The other day I asked my husband, “If you were an ice cream flavor, what flavor would you be?” He threw out a few great flavors, but finally landed on my Berry Cheesecake Ice Cream. Then he asked me the same question. I paused for a moment, then said, “Chocolate. It is simple, but classic.” He totally agreed.
Sometimes we overlook simple things, but sometimes simple things are the best.
This chocolate ice cream is simple, but oh-so-good! It is made with my favorite single-origin Nicaraguan chocolate from Xocolatl. Using Xocolatl’s Nicaraguan chocolate makes this ice cream rich and creamy and taste like toasted marshmallows and brownies.
Here’s to the simple things in life! Enjoy!
The Best Chocolate Ice Cream
- 2 3/4 cup coconut cream (reserve 1/4 cup to make a slurry)
- 1 1/3 cup evaporated coconut cream
- 3/4 cup turbinado sugar (sometimes called raw sugar)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp, plus 2 tsp tapioca flour
- 1/3 (30g) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp Xocolatl’s vanilla cacao extract in bourbon, or, vanilla extract
- 4 oz. Xocolatl’s Nicaraguan dark chocolate, finely chopped
Directions:
- Mix the tapioca flour with 1/4 cup of coconut cream to make a slurry. Set aside.
- In a 4-quart saucepan whisk together the remaining coconut cream, evaporated coconut cream, turbinado sugar, maple syrup, and sea salt.
- Cook over medium heat until it reaches a low boil, whisking frequently. Once the cream reaches a low boil, continue to boil it for 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder until it is fully incorporated and continue to boil for 1 minute.
- Remove the cream from the heat and whisk in the tapioca slurry. Return to the heat for 1 minute, whisking to thicken the mixture. (It should be thick like pudding.)
- Remove from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate and the vanilla extract and let sit for 2 minutes. Whisk until the ice cream base is completely smooth.
- Pour the ice cream base through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Once the ice cream base reaches room temperature, place the bowl in the refrigerator until it is chilled (4 hours, up to overnight).
- With the machine running, pour the ice cream into an ice cream maker and churn until it reaches soft serve consistency (or, it reaches a temperature of 21F; this usually takes 20-25 minutes).
- Put the ice cream in a freezer safe container and place a piece of parchment paper directly onto the ice cream (to prevent ice crystals from forming). Freeze 4 hours, or, longer to set the ice cream.
- Allow the ice cream to soften at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before scooping. Scoop and enjoy!