Tasting, they say, is believing. With this milkiest chocolate ice cream, the pleasing, milky chocolate with superior creaminess is just like a bar of fine Swiss milk chocolate. And it’s not just believing the atrociously bold claim made by the title of this recipe, it’s believing that the atrociously bold claim made by the title of this recipe can be achieved without eggs. I stand by that claim–it’s that good.–Jeni Britton Bauer
WHY DO YOU ADD CORN SYRUP TO ICE CREAM?
First things first–light corn syrup isn’t the same thing as high-fructose corn syrup so let us take that out of the equation. High-fructose corn syrup is a chemically processed form of glucose that is used in most processed foods. It’s not sold in grocery stores as a raw ingredient, either. Light corn syrup, however, is simply a sugar that’s been extracted from corn and processed into a liquid form. Corn syrup off the shelf is pure glucose, sometimes with vanilla (light corn syrup) or molasses (dark corn syrup) added. When added to ice cream or frozen treats, it adds a smoothness that you wouldn’t get from sugar alone. Corn syrup keeps sugar from recrystallizing when frozen–which would create that icy, jagged texture you sometimes get in sorbets or ice creams.
Milkiest Chocolate Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice cream maker
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, (55% to 70% cocoa)
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Combine 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
- Chop the chocolate and place it in a medium bowl.
- Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
- Combine the remaining milk, the cream, evaporated milk, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add the cocoa, whisking until it is incorporated, and continue to boil for 4 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarchWhisk slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until it thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the chocolate. Add the salt and whisk until the chocolate is melted.
- Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon resealable plastic freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until the mixture is chilled through, about 30 minutes.
- Pour the ice cream base into the ice cream maker and process until thick and creamy per the machine’s instructions.
- Pack the ice cream into a resealable container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface of the ice cream, and seal it with an airtight lid. Stash it in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours. Scoop into bowls, dollop it onto a cone, or simply grab a spoon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
You really have to put your money where your mouth is when you declare that your ice cream is the “milkiest chocolate”–and this recipe delivers just that. This ice cream tastes like frozen hot fudge sauce. It couldn’t be easier to make. The hardest part is waiting for the ice cream to harden in the freezer.
I would love to try this ice cream with some mix-ins such as marshmallows or white chocolate chunks.
From my teen daughter’s mouth: “WOW, this is awesome! Just like the good expensive ice cream you only buy a few times a year!”
The end result is indeed a very rich, creamy, smooth, and chocolaty ice cream that will wow kids and adults alike. I must say, though, that next time I’ll have to triple the recipe as this felt like an appetizer for our family. And we don’t even have sweet tooths. The recipe asks for a frozen canister in which to spin it, but we do not have such a gadget. I did it the old-fashioned way, by handshaking it, and it worked beautifully.
Jeni makes some splendid ice cream. Wow. It is the milkiest chocolate ice cream in the world!
One tiny warning. After you add the cornstarch slurry, the ice cream base will thicken quickly, causing the thick base to put a strain on your ice cream maker. My ice cream maker simply couldn’t keep up, resulting in ice cream that was more like a frozen pudding pop. But it’s still splendid.
Childhood revisited for adults. The title of this recipe had me thinking of my favorite commercial ice cream from the local supermarket, Southern Milk Chocolate. It’s a light, creamy, mildly chocolaty ice cream, and a nice antidote to the overdone double and triple dark chocolate ice creams you see so many of these days. This ice cream comes out with a lovely, rich, creamy flavor while still packing plenty of chocolate. To me, it strikes the perfect balance. The texture is wonderful and it remains so even after some time in the freezer.
Perfect for a million of the most mundane but sublime uses, such as the simplest of ice cream cones–one scoop of chocolate with nothing added, dipped, or sprinkled. Intensely chocolaty, but it’s also just cold, firm ice cream sinking deeper into the cone with each swipe of the tongue.
