Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

The Wileys were in town last weekend. Which means that chocolate peanut butter ice cream had to be on the menu. Now, typically, we would just visit The Meadows. Unfortunately, they were not featuring the family favorite, and so what did I do? I broke in my new ice cream maker (thanks to BJ, Megs, and Kirsten!) with a batch of my own.

This recipe comes from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, and it’s so simple. It’s also dangerously decadent.

Start by whisking together half-and-half (I told you it was decadent!), cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil until it begins to foam.

Remove it from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter. (Use good old fashioned smooth peanut butter for best results.)

Next comes the fun part! Churn the ice cream for 20-30 minutes, or according to manufacturer’s instructions. If you don’t yet have an ice cream maker of your own, I highly recommend either the KitchenAid attachment or the Cuisinart. Both are so easy to use. Though our grandparents might say that we’re cheating! I know they had to churn their ice cream by hand.

Try to resist eating it by the spoonful at this point, though it’s tempting. But it will get so much better after it sits in the freezer overnight; I promise. And if you want to get really crazy, feel free to stir in some bits of peanut butter cup before freezing it. Oh, yum.

See! What did I tell you. So smooth and creamy with just the right ratio of chocolate to peanut butter.

Now the question is do I make another batch of this or try a different recipe from the book?

Happy National Ice Cream Month! What’s your favorite flavor?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Makes 1 quart.

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

Directions

  1. Whisk together half-and-half, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Heat mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil and begins to foam up.
  2. Remove from heat and whisk in peanut butter. Stir until thoroughly blended.
  3. Chill mixture completely, then churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

(Adapted from David Lebovitz)

9 thoughts on “Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

  1. um wow…this makes me want to run out and by an ice cream maker…like yesterday. I am obsessed with all things Chocolate & PB…so I pretty much need to make this ASAP!!

  2. My husband and I debated registering for an ice cream maker when we were married, but decided against it as it wasn’t a necessity and we had other items on our list that we were much more in need of. Therefore, we were quite surprised to receive an incredible White Mountain Ice Cream maker from a childhood friend of my dad’s. I guess he just figured we needed one! And it has gotten tons of use in the past 4.5 years! We have made vanilla bean and strawberry, but our very favorite flavor so far has been maple grapenut. Sounds crazy, but that stuff is addictive! Your chocolate peanut butter looks fantastic and we will have to add that to our must-make list!

  3. I’ve made this four times so far and so far it’s one of the best recipes I’ve ever tried. Congratulations on an excellent ice cream, and I’m looking forward to trying more of yours in the future.

  4. Just made this and it’s in chilling in the fridge but unfortunately I have to wait as I just made a batch of strawberry frozen yogurt so have to wait for my bowl to chill at least a day argh!
    Hoping it turns out well, I love the simplicity, no custard base! Threw in a few squares of dark chocolate to boost the chocolate flavour! Thanks for sharing, looking on Ebay now for The Perfect Scoop, i’ve tried several of his recipes now, all fantastic!

  5. Made the base last night and churned it this morning. Absolutely delicious. Never would have expected something so easy to make give such yummy results. Sadly, this batch is going to a friend but I will definately make another for me and my hubby. Thanks for sharing.

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