Peanut Butter Ice Cream

I’ve wanted to post more often this month. Really I have. But there was a flopped quiche and another quiche-like tart that wasn’t quite right and a berry galette that was better than I thought it would be, so I probably should have taken some photos and some blurry pictures of the banana-nut yeast bread I baked. In the end I had nothing to show for this month’s cooking.

Then I felt really silly as I remembered that I had some absolutely delicious ice cream in the freezer that I hadn’t told you about yet. Now, this, even more than the obstacles to blogging I mentioned above, is a true testament to how much I’ve been off my game when it comes to getting butt in chair and fingers to keyboard. I can’t believe I’ve been so busy or so tired or so lazy that I haven’t been cheering and ranting and hooray-ing about this ice cream ad nauseum!

Well, no more delay. Here it is! Delicious, delicious Peanut Butter Ice Cream! Can you believe it? Peanut butter in ice cream. As if peanut butter wasn’t wonderful enough. As if chilled and churned butterfat needed additional richness. But this isn’t about “need” or “enough.” This is about a velvety rich, sweet, and creamy dessert. This is about going beyond what is necessary.

Speaking of going beyond, I also added chopped peanut butter cups to this ice cream. You could add something different, like chocolate chunks, peanuts, honey roasted peanuts, whatever. Or you could add nothing at all. But really. What would you be trying to do? Save calories? This might not be the place to fool yourself at that level. This is the place to indulge in a smooth summer treat with a fabulous flavor combination. Hooray!

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Based on a recipe in Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book

2 large eggs

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 cup whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

¾ cup chopped peanut butter cups (optional, or substitute with a mix-in of your choice)

1. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Continue beating until the mixture is pale and no longer grainy. Whisk in the milk.

2. Pour the mixture into a medium-size saucepan. Heat over low to medium-low heat, stirring often until the mixture reaches 160 F (about 72 C). (Use an instant-read or candy thermometer.)

3. Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl. Whisk in the peanut butter until completely smooth. Stir in the heavy cream. Cover and chill at least 2 hours, or until very cold.

4. Pour the chilled mixture into the freezing canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream is nearly finished, add to peanut butter cups and continue churning until well distributed. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until firm. (You could eat it right out of the ice cream maker, but it will be quite soft. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

Makes a generous quart (about 1 liter).

Other recipes like this one: Rich Chocolate Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Mint Ice Cream with Andes Mints, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Revel Bars, Peanut Butter Cookies with Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream

I really don’t think I’ve produced a batch of chocolate ice cream since I made this one. That was three years ago. Three years!! That’s just not right.

To make up for it, at least a little bit, I recently made one of my husband’s favorite forms of chocolate ice cream: a slightly lighter-flavored chocolate with Andes mints mixed in. This time I enhanced the minty-ness with a splash of peppermint extract. Pretty darn delicious!!

 

If you adore deep, dark chocolate, you could use that Rich Chocolate Ice Cream recipe from three years ago and add the mints to that. I, however, like the ever-so-slightly lighter chocolate in this recipe for allowing the mint to shine through a little more.

 

Really, it’s the mints that make this special, so whatever basic ice cream recipe you like to use, chocolate or vanilla, don’t hesitate to add crème de menthe candies to it! In this hot, hot, hot July they make ice cream even more refreshing. Really! Even more refreshing!

And let’s not neglect chocolate this summer. We do that too much when the temperatures rise, for a variety of pretty good reasons. But with chocolate ice cream, we don’t have to do that, and with a little sprinkle of refreshing mint there’s no excuse to go without chocolate at all.

 

 

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream with Andes Mints

Adapted from Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

2 eggs

¾ cup sugar
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon peppermint extact
28 crème de menthe candies (such as Andes brand), unwrapped and coarsely chopped (a 132 g or 4.67 ounce package)

1. In a medium-size bowl, beat the eggs well. Slowly add the sugar and whisk until the mixture is pale and thick. Set aside.

2. In a medium-size saucepan, heat the milk with the unsweetened chocolate over medium heat, stirring frequently. When the chocolate is nearly melted, whisk in the cocoa powder. Continue whisking until smooth.

3. Pour about ½ cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture to temper it. Stir quickly. Pour the mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently and making sure the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Continue heating and stirring until the mixture reaches 165 F.

4. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl. Stir in the heavy cream. Cool then cover and chill until very cold, at least a few hours and up to two days.

5. When you are ready to freeze the ice cream, stir in the vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Transfer to the freezing canister of an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

6. About two minutes before the freezing process is done, gradually pour in the chopped Andes mints. Continue mixing until the mints are well-distributed. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least two hours or until firm.

 

Makes a generous quart. Keep frozen and enjoy for a week or so.

 

Another recipe like this one: Rich Chocolate Ice Cream

 

One year ago: Cold Sweet Cherry Soup, Sweet Asian Salad Dressing

Ice and Snow: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

 Not so long ago, I made an optimistic batch of vanilla ice cream as the season of spring made a pleasant appearance. That appearance turned out to be a mere tease. A fleeting flirtation. Blatantly false pretenses. As I write this, the snow is falling in a calendar-challenged frenzy that’s threatening to crush any enthusiasm I may have had about the upcoming arrival of local spring vegetables.

I’d like to say that the Great Outdoors covered in fluffy but frigid white stuff evokes an image of an ice cream world. The truth is, I’m just not that happy about it. This post on ice cream represents pure defiance. Sweet and creamy defiance with the exotic floral-fruity scent of vanilla bean.

Yes, I did use a vanilla bean to make my ice cream. I’ve been hoarding the few vanilla beans I buy for use in special dishes that really benefit from their unique flavor and aroma. I figured that the first homemade ice cream of the season was good enough reason to pull one out of the cupboard.

I simply scraped the black, pasty seeds from inside the pod, and added them, along with the pod itself to the custard while I heated it. I removed the pod when I was ready to freeze the ice cream, then rinsed it, dried it, and stored it in a sealed container with sugar. I just keep adding used vanilla pods to this sugar and it develops subtle vanilla flavor over time. I can then use this sugar to make more ice cream or baked goods. I also quite like it in coffee.

You don’t, however, need to use a vanilla bean to make good vanilla ice cream. Its exotic aroma is quite a pleasure for the cook to enjoy while working with it, but vanilla extract will work very well here. (It’s what I usually use.) Since there are only a few simple ingredients in vanilla ice cream, the quality of the ingredients matters significantly, so use good-quality vanilla extract as well as good eggs, milk and cream.

In the end, it may not be warm and green and sunny, but no matter the weather, ice cream is just delicious. So take that, Return of Winter. You will not get me down! I’ll see your snow and raise you an ice cream cone! Let’s see you make that fall from the sky!

Vanilla Ice Cream
Adapted from Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book

2 eggs
¾ cup sugar or vanilla sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 vanilla bean or 2-3 teaspoons good-quality vanilla extract

1. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Continue beating until the mixture is pale and no longer grainy. Whisk in the milk.

2. With a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean open lengthwise. Scrape the seeds (they look like a black paste) from the pod. Whisk the seeds into the egg mixture.

3. Pour the mixture into a medium-size saucepan. Add the scraped vanilla pod. Heat over low to medium-low heat, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 160 F (about 72 C). (Use an instant-read or candy thermometer to determine this.)

4. Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract, if using. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or until completely chilled. (I often set it in the freezer to speed the process and get the mixture even colder than the refrigerator can.)

6. Remove the vanilla pods from the chilled custard. Pour the custard into the freezing canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until of desired firmness.

Makes about 1 quart (1 liter).


Other recipes like this one: Ginger Spice Ice Cream, Rich Chocolate Ice Cream

One year ago: Maple Cake with Walnuts and Dates

Two years ago: Italian Chickpeas

Spice Cream

I made apple crisp recently, and while it was delicious, I posted a recipe for such a thing last year and didn’t think it would be necessary to do so again. In fact, the one I made was pretty much the same as this one, but without the cranberries and with less sugar (to make up for the fact that just plain apples are nowhere near as sour as cranberries.) I could, however, write about the delicious ice cream I made to go with the apple crisp. I think I’ll do that.

Plain ol’ vanilla ice cream is great with warm apple crisp, or any fruit crisp for that matter, but I thought I’d try to come up with something even more complimentary to that cozy cinnamon-apple comfort food. I would, quite literally, spice it up.

