Chocolate Ice Cream

In Bogota, ice cream was expensive. So, one of our friends had an ice cream maker that they lent to us, and we liked it so much that Mom and Dad then got us one for Christmas! Now, there is pretty much always ice cream in our freezer. And here in Russia, as in Bogota, ice cream is expensive, so the ice cream maker is still used a lot.

This chocolate ice cream recipe is really good and rich. The recipe came in a little recipe booklet with the ice cream maker.

The first time we used the ice cream maker, we discovered by mistake that you have to turn the ice cream maker completely on before pouring the ice cream in. Then it only takes 20 minutes to make! You can add m&ms or other add-ins during the last five minutes (unless the recipe specifies otherwise). You can eat the ice cream right after it's done in the ice cream maker, and it is soft serve, and if you freeze it for a while, it is hard serve.

We always keep the ice cream bowl in the freezer so that we can make ice cream any time. If you love having ice cream (or frozen yogurt, which we have yet to test) at home, get an ice cream maker! There are so many recipes. We use the booklet of recipes that came with our ice cream maker (we frequently use the vanilla and chocolate recipes from that book), we also have a Ben and Jerry's ice cream recipe book, which is amazing! And of course there is the internet. http://spaghettiicecream.com/icecream-and-gelato-recipes.html has many, many recipes. We even tried making marshmallow ice cream once...talk about sweet!

Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened cooa powder (Dutch process preferred)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups whole milk

3 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place the cocoa and sugars in a medium bowl; stir to combine.

2. Add the whole milk and use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine until the cocoa and sugars are dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. If not freezing immediately, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Turn machine on; pour mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 35 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe from: Cuisinart