want to try it out, you can get a small bag of it through them for a much lower cost.
Want more ice cream? Check out the Blueberry Cheesecake and Classic Vanilla recipes.
Don’t forget! If you’re dying to make homemade ice cream and cursing yourself for not having an ice cream maker, head straight to this tutorial on how to make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker!
One year ago: Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Chocolate Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract1. Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.
2. Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
3. Stir the mixture constantly over the medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (170°F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
4. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (If the cold mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out.)
(From The Perfect Scoop
by David Lebovitz)
I’ve made many recipes from The Perfect Scoop, but hadn’t tried the chocolate yet. So good! We added marshmallow cream, graham crackers and chocolate chips for a S’mores version.
i was thinking of adding mint extract 1.5 tsp and 1/2 c choc chips for chocolate chocolate chip mint….thoughts?
Hey ….
Thanks for this excellent recipe, we all enjoyed this Chocolate Ice-Cream.
Ahh.. Love this anytime.. Such a Nice Recipe of chocolate Ice-Cream.. I will Try soon.
Oh. My. Gosh! Best ice cream ever … and I did not normally go for chocolate ice cream. Not only was it simple to make, but it was incredibly delicious and SO creamy! Can’t ever go back to store-bought ice cream, that’s for sure! Thanks for sharing David’s recipe … I’ve got my mom in law to pick up a copy of The Perfect Scoop for me.
Hi!
Loved this ice cream recipe…..however, once chilled over night it was so thick it broke my ice cream attachment :( I whisked it to thin it out as you suggested but it just wouldn’t churn. The kitchen looked like chocolate chainsaw massacre! 😂 It did taste amazing so I don’t want to give up on it! . I have a kitchenaid ice cream attachment. (Maybe I should invest in something a bit more professional). Would you suggest churning it once its made and then cooled over an ice bath instead?
Oh no!!! I’ve made it a bunch of time and while thick it’s always churned. I also have the Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment. It theoretically should chill longer than just the ice bath, but since it got so thick for you, give it a try that way!
Thanks Michelle! I’ll update you when i next attempt it! Xx
Fab chocolate ice cream base recipe, made with Single Estate 71% chocolate and dash of fine coffee.
Along with homemade ice cream cones, bowls and wafers… Fun for all at dearest hubby’s Bucket list, Ice cream sundae party. Terminal and fighting 4 different cancers.
Claire, I’m so so very sorry to hear about your husband :( My best to you and your family… I’m happy to hear the ice cream was enjoyed!
In case you’re still looking for a great ice cream scooper, Cutco I believe has the best!
It kind of like melts the ice cream no matter how frozen it is. Yet, gives you the picture perfect scoop with ease.
This is absolutely wonderful. Its easy to make and delicious to eat. Love that creamy and chocolaty taste that goes perfectly together. This recipe will be with me till I die. Thank you very much for sharing this magic.
I’m an experienced ice cream maker, but I’m not partial to chocolate ice cream. My husband asked for chocolate though, so I scoured the Internet looking for a good one. In addition, I’m hosting an ice cream party soon, and chocolate is pretty much mandatory in the selection.
I made this recipe exactly as written, and all I can say is WOW! It has to be the richest, most chocolatey ice cream I’ve ever tasted, and my husband is in heaven! This is definitely going to be one of the six ice creams I’ll be serving at the ice cream party, and I’m only making the best. Thank you so much for this superb recipe!
Best chocolate ice cream I’ve made yet! Thanks for the recipe!
Hey, thought I would make this to christen my ice cream maker!
Can I make the mix and leave it overnight to cool before sticking it in the ice cream maker in the morning?
Hi Ina, Yes, absolutely.
Wowza! Another successful recipe. Just finished churning; the quart is in the freezer. Like you, I kicked EVERYTHING clean. That chocolate flavor is so deep. Yum!!!
One (accidental) change I made: our milk had soured when I was too far into making the custard to realize it, so I used half and half in its place. That, plus the whipping cream, and this ice cream will be rich, rich, rich!!! But whoever said that’s a bad thing? ;-)
Thanks, Michelle! By the way, I know you’re in love with your current recipe for vanilla ice cream, but have you tried Cook’s Illustrated’s? It’s even better! This was the first time I made chocolate ice cream and deliberately chose this recipe for the quantity of egg yolks and the two types of chocolate, but Cook’s vanilla is ultra dense and smooth. It’s worth trying!