I steeped an entire array of my favorite warm and comforting spices, most of them in their whole form, in the milk and cream mixture for my ice cream. I really think the whole spices are necessary in this, since they have a fresher flavor, but also they can be removed after giving up some of their essence. Ground spices may work, but they might make the custard gritty or even a little bitter, since they would be almost impossible to filter out. Two exceptions are the ground ginger (although perhaps you could steep crystallized ginger instead, I didn’t think of that) and the nutmeg, which I ground off the “nut” with a Microplane grater as I added it with the other spices.

Another exception may be the vanilla bean I used. Since I was steeping anyway, I thought I might as well take advantage of its rich floral qualities and throw one in. (Actually, since the one I used was kind old and dry, I ended up crumbling it in.) You could probably use vanilla extract, which is more economical and convenient. Just add it after the custard is cooked instead of with the spices or the flavor is likely to float away as you heat it.

I was really, really pleased with the way this ice cream turned out. I was confident about the custard base itself, since I used the same recipe and method I usually do, but the spice additions were a bit of an experiment. It turned out pleasantly infused with all of the flavors: a little bit chai spice, a little bit pumpkin spice, and not so much of anything that it overwhelmed my apple crisp. Instead, it complimented it as I had hoped, a cold contrast with the warm dessert that melted and dribbled along the edges of the bowl and puddled in the nooks and crannies between the sweet-tart baked apples and crunchy walnut-oat topping. I also think it would go well with other fall desserts or more plain cakes and cookies, but my attention is lingering too much on the apple crisp, and I can’t think very far beyond that right now.

Ginger Spice Ice Cream
Based on recipes in Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book

This is very good with apple crisp.

2 cups (500 ml) heavy whipping cream
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
6 –inch (about 15 cm) cinnamon stick
5 cardamom pods, crushed
4 whole cloves
¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground ginger
¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) freshly ground nutmeg
1 whole star anise
½ vanilla bean (or ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla extract)
2 large eggs
½ cup (3 ½ ounces or about 100 g) white granulated sugar
¼ cup (1 7/8 ounces or about 53 g) packed brown sugar

1. Pour the cream and milk into a medium saucepan. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and star anise. If using the vanilla bean, slit it in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and add them to the cream mixture. Add the scraped bean as well.

2. Heat the cream mixture over medium heat until just beginning to boil. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the white sugar and beat until the mixture is pale and thick. Add the brown sugar and whisk until well combined, being sure to break up any lumps of brown sugar.

4. Strain the cream mixture into the egg mixture. Discard the solids. (You can save the vanilla pod to rinse and dry for making vanilla sugar.) Whisk together to combine well.

5. Pour the mixture into a clean saucepan. Heat over low to medium-low heat, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 160 F (about 72 C). (Use an instant-read or candy thermometer to determine this.) Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the vanilla extract, if using. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or until completely chilled. (I often set it in the freezer to speed the process and get the mixture even colder than the refrigerator can.)

6. Pour the cooled mixture into the freezing canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until of desired firmness.

Makes 1 generous quart (1 liter).

Another ice cream recipe: Rich Choclate Ice Cream

One year ago: Cabbage Slaw with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Brownie Ice Cream Cake

It recently was my birthday. (I turned 29 yet again, if you must ask.) Harry’s birthday is just a few days after mine, so I usually make him the standard birthday cake (this year it was a classic yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting), and I make some other kind of dessert for my birthday. Since it’s usually just the two of us indulging in these birthday treats, I try to make the earlier one either something we can eat all of very quickly (fat chance*), or something freezable that we can enjoy over the next few weeks.

This year, I considered an ice cream cake for my birthday. It’s festive yet freezable, and definitely decadent enough for a celebration. I was perusing my copy of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book and saw that these geniuses used brownies instead of cake in their ice cream cake recipe. I’d made a layered ice cream cake with actual cake before, and while it was fine, I thought a brownie layer would be brilliant. It all came together like sweet serendipity when I read the notes accompanying a brownie recipe in The Ultimate Brownie Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough: “They’re also good right out of the freezer: cold, chewy, and very chocolaty.” This layered ice cream treat was frozen, rich, chocolate destiny.

