Blackberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Smooth blackberry ice cream studded with flecks of semi-sweet chocolate

Our friends gave us an ice cream maker attachment for our KitchenAid stand mixer over Christmas and I've been keeping the bowl in the freezer at the ready ever since. I'm partial to fruit flavors and my husband leans more towards the chocolate side, so this blackberry chocolate chunk ice cream was the best of both worlds. It starts out with a traditional custard ice cream base (but I cut back on the egg yolks a little so it wouldn't be too rich) and then a couple pints-worth of fresh blackberries get swirled in. Once the ice cream is mostly frozen, a handful of chopped semisweet chocolate gets added. I love the gorgeous purple color that the ice cream turns and the flavor is outstanding. We've been enjoying a scoop or two after dinner and it's been a delicious way to end the night. We can't wait to try out more fun flavors this summer.


Related Recipes:
- Blackberry Buttermilk Cake
- Tangelo-Orange Sorbet
- Berry Pavlova


Blackberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream:

• Puree 12-14 oz. of fresh blackberries in a blender until smooth, then pour into a bowl over a fine mesh strainer. Discard the solids.
• Meanwhile, bring 1 1/2 c. heavy cream, 1 c. sugar, and 1 1/2 c. half and half to a simmer in a saucepan.
• In another bowl, whisk together 3 egg yolks.
• Whisk a 1/4 c. of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks, then add in another 1/2 c. and whisk until smooth.
• Pour the egg mixture back into the cream and simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3-5 minutes.
• Pour the cream base into the blackberry puree through a fine mesh strainer and discard any solids.*
• Mix the cream and berries together until completely combined.
• Cool the ice cream base until completely cold, ideally overnight.
• Once cool, pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn until frozen, about 15-25 minutes. 
• Stir 4 oz. of chopped semisweet chocolate into the ice cream during the last minute or two of churning.
• Transfer the ice cream into a freezer-proof container and freeze for another few hours, or until completely frozen.
• Scoop into bowls and serve.**

Serves eight-ten

*This will ensure that the ice cream is completely smooth and void of any lumps of cooked egg.

**The ice cream will last in the freezer for about a month.