Hi Lisa, Isn’t this ice cream amazing?! I haven’t tried the Cook’s Illustrated vanilla, I’ll give it a go this summer!
Great recipe. I live in Belize and own a maya stone ground chocolate company . We have started to make ice cream using your recipe and freezing it with nitrogen since we are off grid. It has been a big hit. People say itbismthe best ice cream they have ever had. I attribute part of that to using our pure stink ground cacao that still has the cocoa butter in it.
EXCELLENT!!! Used Hershey cocoa powder and Ghiradelli mini semi sweet chips, ..best chocolate ice cream I have ever made!!! YUM! Thank you so much!
This ice cream is SO good. Really chocolatey and rich. A small serving is all you need. Thank you for the great recipe!
What a perfect texture… !
I forgot to say thank you!
You’ll be glad to know that my dear ice cream snobbish husband has declared that I need not look any further…this recipe is THE one. There ya have it.
I just got the wonderful Kitchenaid ice cream attachment for Christmas and really, really want to try this. (Can I just say YUM?) But I’m confused as to how this is done using the attachment. It only says to freeze in your ice cream maker, but all the Kitchenaid recipes only call for mixing in the attachment and then freezing in a separate container. Can you clarify? At what point in this recipe did you use your attachment?
Hi Lauren, I apologize if the language in confusing. Sometimes in ice cream recipes, the terms “freeze” and “churn” are used interchangeably. Where it says “freeze in your ice cream maker”, this is where you would use your attachment and churn the ice cream. Then, transfer to a container to store in the freezer.
Hi! I live in Melbourne Australia, and I just made your recipe with my Kitchenaid icecream attachment – can I just say it tasted absolutely AMA ZING! I can’t wait for it to finish freezing in my fridge tonight! Thanks so much for posting the recipe – loved making it and will so enjoy the eating! Thanks again for your very easy to follow instructions. Best wishes to you for Christmas and the New Year.
I am no chocolate lover but my husband prefers it over any other flavor. I just got a KA mixer with the ice cream attachment and first made two versions of vanilla. Neither turned out perfectly. I knew I had to make chocolate next for hubby and I found your recipe. I just put it in the freezer to set and what i ate off the dasher was divine. Hubby’s going to love it. I used heavy whipping cream in place of the cream. Would that explain why my ice cream was nearly overflowing my bowl while it was churning? I also used Nestle semi sweet mini chips as that’s the Thanks a million for the recipe and instructions.
I used Nestle semisweet mini chips as that’s all my local store carried.
I made this ice cream over the weekend as part of a homemade ice cream cake for my wife’s birthday. It is divine.
Oh and if you still need a good scoop search Google for “antifreeze ice cream scoop” as there are many brand and sizes to suit your needs. my mother bought one about 25 years ago, paddle shape. They are solid aluminium and have antifreeze inside. The ice cream slips right off. They have the classic scoop shape and paddle shape, for filling a bowl up quick. I inherited hers and still use it to this day :)
Gonna try this tomorrow, have a batch of chocolate chip going now. It sounds yummy! I had planned on using dutch cocoa but not the added melted chocolate, a welcome addition! Anyways thanks for the recipe, I cannot wait to try this out tomorrow.
oh em gee!!! I made this recipe today and it is absolutely devine! I also had some left-over salted caramel in the fridge so some tubs have this swirled through which is to die for! Thanks for a great recipe :) Cheers.
My six year old loves this ice cream. He loves it so much that I stop buying ice cream and now I do this one at least twice a month lol. Thank you for your awesome recipes
Ok, I just made this ice cream using semisweet chocolate and it’s good but not what I want in a chocolate ice cream. It reminds me of a frosty from the Wendy’s fast food chain. Next time I’m going to use the bittersweet chocolate and hopefully it will come out like the picture.
Thanks
Mmmmm! This was the best creamiest ice cream I have ever made! Thanks so much for sharing!
