We pretty much always have chocolate on hand at our house in case a craving hits. Whether it’s a bag of M&M’s or a batch of freshly baked cookies or brownies, there’s always at least one option available. Dessert is rarely optional here 🙂 I crave salty and sweet snacks equally, so I tend to mix things up, but for Shane it’s all about the chocolate. When I saw this milk chocolate ice cream with brownie bits over on Annie’s site, I knew it had his name written all over it. Plus, although I’ve made plenty of homemade ice cream this summer, not a single one has been a flavor Shane enjoys. He would get his hopes up every time he saw me pull the ice cream maker out, only to have them dashed when he heard what I was up to. I figured it was high time to make a batch for him.
If you’re a chocolate lover, you can’t do much better than this ice cream. You start by baking a batch of super fudgy, dense brownies. Luckily, only half of them are folded into the ice cream, so you don’t have to exercise too much restraint as you cut them into pieces! The brownie pieces are the perfect mix-in for the smooth, creamy milk chocolate ice cream. Even better – the brownie bits stay chewy in the freezer so no worries their texture will become too rock hard to enjoy. For some reason, however, my ice cream didn’t freeze as solidly as I would have liked. I’m sure there was some baker error involved, but regardless of the soft serve texture, Shane still loved the ice cream. It was the perfect dessert, especially when served over one of the leftover brownies!
Milk Chocolate and Brownie Ice Cream
from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz (also seen on Annie’s Eats)
Brownies
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Ice Cream
8 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
To make the brownies: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on opposite sides so you can lift the brownies out afterward. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Add the butter to a medium saucepan and melt over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to low and add the chopped chocolate. Whisk until melted and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the sugar, the eggs (one at a time) and the vanilla. Mix in the flour and salt until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the center is just barely set. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan. Use the foil to lift the brownies out and cut half of them into small pieces for the ice cream. (You only need half of the brownies for the recipe.)
To make the ice cream: Set a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add the milk chocolate and cream and stir occasionally until melted. Remove the bowl from the pan and set a mesh strainer over the top.
Combine the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and heat just until warm. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. Slowly add the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour back into the saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (about 170-175 F on an instant read thermometer). Pour through the strainer into the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.
Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (overnight is good). Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stir the brownie pieces into the ice cream, transfer to an airtight container and store in your freezer.
You just created my dream ice cream. Oh my!
It’s times like these where I wish I had an ice cream maker! Brownie ice cream is one of my all time favorite flavors and this looks SO GOOD.
This looks soooo good!!!
@Colleen – Here’s a method for making ice cream without an ice cream maker:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/07/making-ice-crea-1/
I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard good things!
I LOVE brownies in ice cream so naturally this sounds amazing!!
Sounds absolutely delicious! I am borrowing my friend’s ice cream maker this week, so will definitely have to try out this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
You know, I’ve never had the urge to buy the Ben and Jerry’s brownie flavor, but your version looks really good! Another DL gem.
Sounds like Shane was in the same boat as my husband. I’ve been striking out a bit when it comes to making homemade ice cream that he would like. I’m betting this one would be a winner, though.
We (I clarify that with “I”) always have some kind of chocolate here, too. 😉 My husband would love this one, too. I keep making healthy, fruity sorbets and things and he doesn’t like any of those. He. wants. chocolate.
This looks great Tracey! Also, you mean there are households that DON’T keep chocolate on hand at all times?? Is that even LEGAL!!!!!?? 😀
I love DL’s milk chocolate ice cream. Right after churning, when it’s still soft-serve, it reminds me of a Wendy’s Frosty. Mmm.
Mmm. I’m a big fan of fudgey chocolate ice cream. When the craving hits, I usually turn to Dyrer’s frozen yogurt variety, but this looks so good too! Why don’t I own an ice cream maker?
as soon as I read that the brownie bits stay chewy, i was sold! this sounds like the perfect recipe for me to try making ice cream. thanks for posting!
I love ice cream, unfortunately. I don’t dare have desserts in the house.
OMG…what you show me you know what this is deadly weak point…now I have to have this anyway otherwise my whole day will get busted..
Thanks a lot for this…get to go now..
This was really good, thanks for making me some tasty ice cream! Maybe there’s some more homemade ice cream in my future while the weather’s still real warm?
Oh my goodness! I’ve been trying to minimize the number of sweets I’ve been eating, but now all I can think about is this ice cream. It looks incredible!
I gasped when I read the name of this post, but it’s too dangerous for me to attempt. I won’t fit my pants anymore. 🙂
What isn’t there to love about this recipe?! I would be afraid the brownie would become rock-solid like you said, but since you said it didn’t, I have even more reason to try it! Looks amazing, thanks for sharing!
I love the book! I’m currently in love with the Gianduja Gelato myself…
Sounds delicious! This is my kind of ice cream. Though my hubs is the opposite of a chocolate guy. I guess it’s understandable since he’s technically allergic. One of these days I’ll make an ice cream he likes too!
Oh my gosh, this sounds fabulous. I love brownies in ice cream!
Sheesh! This looks so flipping good!
I would love to use this recipe on Sunday but have no idea which ice cream freezer I should use. Does this recipe make 4 or 6 quarts?
@Ann – the recipe makes slightly more than 1 quart of ice cream so it should fit in most ice cream makers. Hope you enjoy!
Hi!
I wonder if I can use cocoa instead of unsweetened chocolate and how much cocoa would I take in that case?
I’m from Sweden and normally use cocoa, milk or dark chocolate 🙂
You have a really nice and inspiring blog!
// Madeleine from Sweden