Of all the homemade desserts you can make, simple ice cream just might be the most impressive. Everybody’s favorite frozen dessert is also surprisingly easy, so why don’t more people DIY it? Probably because everybody assumes you need a special machine to whip up the treat, but that’s actually not the case! You can totally make homemade ice cream with the equipment you already have for your other baking projects, and for chocolate, you don’t even need a double broiler! America’s Test Kitchen demonstrates how to make the stripped-down, totally easy treat. Watch and learn.
NO-MACHINE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
Makes 1 quart
INGREDIENTS
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream, cold
DIRECTIONS
- In a small bowl, combine the coffee (or espresso) powder and hot water. Let stand for about 5 minutes, until the coffee dissolves.
- In a bowl, combine the chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and coffee mixture, and microwave for about 1 minute, stirring every 10 seconds, until the chocolate is melted.
- Stir in the vanilla and salt. Let cool.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until soft peaks form.
- Whisk ⅓ of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.
- Fold the remaining whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until incorporated.
- Freeze in an airtight container until firm, at least 6 hours.
NOTE
- You can store your ice cream in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. If you plan to store the ice cream for more than a few days, place plastic wrap directly on its surface before freezing.