Chocolate Ice Cream homemade!

I know I haven't written on my blog in just over a month, and I apologize. Life took hold of me and has finally loosened up a bit so I could take some time to recreate some new recipes I've found. Also there is one I haven't made in a while but it's a goody! So here goes.

So, I have a giant....no, I mean GIANT sweet tooth and I was craving some homemade ice cream. I was able to get the ice cream maker attachment to my KitchenAid stand mixer and did some searching online. Here's what I found:

Chocolate Ice Cream (recipe courtesy of Alton Brown, 2005)

Prep Time: 8 minutes | Inactive Prep Time: 8 hrs | Cook time: 10 minutes

Level: Intermediate | Serves: 1 1/2 quarts

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 white granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. 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 heat.
2. 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 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. (I didn't check the temperature, I just proceeded). 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 to not form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below. (I just left it overnight in the refrigerator and continued on the next day).
3. Pour into an ice 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.

More to come! Enjoy!