It is the middle of July and we just moved to the desert in the deep southwestern corner of Arizona, so while I have always enjoyed ice cream, it is currently more of a lifesaver than a treat.
So, we are making a batch of rich, creamy chocolate ice cream with some chopped almonds and chocolate…
This is my favorite basic chocolate ice cream recipe. It is easy to make, has wonderful texture and beautifully bold chocolate flavor. You can add any of your favorite add-ins into it and today, I am actually make a higher protein version by using Fairflife chocolate milk instead of whole milk, but this is totally optional!
Whether you are using whole milk or Fairlife, adding the almonds and chocolate or keeping things plain, let’s get started…
Begin by gathering the ingredients. If you are just here for the delicious ice cream then keep scrolling, but if discussing protein content gets you going then you might enjoy this…
If you make this batch of ice cream with Fairlife, it contains over 80 grams of protein and even with whole milk, it will have 70 grams. Here are the ingredient breakdowns…
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- 2 cups of heavy cream contains 12 grams of protein
- 2 cups of Fairlife contains 26 grams and 2 cups of whole milk contains 16 grams of protein
- 1/4 cup of unsweetened natural cocoa powder contains 4 grams of protein
- 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate contains 7 grams of protein
- 4 egg yolks contains 11 grams of protein
- 1/2 cup of almonds contains 15 grams
- And there will be an additional 7-8 gams of protein in the 1/2 cup of chopped chocolate
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The first step is to whisk 1/4 cup of unsweetened natural cocoa powder into a cup of heavy cream in a saucepan and bring the mixture up to a simmer over medium heat.
Transfer the mixture into a bowl and quickly whisk in 6 ounces of chopped chocolate until it melts down fully. Add the remaining cup of heavy cream and set the bowl aside for now.
Once everything has been fully combined, I like to place the bowl into an ice bath to start cooling things down right away. This stop is totally optional, but I do it every time I make ice cream, so I wanted to share my exact routine.
Ok, let’s get back on track…
Put your saucepan back over medium heat and add 2 cups of milk, a cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. If you are using Fairlife, I only use 2/3 cup of sugar, because Fairlife is much sweeter than regular whole milk.
While the milk and sugar is warming up, whisk your 4 egg yolks in a small bowl.
As soon as the milk mixture begins to steam, add a ladle of it in with the egg yolks and whisk until completely combined and warmed through and then transfer them in with the rest of the milk and sugar.
Continue cooking the milk, sugar and egg yolk mixture over medium heat while continuously whisking until the mixture thickens and will coat the back of a spoon. You can see in the photo above that the consistency of the custard is thick enough to hold its shape when I run my finger down the back of my mixing spoon. This is the consistency that you are looking for.
Strain the mixture into the bowl from earlier (discard any bits left behind from the custard) along with a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract and mix until everything is completely combined.
Cover the bowl and chill for about 5 hours or overnight. Be sure that your ice cream churner is in the freezer, so it is ready to go when your ice cream base is fully chilled.
Once your ice cream base is fully chilled, transfer it into your churner and churn for about 30 minutes.
If you are adding the chopped almonds and chocolate, add them in when you have about 2 minutes of churning left.
Ice cream usually comes out of the churner in a soft serve consistency, so you will need to transfer it into a freezer safe bowl and freeze it until it reaches the consistency that you love. This takes about 2 hours for me, but the good news is that this ice cream will stay great in your refrigerator for weeks… if it lasts that long…
This ice cream is fantastic. The chocolate flavor is exactly what you want when you crave chocolate ice cream and this crunchy bits of almond and chocolate adds the perfect amount of texture. You are going to love this chocolate almond chip ice cream and hopefully make it over and over and over…
Chocolate Almond Chip Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups of heavy cream
- 2 cups of whole milk (or Fairlife)
- 1/4 cup of unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup of granulated sugar (reduce to 2/3 if using Fairlife)
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/2 cup of almonds, chopped
- 1/2 cup of chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Place a saucepan over medium heat and add 1/4 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder and a cup of heavy cream. Whisk and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Transfer the saucepan off of a heat and whisk in 6 ounces of chopped semi-sweet chocolate until smooth
- Whisk in the remaining cup of heavy cream until completely combined and then transfer the mixture into a large bowl and set aside for now
- Place the saucepan back over medium high heat and add 2 cups of whole milk, a cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and bring the mixture up to the point that it begins to steam
- While the milk is warming, whisk 4 egg yolks in a glass bowl
- Once the milk mixture is steaming, add a ladle of the steaming milk mixture in with the egg yolks and whisk vigorously to combine
- Pour the milk and egg yolks back into the saucepan and reduce the heat to medium or even medium low and cook while stirring constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon
- Transfer the milk and egg yolk mixture off of the heat
- Place a strainer over the bowl with the chocolate and heavy cream and pour the milk and egg yolk mixture thru the strainer (discard any residue left in the strainer)
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and an optional 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract into the bowl and whisk until everything comes together
- Cover the bowl tightly and chill for a minimum of 5 hours before transferring into an ice cream churner (freeze your ice cream churner at the same time)
- Churn for about 30 minutes
- Add the chopped almonds and chocolate during the last 2 minutes of churning
- Transfer the ice cream into a freezer safe container and freeze until it reaches your desired consistency (about 2 hours)
