Rich Creamy Chocolate Ice Cream (Printable Version)

A smooth, rich chocolate delight with deep cocoa notes and creamy texture to satisfy sweet cravings.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 2 cups heavy cream
02 - 1 cup whole milk

→ Chocolate

03 - 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
04 - 3.5 oz dark chocolate, chopped

→ Sweeteners

05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar

→ Eggs

06 - 4 large egg yolks

→ Flavorings

07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make It:

01 - In a medium saucepan, whisk together cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Stir in milk and heat over medium, stirring constantly until warm and sugar dissolves.
02 - Add chopped dark chocolate, stirring until fully melted and smooth.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks. Gradually pour about 1 cup of the warm chocolate mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly to temper.
04 - Return yolk mixture to saucepan with remaining chocolate mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon without boiling.
05 - Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream and vanilla extract.
06 - Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature.
07 - Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until thoroughly chilled.
08 - Churn mixture in an ice cream maker following manufacturer’s instructions.
09 - Transfer churned ice cream to a lidded container and freeze for at least 2 hours until firm.

# Expert Insights:

01 -
  • The cocoa powder creates a depth that feels almost velvety on your tongue, nothing like the thin sweetness of most store versions.
  • Making it yourself means you control exactly how rich it gets, and that feels like a small rebellion against artificial flavoring.
  • The moment it comes out of the ice cream maker is pure magic—you'll want to eat it immediately, but somehow it's worth waiting.
02 -
  • If you skip the tempering step with the egg yolks, you'll end up with bits of scrambled egg floating in your ice cream—I learned this the hard way on my first attempt.
  • The mixture absolutely must chill completely before churning, or your ice cream will come out grainy and loose instead of smooth and creamy.
  • Don't skip the straining step after cooking the custard; even tiny flecks of overcooked egg will ruin the silky texture you've worked for.
03 -
  • Use 70% dark chocolate for a more refined, slightly bitter flavor that keeps the ice cream from feeling too sweet.
  • If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can freeze the mixture in a shallow pan and stir it vigorously every thirty minutes for about two hours, though the texture won't be quite as smooth.
  • Strain the warm custard through cheesecloth if you want to be extra careful about removing every speck of cooked egg.

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