Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Recipe

This Valentine’s Day we’re continuing our tradition of staying in and cooking a delicious dinner. My go-to Valentine’s Day dessert is always something chocolately because Kevin and I both love chocolate. I usually like to make something special and indulgent, something that I don’t make on a regular basis, but this year instead of making chocolate creme brûlée or chocolate lava cakes I decided to make ice cream. We both love ice cream. In fact, whenever we travel to a new city a local ice cream shop is always on our itinerary. And according to Kevin this recipe knocks it out of the park. We may have eaten all the ice cream you see in the photos.

I started with my favorite no-cook chocolate ice cream recipe (the same base for my s’mores ice cream) and added a pureed raspberry swirl. Seriously heavenly. It’s my favorite recipe because it’s so chocolately and rich but also because it makes a really thick and creamy ice cream without tempering eggs. It doesn’t use any eggs at all! If you’ve been wanting to try making homemade ice cream but have been to nervous about messing it up, you’ll love this recipe—it’s fool proof and so delicious!

Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
pinch salt
2/3 cup half and half
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 package frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
fresh raspberries, for serving

Tools:
– Ice cream maker
– Ice cream container, make sure you put the bowl in the freezer overnight before you mix the ice cream!
– Blender (I recently won this one and gave it a test run for this recipe—it’s incredible!)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cocoa powder, sugars and salt. Add the half and half and mix on low speed to combine. Mix until the cocoa and sugars are dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
2. Meanwhile, pour the frozen raspberries and 1/3 cup sugar into a small saucepan. Heat on medium high and stir constantly until they thaw and the sugar dissolves. Once it starts to bubble, turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking the mixture for about 15 minutes or until it thickens and becomes syrupy. Remove from heat and let it cool. Transfer it to a blender and pulse it until the seeds are finely chopped and the berries are pureed. Then let it cool completely before adding it to the ice cream. If you are not making the ice cream until the next day, store it in the fridge in an air-tight container.
3. Place the ice cream container in the freezer. Turn on the ice cream maker; pour the chocolate mixture into a frozen ice cream maker bowl and let it run until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Once the ice cream is thickened, spread 1/2 of it in the container. Top the ice cream with about 1/2 cup of the raspberry mixture, then add the remaining ice cream on top of that. Use a butter knife to gently swirl the raspberry mixture into the ice cream. Put the lid on the container and freeze for at least a couple hours or overnight. Then it’s ready to be devoured! I like to serve it in waffle bowls topped with fresh raspberries.

Want to try other recipes? Check out my other delicious ice cream recipes. And don’t worry I have some more last-minute Valentine’s Day ideas including the DIY XO napkins you see in the photos above.