Homemade ice cream is already amazing, but make this homemade Chocolate Ice Cream for one velvety, chocolatey scoop full of wonder.
Some of the more divine chocolate creations I have ever made were made with cocoa powder rather than chocolate bars or chips.
Take this delicious, wholesome recipe for homemade chocolate ice cream. Here, unsweetened cocoa brings all the chocolate flavor you need.
“Really?” you might ask. “I won’t need any chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, or melted chocolate to make that rich, dark, chocolatey ice cream I see in those oh-so-tempting photos above and below?”
No, mademoiselles et messieurs.
This chocolate ice cream brings the chocolate flavor x 10 solely through the power of unsweetened cocoa powder.
And this is how it does it: with the help of SALT.
Salt can help enhance the taste perception of sweets. Chefs, and especially bakers, have been teaching us this throughout time—using the power of salt to liven, sweeten, and activate the flavors of other ingredients.
How The Movie The Color Purple Helped Me Learn To Create The Most Chocolatey Ice Cream Ever
If you’ve seen the original movie The Color Purple (1985) with Whoopi Goldberg, or even the new adaptation, both contain an important scene that tells a big secret about cookery.
Do you remember when Albert brought his ailing girlfriend Shug to his family home, where he lives with his wife, Miss Celie because he wanted Celie to make her well?
And she’s kind enough to do it. And Shug comes to love sweet-souled Celie so much that one day she tells her so, and Miss Celie objects, saying, “You don’t love me. You said I was ugly,” and Shug says, “Oh Miss Celie…that’s just the salt with the sugar.“
The salt WITH the sugar.
With this recipe, the salt combined with the brown and white sugar takes that bitter cocoa and makes it POP with sweetness.
Then, all is made even more delicious by the additions of creamy dairy and vanilla; these ingredients help enhance the sweetness and overall flavor profile of any dish containing chocolate or cocoa since they balance the bitterness.
How Do I Store Leftovers?
You can freeze this homemade chocolate ice cream for up to 2 weeks. Press the top of the ice cream with parchment paper before covering it with a lid. This will prevent ice crystals from forming. For best results with homemade ice cream, share and enjoy it quickly. You can always make more so easily!
Serving Suggestions
Chocolate ice cream tastes especially good after a meal that’s equally amazing in flavor, like this Incredibly Easy One Skillet Pizza Pasta. All the flavors you love of pizza, including all that stretchy cheese kids love, just atop your favorite pasta so that you can swirl a big forkful of your two favorites to your mouth at the same time. Or, try this recipe for Slow-Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches. For another amazing frozen concoction, you must try this Frozen Custard Recipe. I mean … whoa.
Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 pinches of kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 2 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and kosher salt until well combined.
- Gradually add the whole milk to the dry ingredients, whisking continuously until the mixture is smooth and the sugars have dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract until just combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight, to chill thoroughly.
- Once chilled, pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency, typically about 15-30 minutes.
- Transfer the churned ice cream to a freezer-safe container, cover tightly, and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up before serving.
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