Chocolate Ice Creams

"The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance..." 

(Sorcerer's Stone 26).

As promised, today we jump back in the list and make Chocolate Ice Cream! I will not, however, be using the excellent recipe found in The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook. Although it is probably very delicious (I have not made it myself yet), it is what is known as a "custard-style" ice cream recipe, and is thus more complicated. For our first foray into ice cream making (there will be several others, have no fear!), we will use the super simple recipe that came with my ice cream maker. It makes about 5 cups of ice cream. For some reason my photo of the ingredients refuses to be compatible with blogger, but I'm sure you know what what these products look like!

You Will Need:
3/4 cup Cocoa Powder (sifted)
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1 cup Whole Milk
2 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract (be sure it does NOT contain propylene glycol in the ingredients!)
You will also need some sort of Ice Cream Maker (Target and Amazon have some excellent options)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugars, and salt.

2. Add the milk, and using a whisk or electric mixer on the lowest speed, beat to combine until the powders are dissolved.
3. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Note: Many vanillas include propylene glycol in the ingredients as a preservative (my favorite brand does, too). Propylene Glycol is a non-toxic antifreeze, and your ice cream will never thicken past the consistency of a melty milkshake. So choose a vanilla without this ingredient :-)

4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
5. Pour your chilled ingredients into your ice cream maker and freeze according to instructions.

6. Using a rubber spatula, scrape your finished ice cream into a freezer-safe, air-tight container to store. If your ice cream is too soft, let it sit in the freezer for awhile before serving.

Serve in bowls or cones, and enjoy! Congratulations, you just made your own ice cream! How cool is that?!