Baking Banquet: CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM, SIMPLE

Ingredients:

2 oz. premium baking chocolate, chopped

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup sugar (extra fine baking sugar, if you have it)

1 pinch salt

1 cup half and half

1 ¾ cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup, for marbling, optional*

Directions:

In a double boiler or heavy saucepan, melt the chocolate and ¼ cup whipping cream while stirring constantly. Remove it from heat just before it is completely melted. Continue stirring. It will finish melting as you stir. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the cocoa powder and the sugar. Add a pinch of salt. Gradually add the sifted cocoa powder and sugar mixture to 1 cup half and half. Mix with a whisk or hand mixer until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Continue mixing and slowly add the heavy whipping cream and the melted chocolate. Mix with the mixer on low about 5 minutes. Cover and Chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Pour into the ice cream freezer and “freeze” according to the manufacturer’s instructions (around 25 – 40 minutes). Serve as soft serve right out of the machine, or spoon it into a freezer safe container and freeze for about 8 hours. If you would like a marbled creamier ice cream, add 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup and use a knife to swirl it in. Then freeze it for 8 hours. (note, the longer it freezes in the freezer, the harder it will get.)