I made this last week and it was absolutely the best ice cream I’ve ever had. I did not have dutch processed cocoa (used a store brand) but it still turned out creamy and very chocolately. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Help! I guess I am a bit of a blonde…I just did the egg mixture part and it separated! It looks like cottage cheese in a pan of milky water. What did I do wrong? How do I fix it?
Hi Mary, I’m not really sure how this could have happened? I’ve never heard of this happening… did you make any substitutions or change the technique in any way?
Got a Kitchenaid maker for Christmas. I am making ice cream this weekend and this is just what I’m looking for to launch it’s inaugural use!
Thank-you for posting!
How long can you keep the custard in the fridge before churning?
Hi Kathryn, I would say up to 24 hours or so.
I made this a year ago and it was the best ice cream I have ever tasted in my long legged life. And I have been to Italy. I will attempt to make it again for Christmas Eve for my mom who cannot swallow. (I don’t have the baker’s chocolate so I am going to use my Costco bag of chocolate chips.)
I used your malted ice cream and added cocoa to make it chocolate malt.
I have this custard cooling in the refrigerator as I type. It was dark. I used the dutch cocoa and 5 oz Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips. Did your base come out darker than the end product?
BTW, I made your chocolate malt ice cream for my gluten-free nephew and after it was done, I realized malt powder is NOT gluten free. Oh Snap! I had to make another batch so chose this one. Poor me!!!
Hi Gloria, It does get a little lighter when it churns, but I wouldn’t be worried about the color!
It came out perfect. Thanks!
This ice cream looks great. I would just like to ask why dutch process cocoa powder is used, isn’t natural cocoa powder supposed to give a more intense and chocolaty flavor? I cant find dutch process cocoa but really would love to make this ice cream. Thanks!
I think Dutch-process cocoa powder a wonderfully clean and robust flavor, but you can make this with natural cocoa powder if you’d like.
After making the Coconut Vanilla Bean Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting, I had 12 egg yolks left over. Even though I don’t have an ice cream maker, I decided to try this. It is truly a “sucker” ice cream recipe. I followed the directions, and it wasn’t that difficult, and it was SO good. I used David’s directions for making ice cream without an ice cream maker, but I used an immersion blender for breaking up the ice crystals, and I can’t imagine it coming out any better using an ice cream maker. I put the custard in a Ziplock oblong 8c plastic container, and this meant it was only ~2″ deep in the freezer, and it gave me some area to get the blender in there and really mix it up. It was also convenient because I just left it in the same container to scoop it out. I am now trying the apple pie ice cream with the same method. We’ll see how that goes, I’m not sure about the step of adding the snickerdoodles in the end, but I’ll figure it out.
You will go to heaven for publishing this recipe. I licked the dasher clean, scraped the inside of the ice chamber and licked the custard bowl. I am sitting on the floor next to the fridge, spoon in hand, waiting for the ice cream to firm up. I might not make it.
Made this over the weekend. Absolutely amazing! My daughters were fighting to see who got to finish it off. My oldest (and sneakiest) took the container and locked herself in my room so she had enough time to finish it off before her sister could break in and get the ice cream back! :) Making again today to appease the heathens. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Hello! This (and the Strawberry!) is epic, epic epic!! I am making this for the second time! I have a question…When you have a recipe, like this one, that calls for 5 egg yolks, do you have a “go to” recipe for the whites? Thank you and many blessings in your new home!
Hi June, It really all depends on what else I’m making in the coming days. Sometimes I have something specific I know I can use the whites for, or else I just save them for an egg white omelet!
Amazing. Better than shop bought. The texture was somewhere between a mousse and ice cream. Gobbled up by all the family. The richness of the dark chocolate (I used 85%) means small portions are enough.
Thanks for this amazing recipe. The ice cream is very creamy and silky and the taste is amazing.
OMG……just churned this off. AMAZING!!!! My husband and I are licking our spoons. THANKS! I am a very happy woman right now.
You asked about ice cream scoops and the one I recommend is the Wilton Ice Cream scoop. It can scoop the hardest ice cream, covers the corners and has a silicon oadded handle and is available in at least 6 cool colors. The Rosle looks like a great tool but I’ve never used one so I cannot attest to it’s usability. It is also around $26.00. While I recognize that Rosle makes very high quality kitchen tools, the Wilton is hands down a wnner for less than half the cost. http://www.amazon.com/WILTON-CREAM-ASSORTED-COLORS-2104-1133/dp/B00444GOI0/. Most were under $10.00 and free delivery.
