Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Day One: Make the Chocolate Ice Cream Base
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together 120 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) granulated sugar, 30 g (2 packed tablespoons) light brown sugar, 30 g (⅓ cup) Dutch-process cocoa powder, and 10 g (2 tablespoons) black cocoa powder.
- Slowly whisk in 360 g (1½ cups) whole milk and 360 g (1½ cups) heavy cream until smooth.
- Place over medium heat and cook, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is hot and steaming but not boiling.
- Meanwhile, place 5 large egg yolks (90–95 g) in a medium heatproof bowl and whisk until smooth.
- While whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot chocolate cream mixture into the egg yolks to temper them.
- Slowly pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan while whisking.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until the custard reaches 170–175°F (77–79°C) and lightly coats the back of the spatula. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
- Place 120 g (about ¾ cup) finely chopped semisweet chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Pour the hot custard over the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes.
- Whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is silky smooth.
- Whisk in 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 1 teaspoon espresso powder, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Pour the ice cream base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Day One: Make the Soft Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 115 g (½ cup) softened unsalted butter, 80 g (⅓ cup packed) light brown sugar, and 45 g (3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) granulated sugar until creamy and well combined.
- Add 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste. Mix until smooth.
- Add 140 g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour, 15 g (2½ tablespoons) Dutch-process cocoa powder, 5 g (1 tablespoon) black cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Mix on low speed just until a soft, cohesive dough forms.
- Fold in 110 g (about ⅔ cup) semisweet chocolate chunks.
- Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, leaving space between each cookie. Do not flatten the cookie dough. No chill time is needed.
- Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft and underbaked.
- Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, place a round cookie cutter slightly larger than each cookie around it. Gently move the cutter in a circular motion to scoot the cookie into a round shape. Work while the cookies are still hot and soft.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, chop 170 g (about 2 cups) of the cookies into small bite-size pieces for the ice cream.
- Store the chopped cookies in an airtight container until ready to churn the ice cream. They do not need to be frozen.
Extra Cookies
You will have extra cookie dough/cookies. You can:
- Bake the entire batch and freeze the leftover baked cookies.
- Freeze the remaining portioned cookie dough balls and bake them later.
- Keep the extra baked cookies for snacking.
Day One: Make the Milk Chocolate Truffle Bites
- Place 75 g (about ½ cup) finely chopped milk chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.
- Heat 30 g (2 tablespoons) heavy cream until just steaming.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for 2–3 minutes.
- Starting in the center, whisk until smooth and glossy. If small pieces of chocolate remain, microwave in 5-second intervals, whisking well after each, just until completely melted.
- Stir in ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste and a pinch of kosher salt.
- Refrigerate or freeze the ganache until firm enough to scoop.
- Portion the firm ganache using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop.
- Freeze until firm, then cut each truffle portion into approximately 4 small pieces. The finished pieces should be small enough to get little bites of creamy truffle throughout the ice cream rather than one large frozen piece.
- Return the truffle pieces to the freezer and keep frozen until ready to churn.
Day One: Make the Fudge Ripple
- In a small saucepan, combine 60 g (¼ cup) heavy cream, 38 g (3 tablespoons packed) dark brown sugar, 20 g (1 tablespoon) light corn syrup, 13 g (about 2 tablespoons) Dutch-process cocoa powder, and 2 g (about 1 teaspoon) black cocoa powder.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until completely smooth and the mixture reaches a gentle simmer.
- Remove from the heat.
- Add 35 g (about 3 tablespoons) finely chopped semisweet chocolate, 10 g (2 teaspoons) unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste, and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
- Let stand for 1 minute, then whisk until completely smooth and glossy.
- Transfer the fudge ripple to an airtight container and allow it to cool.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Day Two: Churn the Chocolate Ice Cream
- Make sure the chocolate ice cream base is thoroughly chilled and prepare your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Churn the chilled chocolate ice cream base according to your machine's instructions until it reaches a thick soft-serve consistency.
- During the final few minutes of churning, gradually add:
- 170 g (about 2 cups) chopped soft chocolate chunk cookies
- 90 g (about ½ cup) mini semisweet chocolate chips
- All of the prepared frozen milk chocolate truffle pieces
- Continue churning just until the mix-ins are evenly distributed. Do not over-churn.
Note: The cookies and mini chocolate chips do not need to be frozen before adding them to the ice cream. Keep the truffle bites frozen until ready to use.
Day Two: Layer the Ice Cream
- Remove the fudge ripple from the refrigerator and gently warm it just until it loosens enough to drizzle.
- The fudge should be just barely warm and fluid—not hot. If it becomes too warm, let it cool slightly before assembling so it doesn't melt the freshly churned ice cream.
- Working with one pint container at a time, add 2 large scoops of churned ice cream using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop.
- Drizzle a layer of fudge ripple over the ice cream.
- Add another 2 scoops of ice cream, followed by another drizzle of fudge ripple.
- Continue alternating 2 scoops of ice cream and fudge ripple until the container is full.
- Finish with additional chopped chocolate cookie pieces.
- Repeat with the remaining ice cream to fill 3 pint containers (1½ quarts total).
- Cover tightly and freeze for at least 4–6 hours, or overnight, until firm.
- If needed, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before scooping.
Notes
This recipe is intentionally divided over two days. Day One is for preparing and chilling the chocolate ice cream base and making all of the mix-ins. On Day Two, churn the ice cream, add the cookies, mini chocolate chips, and truffle bites, then layer it with the fudge ripple and freeze until firm.
The combination of Dutch-process and black cocoa powder creates a deep chocolate color and flavor without relying entirely on black cocoa, while semisweet chocolate keeps the ice cream rich and creamy rather than overly bitter.
Store-Bought Shortcuts
While the homemade components make this ice cream extra special, you can absolutely use store-bought shortcuts to make the recipe quicker and easier.- Cookies: Substitute your favorite soft-baked chocolate or double chocolate cookies for the homemade chocolate chunk cookies. Choose a soft, chewy cookie rather than a crisp cookie for the best texture once frozen.
- Truffles: Use your favorite store-bought milk chocolate truffles in place of the homemade truffle bites. Chop them into small bite-size pieces and freeze before adding them to the ice cream.
- Fudge ripple: A thick, good-quality hot fudge sauce can replace the homemade fudge ripple. Warm it only enough to make it easily drizzleable, then let it cool until just barely warm before layering it into the ice cream.