Black Cocoa Ice Cream

 

Holy schnikies, Black Cocoa Ice Cream.  Right?!  Such opulence, huh?!  It's delicious. And creamy.  And kinda tastes like the cookie part of an Oreo but as ice cream.  Super yum.

What could be wrong with any of that?

A bit ago I bought a tub o' black cocoa* for a particular cookie recipe which didn't pan out so here I've got this lil' tub just hanging out in my pantry.  I figure I best use it, right?  Poor us.

Specifically, in case you're wondering, I bought the Wincrest* as it's Blommer Chocolate and not only is Blommer local despite closing their factory store which I am, yes, still highly salty about, but their cocoa powder is my fave.

And whooo, this recipe was a good pick for it.

I'm kind of wondering if I can use it in those Chocolate Wafer Cookies, how those would turn out.  Hm.  Either way, go collect that recipe too as Nabisco cancelled their wafer cookies.  Hm, actually it might not work.

Anyway.  This Black Cocoa Ice Cream is outstanding and you should make it.  It's a cakewalk, too (ahhhhh, baking pun).

So, ok, what's the deal with black cocoa powder?, you're asking.  How is it any different from natural or Dutch-process?

It's pretty much the same as Dutch-process but it's extra-Dutched, if you will.

Without getting too science-y about it, Dutch-process is alkalized, meaning the acidity of the cocoa bean is neutralized, eliminating the bitter resulting in an earthier, more chocolate flavor.  Which is why, when you bake with Dutch-process, your baked goods taste more chocolate than natural cocoa powder.

Doing the Dutch thing also by happenstance darkens the pigments in the beans.  The more you Dutch, the darker it gets.  Hence, extra Dutch means extra darker, and in the case of black cocoa, nearly black.

Which is cool really, being a lover of painting things black myself.  Black or near black chocolate baked goods is an aesthetic I can work with.

Too, this extra-Dutch changes the flavor profile a bit, giving our hero in the Black Cocoa Ice Cream a more Oreo-like taste.  Keep that in mind as it doesn't necessarily make things more chocolate per se, like you'd find between a dark chocolate bar versus milk.

You can drop the quantity of black cocoa powder in this recipe to half a cup if you'd like but eh, I wouldn't.  This ice cream is about the black cocoa.

Not that the quality in the recipe is going to pound you over the head with Black Cocoa-ness.  Trust me, it's just right.

Note, if you bake with this cocoa, it has practically no fat which can result in drier baked goods.  Too, like your average Dutch-process cocoa, it doesn't work with baking soda; it works with baking powder.

All righty, let's make some Black Cocoa Ice Cream.  Mmm can't wait!

Yes, you need an ice cream maker* for this as still, and again, I'm not about no-churn and it's maybe the only single-use tool I'll ever push you to get because it pays you back with stupendous homemade ice cream.

So pull your ingredients together, dumping the milk, part of the cream, and the black cocoa powder into a sauce pan.*  Heat that up to a slightly steamy warm.

Meantime, whisk* the eggy stuff with the brown sugar.  I used light brown but you can also use dark brown for a richer flavor.  Mmm, doing that next time...

Whisk that until it lightens in color, a darker shade of that pale yellow I love so much.

Next, just temper.  A little hot into the eggy sugar, whisk whisk whisk, a little more, and so on.  No biggie.  It's extra special fun with this recipe though as the swirls are gorgeous!

Pour everything back into the sauce pan, whisk or stir around until things thicken up a bit.

When it's good to go, pour the hot stuff through a fine mesh sieve* into a bowl with the remaining cream and vanilla, chill it and chill out, then it's churn time.

Setting up that ice bath.

Don't forget to pre-freeze your storage container* (I like these airtight glass dishes* personally) as it will help while transferring the freshly churned goodness that is Black Cocoa Ice Cream from melting entirely.

Then, pop off to the freezer for a bit.

Couple hours later, whip out those ice cream bowls* as it's happy happy time!

Boy, I'll tell ya, this ice cream does melt quick once scooped which I kind of like as I like my ice cream kind of melty when eating it.  Only issue really was that it was near impossible to get some decent photos.

Don't let my poor ice cream photography skills deter you here.  It tastes way better than my photos depict.

Nom nom nom delicious, creamy, melty (messy, heh), Black Cocoa Ice Cream, my friends. 
 

Melty!

Mmm.  Enjoy!

*The black cocoa powder, Wincrest black cocoa powder, ice cream makers, sauce pans, whisks, fine mesh sieves, storage containers, and ice cream bowls are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.