I made this ice cream yesterday and I can’t believe how good it is! It was my first attempt ever at making ice cream- I don’t own an ice cream making machine. I only hope that I can make it once again and have it turn it just as good or better!
I live in The Netherlands and therefore used ingredients available in a Dutch grocery store. For anyone who may be interested, I used the following successfully:
‘slagroom’ (Dutch whipping cream)
180g Verkade ‘puurchocolade’ (dark chocolate bar)
3 T Blokker ‘cacao’ (unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa)
I also note that I used only 4 egg yolks.
Hats off to David Lebovitz for this incredible recipe and thank you to all the people who shared their experiences making this. I may just buy an ice cream maker soon!
I made the ice cream and tasted it, it was very creamy, no doubt, it seems the best proportion is 2 cream : 1 milk. But taste wise I don’t think this is a winner, it taste good but lack the wow factor.
I found this recipe, migh make it soon.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaig/2253397846/
I used bittersweet chocolate and I zest the chocolate bars till very fine like sawdust and it was literally melting in my fingers. So I thought you might want my feedback, to avoid this, I think before zesting the chocolate, it would be better to put them in the freezer first till totally frozen before zesting :-)
Thanks for answering my previous question, I have one more question, can I add the egg yolk to the heavy cream that has already cooled down if I used pasteurized eggs.
Hi John, No, you still need to cook the eggs as indicated in the recipe. Cooking them thickens the mixture into a custard. If you don’t do this, you will end up with a very thin mixture that may not churn up into a true, thick ice cream.
If I use honey instead of sugar, will it change the recipe taste significantly?
Hi John, Yes, using honey in place of the sugar will definitely change the taste and it will also change the texture of the ice cream. I wouldn’t recommend that substitution due to how much sugar is used.
Ok, so my ice cream has yet to be churned but it already taste amazing!! I can not imagine how delicious this will be once it is churned in my ice cream maker. I agree with the above comment. If you want creamy ice cream, using a custard base is the only way to go. Without the eggs, it’s essentially and ice milk….yuck!
This looks delish, but – if I want to make 4 quarts, then that means 20 eggs and I just can’t imagine using that many. It would taste too eggy, then (IMO). Has anyone made a gallon of this and if so, did you augment (reduce) the number of eggs, or did you use the full 20? My husband and I don’t like eggy-tasting ice cream (otherwise known as custar). I need to know before tomorrow (planning on making this for Saturday, July 7th. I want it to ‘cure’ in the freezer for a day or so). Thank you for taking the time to reply! :0)
In my personal opinion, custard-based ice creams (which is any ice cream base made with egg yolks) taste a million times better – they’re creamy, rich and smooth. If you like this ice cream as-is, it’s not going to taste any different if you scale it up. Yes, it’s 20 egg yolks, but you’re increasing all of the other ingredients by the same amount, so it shouldn’t be an issue at all. This is by far the best chocolate ice cream I’ve ever had, so I highly recommend it. It does not taste “eggy”. If this concerns you, be sure that you don’t ignore the step of straining the custard through a fine mesh sieve – this will ensure that any little bits of cooked egg in the pan don’t make it into your ice cream.
Excellent recipe…… and my husband says that it is beyond excellent!
I have never commented on any recipe I have ever tried, no matter how amazing. HOWEVER!!!!! I made this ice cream with my new KA ice cream attachment for my very first batch of homemade ice cream. Words can not express how amazingly delicious, smooth, rich, creamy and chocolaty this ice cream was! I was texting my mom until 1 am about this ice cream. I took it to work and didn’t tell anyone, since there wasn’t enough for everyone. Word got around fastanyways! The whole container was devoured, even by people who don’t like chocolate! Every bite makes you love it even more. Seriously- USE THIS RECIPE!!!!!
its me again and i just want to say the picture speaks for its self, it was so good.
it was sooooooo amazing i cant wait to make it again
I made this today. It is a little time consuming, but will worth it.
