Malted Chocolate Ice Cream

A while back, we went to Bistro On The Brandywine for lunch. We had a delicious meal and then decided to have a little dessert. I was in the mood for some ice cream, so I tried some of their chocolate. It was easily the best chocolate ice cream I'd ever had and asked the waitress if it was homemade. She said it was and that they actually added some Ovaltine to their recipe, giving it a malted flavor that I couldn't quite place until I was told that was what it was.

I decided I had to try this myself, and it was a huge success, if I do say so myself. I'm really enjoying tinkering with the Simple Chocolate Ice Cream recipe that came with my ice cream maker.

Malted Chocolate Ice Cream



1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process preferred)
1/2 cup Ovaltine (I used the chocolate malt version)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1-1/2 cups whole milk
3-1/4 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Place the cocoa, Ovaltine, and sugars in a medium bowl; stir to combine. Add the whole milk and use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine until the cocoa, Ovaltine, and sugars are dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. If not freezing immediately, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Turn machine on; pour mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 35 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Mocha Ice Cream

The Simple Chocolate Ice Cream recipe that came with my Cuisinart ice cream maker is definitely a favorite in our household. As I was food shopping this morning and contemplating what I would be making for dessert tonight for our weekly dinner with my brother-in-law, I decided to see if I could take our favorite chocolate ice cream recipe and turn it into Mocha Ice Cream. The result? Big success.

The coffee flavor is subtle, but as Ina Garten always says when she's making anything with chocolate, adding coffee definitely brings out the chocolate flavor even more. I figure too that if you want a more intense coffee flavor, you can just add more ground coffee (I only used 1 tablespoon).

Mocha Ice Cream

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process preferred)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1-1/2 cups whole milk
3-1/4 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons ground coffee

Place the cocoa and sugars in a medium bowl; stir to combine. Add the whole milk and use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine until the cocoa and sugars are dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla, and ground coffee. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Turn machine on; pour mixture through fine-mesh sieve into freezer bowl, using a wooden spoon to push through as much of the liquid as possible. Let mix until thickened, about 25 to 35 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Creamy Broccoli-Stuffed Chicken Breasts and Coffee Ice Cream

Today is my husband's 30th birthday. We were away last weekend, celebrating with our friends in the Poconos, so tonight's dinner was going to be a bit modified anyway... But Mother Nature decided to give my husband a giant snowstorm for his birthday, so the meal has become even more modified. I had the makings for a meal that I didn't get to a couple of weeks ago -- Creamy Broccoli-Stuffed Chicken Breasts. And for dessert, a non-egg-based coffee ice cream to go with the delicious One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes that my mother-in-law made for him while caring for our son last weekend.

I will be back to comment on the chicken after we've had it, but the little taste I had of the coffee ice cream as I was putting it away in the freezer was really good. Definitely less intense than the other coffee ice cream I've made. And I'm definitely going to try topping it with the chocolate sauce I still have in my fridge. Or may use some of those extra chocolate-covered espresso beans I still have somewhere in my pantry.

Edited to add: The chicken was really tasty. Definitely a good meal to make when you're having guests who like simple, non-spicy food.

The ice cream was a different story... It tasted too much like Kahlua. I'm either going to omit it or use less the next time.

Edited to add (4/7/12): I took the Kahlua out of the ice cream, which helped, but I think I should also cut down on the almond extract. It tastes more like almond extract than coffee with the 2 teaspoons. I've adjusted the amount in the recipe below. Here's hoping that's better.

Creamy Broccoli-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Courtesy of Kraft Foods

1 package (6 ounces) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup water
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 pounds)
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) 98% fat-free condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400ºF.

Combine stuffing mix and water in large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Add broccoli to stuffing; mix lightly. Spread onto chicken to within 1/2 inch of edges; roll up starting at one short end of each.

Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix soup and milk; pour over chicken. Top with paprika and cheese.

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is done (165ºF).

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Coffee Ice Cream
A variation on this recipe by Cuisinart

1 1/2 cups whole milk, chilled
1 1/8 cups granulated sugar
3-5 tablespoons instant espresso powder (to taste)
3 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk, granulated sugar and espresso powder until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and extracts.

Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Vanilla Ice Cream

This is the best vanilla ice cream. Ever.

Vanilla Ice Cream
Courtesy of Cuisinart

2 1/3 cups whole milk
2 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 whole vanilla bean (about 6 inches in length)
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 1/8 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan. Use a sharp knife to split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use the blunt edge to scrape out the "seeds." Stir the seeds and bean pod into the milk/cream mixture. Bring the mixture to a slow boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to beat until the mixture is thick, smooth, and pale yellow in color (similar to mayonnaise), about 2 minutes.

Remove the vanilla bean pod from the milk/cream mixture and discard.

Measure out 1 cup of the hot liquid. With the mixer on low speed, add the cup of hot milk/cream to the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. When thoroughly combined, pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk/cream mixture and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Pass mixture through a fine sieve. Stir in vanilla, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap placed directly on the custard, and chill completely.

Pour the chilled custard into the freezer bowl, turn the machine on and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.