I baked the brownies (an 8” square batch), made hot fudge sauce and vanilla ice cream and layered them along with crumbled Oreo cookies. I used an 8-inch bread pan lined with plastic wrap as a mold. The brownies were a little crumbly and broke into fourths after I cut them in half, but that seemed to make no difference in the final product. The fudge sauce was too thick (mmmmm…thick, rich fudge sauce) to spread or dollop over the softened ice cream, so I spread it on the brownies. The fudge sauce I used (homemade and based on the recipe in the Ben and Jerry’s book…see below for my version) sets up like a soft ganache when cooled, so it makes a soft and chewy and intensely chocolaty layer in the dessert. Since the ice cream needs to be pretty soft and melty to spread, it also kind of squished out the sides of the layers and ended up coating the outside like frosting on a cake. I can’t say this was intended, and this may not happen if your ice cream isn’t as soft as mine was, but I will say that I liked it.

While I went all out and made most of the main ingredients from scratch for this treat, you could use store-bought ice cream, fudge sauce and brownies, or make brownies from your favorite boxed mix. I’ve included the recipes I used for the brownies and the fudge sauce below. They’re both very good on their own or in other applications as well. I can imagine many other ingredients and flavors that could be enjoyed using this method, such as mint chocolate chip ice cream instead of vanilla, pecans and caramel instead of chocolate sandwich cookies, or blondies in place of the brownie layer with butter pecan ice cream and butterscotch sauce. I think I may just have to start having more birthdays!

*Any and all perceived puns on this site are fully intended unless otherwise noted by the author

Hot Fudge Sauce
Adapted from Ben &Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield with Nancy J. Stevens

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
½ cup heavy cream

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Be very careful not to burn the chocolate.

2. When the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth, add the cocoa powder. Whisk until the cocoa is completely incorporated and no dry cocoa is visible.

3. Stir in the sugar a little at a time. When the sugar is fully incorporated, the mixture will have the consistency of wet sand.

4. Slowly stir in the cream. Cook over low heat stirring frequently until the sugar has all dissolved and the sauce is smooth and glossy, about 20-30 minutes.

Makes about 1 ½ cups.

Serve warm over ice cream, etc. or chill until ready to use. Warm and stir before using if chilled.

BrowniesAdapted from a recipe in The Ultimate Brownie Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

The instant coffee powder I added to these brownies just darkens the flavor a bit more and gives them some mocha character. It is optional.
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus two tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder (optional)
½ cup (¼ pound or 1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Fit a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan. Spray the parchment with cooking spray. (This will enable you to remove the entire pan of brownies in one piece after they have baked and cooled. If you just want to eat these brownies and don’t mind cutting them out of the pan one at a time, you could just grease the pan well.)

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk together until well-combined and there are now lumps. (Alternatively, you could sift this mixture together.) Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixture, combine the butter and sugar. Beat at medium speed until very fluffy and pale in color. (You could also use a large bowl and a hand-held mixer to do this.)

4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well to incorporate fully after each addition. Beat for about one minute more after the second egg has been added and then beat in the vanilla extract.

5. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until just a few bits of dry ingredients are visible. With a spoon or rubber spatula, gently stir the batter until all the dry ingredients are just moistened.

6. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350 F for 25 to 27 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out without any wet batter clinging to it. Cool completely on a wire rack. Remove the whole thing from the pan by pulling up by the parchment paper. Cut as desired.

Makes 8-10 servings or enough brownie for 1 8-inch by 4-inch layered ice cream brownie dessert.

Layered Brownie Ice Cream Dessert
1 heaping cup chopped chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos), divided
2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened, divided
1 8-inch square recipe Brownies (such as the recipe above), cut in half
¾ cup cooled Hot Fudge Sauce (such as the recipe above), divided

1. Line an 8-inch by 4-inch bread pan (or other container of similar size) with plastic wrap with enough hanging over the edges to wrap completely over the top.

2. Place half of the chopped cookies into the bottom of the lined pan in an even layer. Spread half of the ice cream over the top of the cookies.

3. Spread ¼ cup of the fudge sauce on one side of one half of the brownie. Place it fudge side down on top of the ice cream. Spread ¼ cup fudge sauce on the other side of the brownie. Layer the remaining half of the cookies over the brownie.

