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The Best Chocolate Ice Cream is a bold name, but it is equally matched by the bold chocolate flavor of this custard-based ice cream. It’s creamy and rich, decadently sweet, and it will make any chocolate lover swoon.
I consider myself a chocolate ice cream aficionado: a connoisseur of sorts. I have been ordering it every single trip to the ice cream shop since my first taste of chocolate at my 1st birthday party. Right, mom?
If you are in an ice cream shop with me and I am ordering something other than chocolate, you should ask if I am feeling alright unless, of course, I am getting another flavor AND chocolate. Totally normal.
Therefore, I feel 100% qualified to call this ice cream The BEST. It is smooth and creamy with an unparalleled chocolate flavor. It is the perfect balance of bittersweet and sweet. Each bite will surprise you with its chocolatiness and you will find yourself involuntarily reaching for another scoop.Because it’s too creamy and chocolaty to resist.
Your Summer will not be complete with out this ice cream. Trust me. It just won’t. Unless you don’t like chocolate ice cream like my brother, in which case, you should stop reading and check out my Strawberry Caramel Chocolate Cookie Swirl Ice Cream. I know, right? Who doesn’t like chocolate ice cream? {Love you Andrew}
The Best Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- pinch salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate melted & cooled, I used Ghirardelli 60%
Instructions
- Pre-freeze your ice cream maker’s freezer bowl at least 24 hours ahead!
- In a large, heavy-gauge saucepan whisk together the milk, cream, half the sugar, vanilla and salt. Place over medium heat and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining ½ cup sugar. Whisk until mixture is thick and a pale yellow. Whisk in chocolate. Mixture will be thick!
- Temper the Egg Yolks: Add ¼ cup of the boiling cream mixture slowly to the egg mixture while constantly whisking. Once that has been incorporated, add another ½ cup of the cream mixture in a steady stream while whisking. Add the egg yolk mixture to the sauce pan with the remaining cream mixture. Whisk constantly while pouring the chocolate mixture into the remaining cream; you don’t want burnt chocolate! Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and it coats the back of the spoon. This took approximately 5 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
- Pour into a large bowl, let cool several hours at room temperature or you could use an ice bath to speed it up, cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours or until cold. Overnight is best. The mixture will be thick like pudding.
- Place your container to hold the ice cream in the freezer. Turn on the ice cream maker and pour the cream mixture into the moving, frozen bowl. Churn 25-30 minutes or until the ice cream is soft and creamy but thick. It should be coming out the top of the freezer, churning bowl.
- Place the ice cream in the cold storage container, cover and refrigerate 2 hours or more.
I’d made very similar ice cream without ice cream machine. Really delicious. Today came my first birthday present – ice cream maker 🙂 Actually, I am looking for nice ice cream recipes. Think I should try these with the new machine 🙂
Yay!!!!! If you like chocolate, then this must be your first recipe! I made the strawberry caramel that I posted a few weeks ago as my first recipe but only because my brother was coming into town and he isn’t a huge chocolate fan (gasp!)
Lol omg I cant believe a bro of yours doesn’t like chocolate ice cream. It looks so chocolaty good. How do you not get diabetes?! And yes, I would totally trust your chocolate judgment. Oh yeah AND CCC judgment too lol.
I know right?! It’s like we aren’t even related!Thank you for putting your chocolate and CCC faith in me! You are in good hands! The bigger question here is how do I not weigh 3000 lbs!? And I would have to thank the gym for that 😉
I will trust on this, Lindsey ,because you sound like you love chocolate as much as me! I always want a chocolate element to my ice cream, and this looks reeeaaallll chocolatey. My oldest son would be all over this — he orders straight up chocolate almost every time. This I gotta try!
Thanks, Marcie! If your day would not be complete without some bittersweet chocolate, then we are on the same page!! I have a hard time keeping my hands out of the chocolate chip bag! I hope you do try it out! I’m sure any chocolate lover would approve. On a side note, I just split the last bowl with my husband. 🙁 All gone…
Probably my all-time favorite dessert. So far, Maida Heatter’s Deep South Chocolate Ice Cream has been my favorite (https://madaboutmaida.blogspot.com/2012/07/deep-south-chocolate-ice-cream.html) but this looks like it could give it a run for the money. I will try it and compare.
Beaten out by Maida yet again! Hers looks very original and I’ll absolutely give it a go…I pinned for easy reference bc I, shockingly, don’t have that book of hers!
Indeed.. it looks amazing.. I am sure it tastes heavenly. I am like you, a totally chocoholic, and rarely order something else than chocolate ice cream from an ice cream shop.
I have in the past, and I ALWAYS get buyers remorse. These days I try to convince my husband to get something other than chocolate so that way I win!
Gorgeous ice cream and photos Lindsey! I love love love seeing that iced frosting on the bowl – it tells me that ice cream is super cold, which is exactly the way I love it! This looks amazing, and sigh, as usual girl….you made me drool – which is totally not cool over coffee. 🙂 Pinned!
Haha! Thanks, Kristi! Nobody wants drool in their coffee! Keeping the ice cream cold is definitely the hardest part about shooting ice cream! Thanks for the pin, love!
Oh my GOSH. This ice cream…I can’t even…
Seriously, Lindsay I think I can definitely agree that this looks like the “best”. Totally drooling over here at those gorgeous chocolate-y scoops! Pinned. 🙂
Thanks, Sarah! One bite and you would be my new best friend 😉 And thanks for the pin, girl!
I am sure you had your first taste of chocolate ice cream well before 1 1/2! Definitely had chocolate ice cream with your first birthday tiered cake extravaganza! ~ Mom
Must revise!!! Now that you mention that…I definitely remember seeing the photos of chocolate cake, chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream. I mean, without all the chocolate would it have even been a birthday? 😉