American Heritage® Chocolate Rocky Road Frozen Custard

The first time I ever made homemade ice cream, I was a teenager staying at my sister’s house when she was expecting her second baby. We used one of those big, old bucket-style ice cream makers where you use the ice and the salt and they’re really loud and it feels like it takes forever. But the experience of making ice cream was so fun–watching it come together, yelling and laughing over the sound of the motor, spooning the super-soft ice cream into bowls and topping it with berries instead of freezing it until it was solid and scooping it.

I haven’t used my ice cream freezer in way too long. I think it’s one of those things where you kind of use it or lose it–when it’s been awhile, all you remember are the “hard” things (and I say “hard” because they’re not actually hard–no one is churning ice cream by hand or even keeping an eye on ice/salt levels and draining the tub–it’s just making sure the canister is frozen and being prepared to wait) and forget about the magic of making something so amazing and actually watching it come together. So now that warmer weather is here, I wanted to create one of my favorite frozen treats ever–Rocky Road Frozen Custard.

You’ll need a pint of heavy cream, some whole milk, sugar, kosher salt, cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa powder, egg yolks, mini marshmallows, and some chopped, toasted pecans.

I’m using the AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate Block.

If you’re not familiar with this particular brand and our relationship with them, you can learn a little more about it here, but basically, it’s chocolate the way chocolate was made in Colonial America–lots of spices and deep, rich flavors that lend themselves perfectly to a recipe like this. You can purchase it online or in historical locations–this product locator helps! Anyway, I really love it in this recipe–those flavorful elements that sometimes get lost in heavy baked goods really shine in ice cream; in fact, I had a few people (who had no idea I had used a different chocolate) ask me what those spicy notes were.

Anyway.

Combine milk, salt, cocoa powder, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan

and add the heavy cream.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring very frequently, making sure it doesn’t boil. Reduce the heat to low.

While the milk mixture is heating, combine the egg yolks in a small bowl.

and whisk together gently.

When the milk mixture is simmering, remove 1/2 cup of the liquid and gradually add it to the egg mixture stirring constantly. When the mixture is smooth and combined, gradually add the egg mixture back to the milk mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to heat the mixture (but do not boil) until the mixture is thickened to a point where if you dip a wooden spoon into it and then trace your finger across the back of the spoon, it would leave a trail. Remove from heat.

Add the chopped AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate Block.

Stir until the chocolate is completely melted, then transfer the mixture to a metal or glass bowl, cover, and then chill for at least two hours.

When the mixture is completely chilled, stir in the vanilla.

Churn in a 2-quart (or smaller) ice cream freezer according to the ice cream manufacturer’s directions. When the ice cream is almost done churning (about the consistency of soft serve), add the marshmallows and pecans and allow the ice cream maker to churn the ingredients into the ice cream, then transfer to freezer-safe containers leaving about 1/4-1/2″ of headspace at the top to allow for expansion. Freezer for at least a few hours before serving (if you have a flash freeze feature on your freezer, that will help keep ice crystals to a minimum.)

Allow to stand about 5 minutes before scooping.

Rocky Road Frozen Custard with AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate

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• Author: Our Best Bites
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Description

Rich, velvety chocolate custard is combined with marshmallows and toasted pecans in this ice cream shop favorite!

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 ounces AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate block, chopped
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 heaping cup mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans

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Instructions

1. Combine sugar, milk, salt, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring very frequently until the mixture simmers but does NOT boil . Reduce the heat to low.
2. While the milk mixture is heating, lightly stir together the egg yolks in a small bowl.
3. When the milk mixture is simmering, remove 1/2 cup of the liquid and gradually add it to the egg mixture stirring constantly. When the mixture is smooth and combined, gradually add the egg mixture back to the milk mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to heat the mixture (but do not boil) until the mixture is thickened to a point where if you dip a wooden spoon into it and then trace your finger across the back of the spoon, it would leave a trail. Remove from heat.
4. Add the chopped AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate Block. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted, then transfer the mixture to a metal or glass bowl, cover, and then chill for at least two hours.
5. When the mixture is completely chilled, stir in the vanilla. Freeze in a 2-quart (or smaller) ice cream freezer according to the ice cream manufacturer’s directions. When the ice cream is almost done churning (about the consistency of soft serve), add the marshmallows and pecans and allow the ice cream maker to churn the ingredients into the ice cream, then transfer to freezer-safe containers leaving about 1/4-1/2″ of headspace at the top to allow for expansion. Freezer for at least a few hours before serving (if you have a flash freeze feature on your freezer, that will help keep ice crystals to a minimum.)

Notes

• Homemade ice cream or custard is a labor of love, but it’s definitely worth it! Make sure to freeze the freezer canister for at least 24 hours before churning and try to plan out the waiting steps (cooling the custard, freezing after churning) so it feels fun instead of discouraging.

This post was written in partnership with AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate, but the recipe, photographs, and any opinions are our own.