4. Spread the remaining ice cream over the cookies. Spread the remaining fudge sauce on one side of the remaining brownie half. Place the brownie, fudge side down on the ice cream. Wrap the over-hanging ends of the plastic wrap over the top of the last brownie layer.

5. Freeze the layered dessert for several hours. To remove from the pan, you may need to soak the bottom of the pan for a few moments in warm water. Unwrap the plastic wrap and invert the pan over a plate and release the cake. Remove the remaining plastic wrap. Slice with a serrated knife warmed with warm water to serve.

Makes about 10 servings. Re-wrap leftovers and keep frozen, preferably in a zip-top freezer bag or other freezer-safe container.

Another recipe like this one: Rich Chocolate Ice Cream

One year ago: Zucchini and Mint Frittata with Tomatoes on Top

Very Chocolate Ice Cream

I’m not really one to be overly demonstrative with my personal exuberance, but I definitely scream, at least inwardly, for ice cream. Especially for this ultra-rich, deep-dark chocolate ice cream I made recently. It’s one of Harry’s favorites, and doesn’t last long in our freezer. It’s so rich and so dark and so chocolaty that it might just make you see through time…Enter at your own risk!

I try to keep a simple rule when it comes to sweets and treats. If I’m going to eat it, I should go through the trouble of making it myself. No picking up quick and dirty sugar and fat bombs in check-out displays or convenience stores (although fun-size candy bars usually defeat me in October). When I got an ice cream maker with a freezable canister many years ago, I could extend my snack guidelines to include ice cream. If you’re thinking of adopting this as a lifestyle choice, just let me put forth one caveat: If you like to cook and bake as much as I do, or you learn that with just a little work and a little waiting, you can make chocolate ice cream, this is not an effective weight-loss tool.

Not long after acquiring an ice cream maker, I got my hands on Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book. This book was the mother lode of tasty recipes, even for a beginner. The sweet cream base recipe I use is even slightly simplified over other gourmet ice cream and frozen custard recipes in that it calls for whole eggs instead of egg yolks. The steps of separating eggs and discarding or finding another use for the egg whites are eliminated. While most other cookbooks and articles that I’ve read insist on super-rich gourmet ice creams with lots of egg yolks, I figured that if whole eggs are good enough for Ben and Jerry, they’re good enough for me.

Apparently, this book was published before all the panic about the safety of raw eggs, because the bases for the ice creams are not cooked. If you don’t have concerns about salmonella, or have a well-trusted source of eggs, you could make an uncooked custard base. I, however, adapted the recipes for a cooked custard, and I think the results are thicker and creamier. The only problem is that gratification is further delayed by having to wait for the hot custard to cool and chill before it can be frozen into ice cream.

Even thought the richness of egg yolks is countered a bit by their accompanying whites, this is by no means a low-calorie or low-fat way to make ice cream. There’s plenty of sugar, whole milk, heavy cream and, of course, chocolate, both in the form of unsweetened cocoa powder and unsweetened baking chocolate. A bit of good vanilla extract brings up the flavor even more. This is a decadent dessert, no doubt about it, but I really don’t recommend trying to lighten it up in some way. It could only lead to disappointment, perhaps even grief.

I find that some of the chocolate solids don’t quite dissolve smoothly into the custard base in my adapted recipe, but teeny-tiny bits of chocolate in my intensely chocolate ice cream don’t bother me one bit. In fact, with all the other messes I make in the kitchen, a slightly less than perfect-looking scoop of ice cream is the least of my problems.

Rich Chocolate Ice Cream
Adapted from Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book.

2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cup whole milk
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Slowly add the sugar and whisk until the mixture is pale and thick.

2. Whisk in the whole milk. Pour into a medium-sized sauce pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until a thermometer inserted in the hot custard reads 165 F.

3. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Add the chocolate and continue stirring until the chocolate melts completely. If the mixture becomes too cool to melt the chocolate, place the pan back on low heat and continue to stir just until the chocolate melts.

4. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Cover the bowl and chill the mixture until it is very cold, at least 2 hours, overnight is even better.

5. Transfer the chilled mixture to the freezing canister of an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer soft ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze a few more hours or until it is of desired consistency. You can even eat it right out of the canister if you like soft-serve style ice cream.

Makes about 1 quart.

One year ago: Lemon Herb Potato Salad