I am so glad I gave this recipe a whirl in my new ice cream maker. It was great and the texture is luscious. I’d agree that this is some of the milkiest chocolate ice cream I’ve ever had. Instead of light corn syrup, I used honey. I also used 60% bittersweet chocolate and threw in some whole roasted hazelnuts for added crunch. I’m hoping to get my hands on Jeni’s book as soon as possible!
A great eggless ice cream recipe. Although the title says “milkiest,” it’s definitely more than milky. It’s a strong, creamy, and smooth chocolate ice cream.
Amazingly, the cornstarch isn’t evident in the flavor or the texture. I chilled it in the fridge overnight before I churned it and a light skin had formed on the surface, however, a good stir dissolved it all. I processed it for about 40 minutes in my ice cream maker. I think this will be a new favorite of mine.
This ice cream really is remarkably creamy. While cooking the base, I was careful to keep watch as the milk mixture began to bubble up high (almost over the top of the pot). I moved the pot off the heat for a moment to settle the ice cream base and returned it to the heat. I wasn’t sure it was safe to pour the hot ice cream base into a plastic bag so I let mine cool for about 15 minutes first, then put it into the plastic bag and submerged it in the ice bath.
Once the ice cream has gone through the freezing process (which takes about twice the time as other ice cream bases), it’s still pretty soft. The ice cream needs time in the freezer to stabilize. Once it has been in the freezer for at least four hours, it scoops out almost gelato-like. It’s creamy and melts the moment it hits the tongue. It was a real hit and there were no leftovers.
This ice cream was delicious and all my chocolate-loving testers enjoyed it. They all love dark chocolate and the addition of the bittersweet chocolate was a hit.
I followed the directions to a T and everything went great…until I put the base into the frozen canister and added it to my ice cream maker. It never shut off. Maybe it wasn’t supposed to since you pack the ice cream into a storage container and then place it in the freezer for at least 4 hours. It did get thick and creamy in the machine, but never frozen, even after over an hour. I finally took it out of my machine and proceeded with the instructions on how to pack and freeze it.
After 4 hours, it was perfect and delicious. I’ll definitely be making this one again as we love to make ice cream in the summer for Sunday family get-togethers. Next time I will probably do a double batch though since this one was gone in a matter of minutes. Good thing I made some homemade vanilla, too.
Don’t be fooled by the title—this isn’t a milk chocolate ice cream. It’s very, very chocolate ice cream with milk in it. And it’s delicious. An explosion of clean chocolate flavor and the silkiest smooth texture ever.
If you’re familiar with Jeni’s recipes, you’ll be surprised to see that this one doesn’t contain cream cheese, but it has another surprising ingredient—evaporated milk. The absence of eggs in this recipe means there’s no need to worry about straining out cooked bits of eggs.
The results were more of a dense rich gelato than milky ice cream but it was wonderful with a very smooth milk chocolate taste rather than the dark chocolate I usually find in rich ice creams. I had never used cornstarch in an ice cream recipe before but it worked well and came together very easily.
I will gladly make this again. And I loved that it didn’t contain eggs, no worries about who can or can’t have this ice cream.
If you think that the Milkiest Chocolate Ice Cream is delicious, you must try Jeni’s Backyard Mint Ice Cream (pg 72). I made it last night with the chocolate chunks described on page 200. It is truly sublime. Be sure to steep the mint leaves overnight and use lots and lots of fresh mint.
Also to answer Jan, I put the put the ice cream mixture in containers and chill them overnight in the refrigerator. That works just fine if you have the time.
We’ve got our containers chilling to try that mint ice cream, tucsonbabe! Many, many thanks for the insights…all of ’em.
I would believe anything Jeni says about ice cream.
And we think you’re unspeakably wise for that…
Is it necessary to the outcome of the recipe to do the quick chilling procedure in the bag, if I have time to let the mixture chill sufficiently in the fridge?
Jan, I think the quick chilling in the bag is just for us impatient types who feel the need to tend to a craving at that instant. By all means, skip the trick and chill it in the fridge as you usually would…and let us know what you think!