Jeni’s Milkiest Chocolate Ice Cream

The famous “milkiest chocolate ice cream” from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams – it’s egg-free, rich, and has the most memorable chocolate flavor!

Say hello to our new best friend… this chocolate ice cream.

A month or so ago, we asked you all in one of our Friday things about Jeni’s ice cream, and if it lived up to the hype, since we've long been a Graeters girl. Almost all of you said yes and many of you said that this milkiest chocolate ice cream was a standby ever. We quickly did two things – we picked up a pint of brambleberry crisp (LOVED it!) during our next trip to Whole Foods, and we busted out the Jeni’s cookbook to get to work on the famous milkiest chocolate ice cream.

Let us tell you…

It is the stuff of dreams. It’s rich without being too much… it’s full of chocolate flavor without actually using a ton of chocolate… it’s egg-free… it’s straightforward to mix and we could not stop eating it. Like, snuck a spoonful multiple times a day. AMAZING.

This ice cream did not go off without a hitch, unfortunately. The first time we made it, we made it directly from the book. After the mixture thickened, it seemed… REALLY thick. Once it was cooled down, it was pretty much like set pudding and it was basically impossible to churn it (even though we tried). We were so bummed and couldn’t figure out what we may have done wrong.

We started Googling and found that there is an error in the cookbook for the milkiest chocolate ice cream recipe – there should be 1¼ cups of heavy cream, but it is only printed as ¼ cup. Gah! Big difference and would totally explain the texture. We made it again with the correct amount and it was reliable! So if you have the book, be sure to note this difference! There appear to be other errors in early editions of the book – here is a list of all of the corrections that we found so your ice cream doesn’t meet the same fate as our first batch!

We have an old recipe for chocolate ice cream that we've loved for years and years, so we were definitely curious as to whether or not Jeni’s chocolate ice cream would stack up for us.

The verdict? It’s better. SO much better. And since there are no eggs in it, we didn’t have to worry about Joseph swiping his finger across the mixer and sneaking a taste. He just kept saying “mmm mmm” over and over again. He obviously has his mother’s taste :)

Our father-in-law loves chocolate ice cream, so we made a cone for him and asked for his opinion… he said it was a standby chocolate ice cream he’d ever tasted. BOOM.

Look no further!

One year ago: Zucchini & Orange Marmalade Muffins with Cranberries & Pecans
Six years ago: Chewy, Chunky Blondies
Seven years ago: How To Make Pastry Cream

Jeni's Milkiest Chocolate Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart The famous "milkiest chocolate ice cream" from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams - it's egg-free, rich, and has the most memorable chocolate flavor!

• 1 cup (244 ml) whole milk, divided
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 ounces (56.7 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1¼ cups (297.5 ml) heavy cream
• 1 cup (256 ml) evaporated milk
• ⅔ cup (133.33 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• ⅓ cup (28.67 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) fine sea salt

Equipment Used:

• KitchenAid 2-Quart Ice Cream Maker Stand Mixer Attachment

• In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch until smooth; set aside.
• Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.
• Fill a large bowl with ice water.
• Combine the remaining milk, heavy cream, evaporated milk, sugar and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Add the cocoa powder, whisk until incorporated, and continue boiling for an additional 4 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
• Place the pan back over medium-high heat and bring back to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
• Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the chopped chocolate. Add the salt and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and incorporated. Place the bowl inside the bowl with the ice water and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Pour the ice cream mixture into the frozen canister of your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pack the ice cream into a storage container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Notes

Nutritional values are based on one quart

• Yield: 1 quart
• Prep: 1 hour
• Cook: 4 hours 30 minutes
• Total: 5 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup ( 244 ml ) whole milk, divided
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 ounces ( 56.7 g ) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1¼ cups ( 297.5 ml ) heavy cream
• 1 cup ( 256 ml ) evaporated milk
• ⅔ cup ( 133.33 g ) granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• ⅓ cup ( 28.67 g ) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) fine sea salt

Equipment Used:

• KitchenAid 2-Quart Ice Cream Maker Stand Mixer Attachment

Method

1. In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch until smooth; set aside.
2. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.
3. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
4. Combine the remaining milk, heavy cream, evaporated milk, sugar and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Add the cocoa powder, whisk until incorporated, and continue boiling for an additional 4 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
6. Place the pan back over medium-high heat and bring back to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
7. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the chopped chocolate. Add the salt and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and incorporated. Place the bowl inside the bowl with the ice water and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 30 minutes.
8. Pour the ice cream mixture into the frozen canister of your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pack the ice cream into a storage container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.