I made 3 variations. 1) I didn’t have bitter of semisweet chocolate, but I have a big block of some REALLY good milk chocolate. 2) With the first cup of cream and dutch cocoa, I added about 2 tablespoons of coconut cream. 3) I toasted about 3/4C almond slivers and added as I poured the custard into the churn.
This is without a doubt the creamiest textured ice cream I’ve ever had. My wife has never liked homemade ice cream because she says it is gritty/grainy. This smooth and creamy. Better than my Haagen Dazs.
Your adaptations sound absolutely amazing! Delicious!
We just made this and, though I hate to say it, the chocolate is almost overpowering. It’s very, very rich. Also, in our batch, the texture is more like that of a gelato and not as firm as an ice cream. We’re going to try another batch, but this time leave out the chocolate and only use the cocoa.
Just made this for my family and it was AMAZING! Everyone loved how chocolate and creamy it was. Absolutely the best! Can’t wait to try the other recipes!
Delicious! I used my KitchenAid for the first time as a overachiever newlywed and it turned out so fine, chocolatey and creamy! I used the 5 egg yolks for a gelato recipe from someone on the food network who thinks she is Italian but lives in LA and wears extremely lowcut shirts and it was flavorless. But yours was so great for Easter dessert!
Definitely Zerol make the best scoopers. Others such as the Pampered Chef with the liquid in the handle are knock offs of the Zerol. Probably made by Zerol. But Zerol is the original heat transfer scooper and used by many shops. They are color coded as per size and they have different shapes such as ball, round, and flat for gelato.
I also find Zerol cheaper than otehr brands since you are buying direct form Zerol and not from a 3rd party such as pampered chef. Just visit your local restaurant supplier and they should have a line of Zerol scoopers available.
well i taught dis was yum!!! tasted grate and wen i ate it i cut my fingers on da churner because i had to eat it LOL!!!
it was delish. but couldn’t find da cocoa power (Duch) anywere! LOL so i used unsweetend CAbury powder LOL yeah so u shood make it! LOL yeah so i may got bluud in the churner thing but tasted delish and added texture and flavour! Great job! I thoroughly enjoyed making this delicious treat to share with my family and friends! Thank you. – Mr. Japoor
This looks SO GOOD!!! I will definitely make some and keep visiting this site! Thanks!!
Hi, I am planning on making this today and I was wondering how long to chill it in the fridge for before pouring in the machine??
Thanks!
I’ve always heard at least 4 hours but up to 24 hours.
Hi Ryley, At least 8 hours, or overnight.
Hi Michelle,
I’ve never made homemade ice cream before and I’m excited to try this recipe along with the help of your “how to make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker” post. The chocolate ice cream looks absolutely divine in your photo! But before I can begin my ice cream endeavor I have a question, all I have at home is regular dutch processed cocoa powder, i don’t have unsweetened dutch cocoa powder. Can I use the dutch powder that I already have or must I go buy the unsweetened?
Hi Aimee, Does your dutch cocoa powder specifically say “sweetened”? If it doesn’t, it probably is actually unsweetened. If it is indeed sweetened, you’ll need to go with the unsweetened.
Thanks so much Michelle, I went through with the Dutch cocoa powder I already had and it was an absolute success! I was thrilled that everything worked out and the chocolate ice cream turned out very rich in flavor- utterly delicious! Thanks again!
I have gone through so many so called “perfect” recipes for chocolate ice cream. But either the texture didn’t suite my taste or the flavor lacked intensity. So in order to be cheap I decided to be “smart” and 3rd the recipe so if it turned out to be “meh” it’s not a big loss of my fairly expensive dutch coco and chocolate.
Quiet possibly the dumbest mistake I’ve made in the kitchen. It’s sooooo creamy and inteansly chocolaty and rich and ……I’ll stop….
I have just enough for a small serving but once thats gone I’ll defiently be making another batch of this.
I’ve never been a huge fan of chocolate ice cream myself, but when I read his prologue of the recipe, I knew I had to try it. The ice creams that I make usually last 1 week or more in the freezer. This one lasts 2 days. When I’ve made it, my family takes two scoops each as dessert after lunch and dinner. We most absolutely love it!
