Our ice cream maker has become my favorite kitchen accessory. There is something amazing about being able to make our own ice cream, in any flavor we want. And it is always better than the store bought stuff. I mean…just look at this:

I also enjoy having ice cream available at all times. Presently, we have chocolate and mocha chip ice creams in the freezer (along with espresso chocolate chip cookies, almond cake, and Girl Scout thin mints…this could become a problem). We recently finished a delightful batch of vanilla ice cream as well. So if you ever have a midnight craving, you know who to call.

Anyway: the point of this post is that I have made my favorite ice cream concoction thus far: mocha chocolate chip. Now, I love coffee ice cream, so this was a no-brainer. But it really did exceed my expectations. It has an incredibly rich, dark flavor.

These delightful-looking coffee beans are steeped in milk and cream and then mixed with chocolate–what could be better?

Here’s how to make it:

Mocha Chip Ice Cream
adapted from The Perfect Scoop

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups whole coffee beans
pinch of salt
1 1/2 heavy cream
1 1/2 tbsp dutch processed cocoa
3 oz chopped chocolate
5 large egg yolks
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground espresso (or coffee)
6 oz mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Freeze your ice cream maker according to instructions–usually for at least 15 hours prior to making the ice cream, placed in the coldest part of the freezer.
2. Warm the milk, sugar, whole coffee beans, salt, and 1/2 cup of cream in a saucepan until steaming but not boiling. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow to steep for about 1.5 hours.
3. When the coffee mixture is almost done steeping, mix the cocoa and a second 1/2 cup cream in a small saucepan. Whisk until blended, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 seconds. Turn off heat, and mix in chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the last 1/2 cup cream, then pour the whole chocolate mixture into a large metal bowl and set aside.
4. Once the coffee mixture is done steeping, re-warm on the stove.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until blended. Very slowly*, pour the warmed coffee mixture into the egg yolks.
6. Return the warmed coffee and yolk mixture into the same pan, and heat on the stove over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken**, but do not allow the mixture to boil.
7. Set the bowl of chocolate into a larger bowl with ice and water*** with a mesh strainer set over the bowl of chocolate. Poor the warmed coffee and yolk mixture into the chocolate through the mesh strainer. Using a spatula, push on the coffee beans to extract any remaining liquid, then set aside.
8. Stir together the chocolate and milk-yolk mixtures together in the bowl. Work to incorporate them completely. The chocolate may have firmed up while set aside, but the warmed milk-yolk mixture should loosen it up. Add the vanilla and ground espresso and stir until the mixture is cool.
9. Pour ice cream mixture into a container and chill thoroughly (about 8 hours or longer).
10. Freeze the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Mix in chocolate chips in the last minute of churning. Transfer ice cream to a long flat container and freeze until ready to eat.

Notes:

*Be careful not to cook the yolks while you are pouring the warmed milk mixture into the eggs. The best way to do this is to pour in a very small, steady stream while stirring constantly. I usually can do this pretty well on my own, although a second pair of hands is helpful (particularly with this recipe, where the coffee beans can create more of a mess in the pouring process).

**It is very important not to let the mixture boil here. Stir constantly, until you begin to feel the mixture thicken. Usually this is pretty clear, although once again the coffee beans can make it a little less clear. I only needed to stir this mixture for about five minutes.

***I add about three ice cube trays worth of ice into a very large metal bowl, and fill it up about half way with water to create an ice bath. Then I place a second, smaller metal bowl inside the first one.