Homemade Rocky Road Chocolate Ice Cream - Without an Ice Cream Machine

When people ask if I like ice cream I reply “only good ice cream.” I am lactose intolerant in that my body can only handle a certain amount of lactose (a sugar found in dairy products). What does this have to do with ice cream? Well ice cream most of the time will upset my stomach a little eve if I have been avoiding dairy all day, so if I am going to have a bowl it better be DELICIOUS or it is not worth it.  This recipe (that I found here) is worth it. Technically it is not ice cream but rather a gelato.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups Heavy Cream

3 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

5 ounces Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate, Chopped

1 cup Whole Milk

¾ cup Sugar or Honey (I use HONEY, yum)

Pinch of salt

5 Egg Yolks

½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 cup Miniature Marshmallows

1 cup Chopped Nuts, Walnuts, Almonds, or Pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.

Step 2: Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.

I love Trader Joe's chocolate bars for all my baking needs. taste great at a decent price

Step 3: Warm the milk, sugar (honey), and salt in the same saucepan. 

Step 4: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Step 5: Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (and reaches 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer).

Step 6: Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath or at room temp till cool.

Step 7: Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (overnight). From here you have two options to use an ice cream machine or to not. I do not have a machine yet, so the first option you have is without the machine.

Step 8 (option 1): Remove mixture from the refrigerator and stir with a rubber spatula. Transfer the mixture to a deep freezer-safe bowl or container and place in the freezer for 45 minutes. As it starts to freezer near the edges, remove from the freezer and stir vigorously with a fork or whisk, being sure to break up any frozen sections. Return it to the freezer. Continue to check every 30 minutes, stirring vigorously as it’s freezing. It is estimated that it will take 2-3 hours for the ice cream to sufficiently frozen and ready.

Keep Stirring every 30-60 min.

After a while it will thicken up, this is when you will had your nuts and marshmallows. Great thing about making your one you can add as much as you want!!!!

Toasted Almonds

And store in whatever you have available. I like to save store bought gelato containers (sturdy plastic), but here I was as my parents house. 

 Step 8 (option 2): Then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. (If the cold mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out.) Once the ice cream has finished churning, fold in the marshmallows, walnuts and chocolate chips.