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Prep time
8 hours 15 minutes
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makes
scant 2 quarts
Author Notes
I’ll use chocolate chips in cookies, cakes, all the baked goods. But in ice cream? No, thanks. The texture just isn’t satisfying. This recipe is my improvement—a chocolate chip ice cream without the literal chocolate chips (aka morsels). Instead, I decided to use nature’s chocolate chips: cacao nibs. Cacao nibs are tiny bits of dried cacao beans that have a crunchy texture and a pleasantly deep, bitter taste. It’s a beautiful contrast against the silky ice cream, that, by the way, doesn’t require any churning. (Thanks to the magical two-ingredient combo of sweetened condensed milk and freshly whipped cream.) And for some actual chocolate: thinly shaved milk chocolate. Because the chocolate is broken into slivers and shards—similar to Italian stracciatella—it will melt in your mouth right away.
Another key element to this ice cream is extra-virgin olive oil: it not only adds fat and richness to our ice cream that’ll preserve its creamy, soft and scoopable texture, it also brings a beautiful floral undertone that perfectly complements the chocolate. And don't worry, the olive oil will not make the ice cream taste like salad dressing. —Carolina Gelen
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Ingredients
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2 1/2 cups
heavy cream
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1
(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
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3 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
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1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
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1/2 cup
(60 grams) cacao nibs
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100 grams
milk chocolate, grated or shaved with a peeler
Directions
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In a large bowl, using a whisk or hand mixer, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks.
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Add the condensed milk, olive oil, and salt. Whisk just until incorporated (err on the side of undermixing versus overmixing).
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Gently fold the chocolate and cocoa nibs in the whipped cream mixture, pour the mixture in a loaf tin or a couple of quart containers. Cover the ice cream with parchment paper (touching the ice cream) to prevent freezer burn.
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Freeze for 6 to 12 hours.
Carolina is a resident at Food52. She's also one of the hosts of Choose Your Own Recipe Adventure, our YouTube show where our Food52 readers pick the ingredients and techniques for a brand new recipe. Carolina recently immigrated to the U.S. from Transylvania, a place she spent most of her life. She continues to get inspired by the classic Romanian and Hungarian foods she was raised on, creating approachable, colorful, and fun recipes. For more cooking ideas and candid moments, check out her Instagram @carolinagelen.
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