This looked so fabulous that I had to try it. It was the first recipe I made with my new ice cream attachment for my K.A. Instead of milk, I used 1/2 &1/2 (how did that change the recipe?). Also, I have no idea which cocoa is “dutch process”; I used Hersey’s. I used Ghirardeli semi sweet chocolate chips. Also I don’t know how I did it, but I totally forgot the vanilla! This ice cream is rich, creamy, thick, lucious.Beats any ice cream I’ve ever had. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Cindy, Using half and half in place of whole milk would just create a creamier, richer custard base (um, yum!). Also, Dutch-processed cocoa can be ordered through King Arthur Flour, Penzeys, Amazon and a number of other online retailers. (I get mine from Penzeys). I’m glad you enjoyed the ice cream!
they also have it at World Market shops!
Michelle: I am being a pain in the neck tonight posting all over your terrific site, but I wanted to make one more recommndation. I use Pernagotti’s dutch process cocoa powder. Unbelievable smooth, intense choclate flavor with ground vanilla in it. In my humble opinion there is simply nothing that even compares. Once you try it, I guarantee you’ll be hooked. It works well in every recipe requiring chocolate I’ve tried. And that range is wide from ice cream to cakes and so on. I even used it to mix with chipotle, and pork spices to make a pork rub for ribs. It was mind blowing to say the least. Available @
http://chefshop.com/Pernigotti-Cocoa-Powder-Italy-P6637.aspx at about 22.50 for a 2.2 lb bag. WELL worth the money. It’s Italian!!! It HAS to be good!!!
I just made this. Without an ice cream maker. And it is (I have the bowl next to me as I type) the best chocolate ice cream I have ever tasted. I followed the suggestions for making the ice cream with no ice cream maker, and it came out so smoothly, better than any ice cream I’ve ever had anywhere. It’s the perfect Valentine’s day dessert.
Just got this out of the KA and WOW! Such a great, creamy texture!! The dutch process/bittersweet combo is amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
OMG, I made this today, and I totally agree this is the best ice cream I have ever tasted…..it’s still not completely frozen and already the kids, hubby and I can’t seems to leave it alone…..i think by the time it is done, half of it will be done. It is so smooth!!! I love your website!!! Great pics, and u and I must have the same taste buds, b/c I love everything that u have posted. Keep up the great work!!!
Jujey – Thanks for coming back to share your results – I am a total slave to this ice cream too – intoxicating! And thank you for the kind words about the site – much appreciated!
I will definitly try to make this icecream these days. I looks absolutely delicious!
Oh.my.god. You’re right! It was, hands down, the best chocolate ice cream I’ve ever made. I did as you did – licked the dasher, and squeaked every last bit out of the chilling bowl (or whatever you call that thing). Thanks! I’m taking this recipe to Beersheba this summer.
I don’t have an ice cream maker ~ but my mom does. :) We may just have to take a grocery bag up to Grammie’s house and make some of this. Chocolate is my FAVORITE ice cream.
Hi Joshua,
I’m sorry to hear that the custard didn’t quite turn out for you. As far as “scraping” the egg mixture back into the saucepan – it is not thick at this point, but the instructions say scrape merely to stress that you should get all of the mixture back into the pan and not leave any in the bowl. It should not be grainy; the only thing I can think of is perhaps the heat wasn’t up high enough to actually cook the custard and thicken it, but rather was just heating it and it never came together. The next time I make ice cream I will definitely take a picture of this step.
-Michelle
I was also confused about the ‘custard’ part. How thick was is supposed to get? I was worried about overcooking and making scrambled eggs out of the whole thing- but of course worried about undercooking…. I don’t feel like I got enough volume out of the whole mixture (it only filled about half the maker?), so now I’m certian that I didn’t do the custard part correctly. I felt that my spatula was lightly coated with the ‘custard,’ but should it have been as thick as, say, a pudding?
Hi Laura, It should not be as thick as pudding, but it will thicken enough so that it clings to the back of a spoon and not just run off. The mixture should not fill the entire ice cream maker, as it grows in volume when it’s churned. In the future, you should try to use an instant-read digital thermometer. The custard is done when it reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. You can then see what the accompanying consistency is like.
can you make a video for this on youtube or something? it’s my first time using the ice cr3eam maker and i’m having a hard time thinking of what everything is.
