Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Delicious homemade ice cream topped with a splash of Irish cream

Ice cream is one of my all-time favorite foods. Not just desserts, but foods. There is nothing as decadent and delicious as a bowl of ice cream.

That being said, it might surprise you that I had never made homemade ice cream until very recently!

A few weekends ago, I busted out the ice cream maker and got to work. I popped the freezer bowl into the freezer a few days ahead of time and gathered my ingredients. I decided to start with an all-time classic: chocolate.

Here’s the thing about making ice cream: it is extremely easy and very hands-off time consuming.

The machine does most of the work for you!

So for instance, depending on the make and model of your ice cream maker, you need to freeze your bowl insert at least 2 days ahead of time. It’s a good idea to make the ice cream base, then chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before pouring it into the machine. None of this is difficult, but you do need to plan ahead a little to be successful.

Also important to know: the ice cream is frozen but a bit soft right out of the machine. I happen to like mine this way, but if you’re going for a more traditional ice cream consistency, you’ll want to place the finished product in the freezer for an hour or two before you serve it.

Overall, I think homemade ice cream is infinitely better than store-bought and well worth the time and effort. You can personalize the recipes and have a lot of fun with toppings. Plus, the machine does all the hard work for you!

Here’s the recipe I used, taken directly from the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker handbook:

• ¾ cups cocoa powder (the manual says to sift it, but I didn’t bother and it did not seem to affect the end result in the slightest)

• ½ cup granulated white sugar

• ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 1 cup whole milk (DO NOT USE SKIM. WHOLE MILK ONLY.)

• 2 cups heavy cream (I used a little bit more cream and it was lovely.)

• ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa, sugars and salt. Add the milk and, using a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk, beat to combine until the cocoa, sugars and salt are dissolved.

2. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.

3. Turn the Cuisinart® ice cream maker on; pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes.