Blue Ribbon Group Chocoholic Homemade Ice Cream
State Fair of Texas - 1st Place Best Recipe
This Chocoholic Homemade Ice Cream will delight all of you chocolate lovers out there.
The flavor is bold. Its intensity will wow your senses. Plus its soooo creamy and dreamy. Here’s what goes in it:
- Egg yolks
- Sugar
- Heavy cream
- Whole milk
- Vanilla bean & extract
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Semisweet chocolate chips
That’s it! You won’t need an ice cream maker (but you can use one if you desire), or any special equipment or tools. Note this recipe doesn’t require sweetened condensed milk, which a lot of ice cream recipes do. By the way, they sound good to me as well (ones with sweetened condensed milk). I’ll make one of those next time around, for sure.
Easy to Make
My favorite characteristic of this decadent dessert, besides how it tastes, is how super simple it is to make. To get started, you whisk 6 egg yolks with sugar.
Then you add whole milk, cream, and a sliced vanilla bean, then slow cook it over low heat. Be sure to stir it constantly to avoid scorching and lumps.
Together, the vanilla bean seeds and extract, give the custard a wonderful flavor and richness.
As the last steps you mix in/melt chocolate chips and cocoa. I like to move the chilled custard from a bowl to a parchment-lined loaf pan. Then you stir it a couple times, just as it starts to freeze. I did these steps in the evening, then let it freeze overnight. The parchment made it easy to move the ice cream after the first servings to a sealable container.
Blue Ribbon Winner
Recipe credit goes to Jayson Aguilar. He won first place with it at the State Fair of Texas back in 2006. Dozens of people competed, but this creation stood out most to the judges. Intense flavor was one of the top judging criteria for the tasting panel of judges. One taste and you’ll know why this Chocoholic Homemade Ice Cream is a blue ribbon winner.
Serving Tips
- Put the frozen ice cream in the fridge about 30 minutes before you serve it. This results in nice rounded scoops. Since this ice cream recipe is a no churn version, the custard freezes rock hard. If you want it softened faster, set it on the counter for 5-10 minutes or more, depending how solid it has frozen. I prefer the fridge thaw as it softens more uniformly.
- Serve with a berry dessert wine, or drizzle it over the ice cream, if desired, which is what the winner did when he presented it at the fair.
- I also think it would work well with Kahlua or a sprinkling of salted nuts on top, i.e. almonds, peanuts, pistachios, or your favorite.
- You could even mix in the nuts before it’s frozen or customize it with your favorite chocolate pairings. Peanut butter, pretzels, fresh berries are a few items that come to mind.
However you make it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
-Cyndi
Chocoholic Homemade Ice Cream
6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 large vanilla bean, split in half (length, 5 inches)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or to taste
1/2 cup Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
Optional Topping: 1 ounce berry dessert wine (per serving)
Custard:
Combine yolks and sugar in 2.5 quart size or larger saucepan (over no heat yet). Whisk until smooth and uniform in color. Next, whisk in milk, then cream. (Whisk to combine and add some air, but not whip as with making whipped cream). After those ingredients are thoroughly mixed, place over low heat. Add the vanilla bean. Stirring constantly, cook until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. This takes approximately 30 to 40 minutes, so be patient. If at 25 minutes the mixture is not thickening, increase the heat very slightly. Once it’s thickened, remove pan from the heat. Remove the vanilla bean and once cool enough, scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Add the seeds back into the hot custard, along with the chocolate chips, cocoa, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth and uniform. Place in a bowl. Cover the custard directly with cling wrap, pushing the air out. Chill in refrigerator 4 hours, or overnight.*
Freezing:
Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment; set aside. Remove chilled custard from refrigerator. Remove cling wrap, plus the film on top of the custard, if any. Stir, then pour/spoon into loaf pan. Cover again with cling wrap. Freeze 10-15 minutes, stir again, cover, and return it to freezer.
Repeat the stirring in another 10-15 minutes. Freeze 4 hours or overnight.
Serving:
This no churn ice cream freezes solid. You can either let it thaw on the counter 5 or more minutes, or thaw in refrigerator 30 minutes. Scoop into cups. Serve with a berry desert wine, or drizzle it over the ice cream, if desired, which is what the winner did when competing at the State Fair of Texas.
*Alternately you can use ice cream maker and refer to manufacture instructions.
Prep Time: 6 hours – including minimum chill times – or longer (overnight).
-State Fair of Texas, 1st Place Recipe, 2006, Ghirardelli Contest, Jayson Aguilar
