Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Ripple

So I haven't blogged for a while.  Bad, bad me.  I have lots to blog about, I just can't seem to find the time to sit down and do it.  But since Bubba has been laid up for a week recouperating from a tonsillectomy and we've been trapped at home, I've been able to catch up on a few projects.  A post-Christmas winter wreath that's been sitting on my craft table for MONTHS is almost done, and I finally finished compiling all my photos from the first quarter of 2013 into a Shutterfly album.  Now if only I could get caught up on my checkbook...

It hasn't been a horribly hot summer here, but it is generally too warm to want to add extra heat to the house by turning on the oven.  So instead of baking, I make ice cream.  And the best recipes for ice cream, by far, come from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home.  I've blogged another ice cream recipe from her before.  The ice cream turns out so wonderfully creamy and fudgey, almost like frozen brownie dough.  It's super fantastic, and since it doesn't contain eggs, there are no worries about salmonella or curdled cream.  Try it...I think you'll like it!

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Ripple
Adapted from Jeni Britton Bauer and Averie Sunshine
Printer-friendly copy

Honey Roasted Peanut Butter
8 oz. honey-roasted peanuts
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place honey-roasted peanuts in a food processor.  Process until smooth, generally about 5 minutes (read Averie's post here for further information).  Once the peanut butter is smooth, add vanilla and continue processing until well-combined.  Transfer the peanut butter to a food-safe, covered container and refrigerate for later use.

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup evaporated milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to create a slurry and set aside.  Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and set aside.  Fill a third large bowl with ice and water and set aside.  Combine the remaining milk, cream, evaporated milk, granulated sugar and corn syrup in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.  Add the cocoa, whisking to incorporate, and boil for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry.  Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a spatula, until it is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat.  Gradually pour the hot milk mixture onto the chocolate.  Add salt and whisk until the chocolate has melted and the ingredients are well-blended.  Pour the liquid into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and seal.  Submerge the bag in the ice bath you created earlier.  Let stand about 30 minutes or until cold.  Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister of an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions, about 25 minutes.  When the ice cream has finished mixing, remove the peanut butter from the refrigerator and spoon 1-2 tablespoons into the bottom of a 2 quart freezer-safe storage container.  Pour some of the ice cream blend on top of the peanut butter.  Alternate peanut butter and ice cream until the container is full.  Press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface of ice cream and seal with an airtight lid.  Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.