Creamy Cloud Nine Chocolate Ice Cream

So the day before yesterday, while I was browsing through the nick-nacks at my local thrift store, I found myself a Cuisinart ICE-20 Ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet maker for only six dollars! Now these go for about fifty bucks online, and I had been wishing for an ice cream maker, so I was very excited to make some ice cream of my own. I didn't really have much of an idea of what kind to make, but I love chocolate, so I started with Alton Brown's basic chocolate ice cream recipe. I began adding my own little surprises, and about halfway through I had to take out some of the mix when it began to expand, but after all the mess and sticky fingers I ended up with the absolute BEST chocolate ice cream I've ever had. There is caramel in it, but it got so blended in that it only adds a hint of sweetness to the ice cream, which I found better than regular ole caramel swirl. =]

Creamy Cloud Nine Chocolate Ice Cream:

-1 batch Alton Brown's Chocolate Ice Cream

Mix-ins:

-1/4 cup caramel syrup [not the thick kind, choose something like the smucker's sundae topping]
-1/3 cup marshmallow ice cream topping,[though I think the regular 'fluff' would also be good.]
-3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

about five minutes before the ice cream is finished by your mixer, add all Mix-ins, slowly and one-at-a-time, using the chunks last. Once it is done, scoop some out and enjoy! [If you like your ice cream firmer than softserve, you may want to let it harden in the freezer for a bit longer.]


Alton Brown's Chocolate Ice Cream:
Ingredients

* 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
* 3 cups half-and-half
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 8 large egg yolks
* 9 ounces sugar
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.