dangerously delicious

Ok, lucky for you all, I'm beyond exhausted and not feeling verbose.  I'm in training this week, and it's 8 solid hours of lectures, group bonding, and embarrassing adventures public speaking.  My brain literally aches.  I don't think I've had to concentrate this consistently since I graduated. 


So I will very quickly tell you about how my new ice cream machine and I are getting along. IT IS AMAZING!


Quick enough for you? I thought so. 


The first recipe I've tried is the one for basic chocolate ice cream, found in the instruction booklet that came with Fiona. Towards the end of the churning process, I threw in some chopped mint chocolate cookies.  I could lie and say Allie helped me polish it off, but the reality is, she ate a tiny bit, and I ate the rest.  In one sitting.  Obscene.  

So much chocolate.  So good. 

Wheeeeeeee.  (yes, I was captivated by this for longer than I care to admit)

We can all agree that I'm a terrible food photographer, but can we also agree that this looks delicious? I thought so. 

Here's the recipe in the event that you don't own the Cuisinart ice cream machine, or long since lost your instruction book:

3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

pinch salt

1 cup whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract [in typing this, I realized I read this as teaspoon, not tablespoon, but I didn't think the ice cream was lacking in flavor]

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugars, and salt.  Add the milk and, using a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk, beat to combine until the cocoa, sugars, and salt are dissolved [I used a whisk, it worked fine].  Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight [I opted for overnight]. 

2. Turn on the ice cream maker and pour the mixture into the pre-frozen bowl.  Let mix until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes [mine took about 10, but I also halved the recipe]. If you're going to add something like chopped cookies, do so about 5 minutes prior to the end of the mixing time. 

Just be prepared for the implications of having homemade ice cream in your freezer!