I just made this icecream and couldnt figure out the part where you have to scrape the egg yolks back into the saucepan. My wasnt thick enoguh to scrape and then the mixture of milk, sugar and salt and egg yolks never got thick enough to cover the spatula until it was all grainy. Is that the way it suppose to look perhaps maybe you could take a picture of what your end result of egg yolks, milk, salt, sugar looks like before pouring into strainer.
Thanks for posting this. I had been on the fence about buying this book but after now making this recipe, I’ve fallen off on the BUY IT side.
This ice cream looks wonderful!!!!!
i recently made this after seeing it on another blog, too, and LOVED it.
I absolutely adore your site.
That is why I am giving you an award….It is located at my site.
Thanks for all of the amazing bakes.
This looks sooo good! I saw another recipe for ice cream recently, and it looks like I’ll have to get my ice cream maker out and start making my own! :)
Wow, after that endorsement I’m going to have to get over my fear of using eggs in ice cream and just go for it! It looks amazing!!
I can tell by the color of this ice cream that it is rich and delicious. I finally broke out my ice cream maker last night, so I will have to give this a try.
Boy you have been busy this week! Looks great keep it up!
After licking the dasher clean, I took a spoon to clean up all the bits of ice cream that were still frozen to the sides of the bowl and hadn’t made it into the freezer container.
Could’ve been worse – I’d have licked out the freezer container itself, haha! This looks AMAZING. Gorgeous photography!
Sounds yummy! My favorite all time ice cream scoop is from the Pampered Chef. “Heavy-duty dipper uses the heat of your hand to warm the defrosting liquid sealed inside the handle to easily cut through hard ice cream.” It gently melts the ice cream so that it scoops into perfect balls. I have bought one for all of my family and they all love it as well. It’s under $15 and lasts forever!
While I’m certainly not “fightin’ ya” on this one, I recently made Dorie’s Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream and THAT was the best chocolate ice cream I’ve ever had. I haven’t tried the Perfect Scoop one yet, but I’m going to. You should try Dorie’s and see what you think. Definitely LOVE ice cream made with egg custard since getting my new ice cream maker a month ago. Love it. Your cone looks yummy. I’m off to order some Dutch cocoa, you’re right, can’t find it here anywhere.
Once again delicious. People must love being your neighbors lol
Just wanted to let you know I voted for your banana bread and I’m making it tomorrow!
Wow!! I love ice cream!! This looks so creamy and yummy!
I can’t wait till one day I have a standing mixer. For now I have to dream.
Your ice cream looks decadent!
That looks sinfully delicious! Yum!
I have been thinking about making some chocolate ice cream. This sounds great!
OK – I’m not a fan of chocolate ice cream but the way you described this one made me want to try is ASAP!
I made this a few months ago and I agree- it’s the best ever!
I agree you can’t beat the ultimate creaminess of ice cream made with egg yolks.
And I always lick the dasher!!!
This looks so amazing!!! I’m a huge dark chocolate fan :) delicious!
David Lebovitz is pretty amazing, isn’t he? Apparently I need to make this ice cream next.
Hi Tracey, I use the Kitchen Aid ice cream maker attachment for my stand mixer, and I have also heard good things about the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker – http://tinyurl.com/la7hec. Hope that helps!
David Lebovitz uses a Cuisinart ICE-50BC http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/B0007XOHN6/davidleboviswebs
Wow–I can’t wait to try it. Is there an ice cream maker you recommend?
Carrie – Thanks for the compliment on my photo! Glad to hear that you tried this as well and loved it too. I just can’t get over the flavor, it’s to die for!
VeggieGirl – Thanks for the scoop recommendation! I’ll have to check out Crate & Barrel – their stuff is usually pretty reasonable.
I just made this ice cream over the weekend too, and I totally agree! It’s the richest, creamiest chocolate ice cream that I’ve ever had! I love your photo!
This makes me want to run out and buy an ice cream maker! There are so many good ice cream recipes out there, and this just looks to-die-for!
Ahhh classic ice cream!!
The best ice cream scooper I’ve ever used is from Crate & Barrel.
The ice cream looks to have perfect texture, great! Thank you for the recipe, I would like to try at home.
It looks absolutely delicious and the picture speaks to itself!