Craftwytch Ice Cream

Ben and Jerry’s classic flavor is popular for a reason. This recipe is a bit of work but it’s one of my favorites!

This recipe uses about 1.5 lbs of pitted cherries, and is portioned for a 2 quart ice cream maker. This recipe has a lot of mix ins added at the end of the churn, so If you’re using a 1.5 quart ice cream maker or smaller, make sure not to overfill the machine. You can also add the mix ins after it is churned with a spatula. Any leftover ice cream base can be used in lattes or coffee drinks.

Remove the pits from 1 lb. of cherries. Mix cherries and 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl and set aside to macerate for 30 minutes. Add the juice of 1 lemon and heat on medium low until the juices begin to form a syrup, about 30 minutes.

Strain the liquid and reserve along with the cooked cherries.

Now it’s time to make a custard base. Separate 6 egg yolks from the whites and reserve in a medium size bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cup whole milk, 1 1/2 cup whipping cream, 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tbs of corn syrup or glucose syrup. It helps to use a thermometer to prevent the yolks from curdling.

Before making the custard, set up an ice bath by filling a large temperature proof bowl with ice and water, and placing a medium temperature proof bowl into it with a strainer. Once the custard is heated you’ll want to immediately strain it into the bowl over the ice bath to cool it down quickly.

Heat the liquid to about 150 degrees on medium low, and temper the yolks slowly add about 1 cup or two of the hot liquid to the yolks while constantly whisking to avoid curdling, Once incorporated, add the mixture back to the saucepan and heat on medium low, stirring constantly until the temp reaches about 175 degrees and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, Immediately take it off the stove top and pour the liquid through the strainer into the bowl over the ice bath.

Stir to cool it down, and add the cooled cherry syrup. This should also help cool it down faster. Once fully incorporated, chill the liquid in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Now to make the chocolate chips. There are a few ways to do this. I use a silicone mold to make the chocolate chips but you could also spread the chocolate in a thin sheet on plastic lined pan and break it into small pieces. Making the chocolate chips by adding coconut oil to chocolate is worth the effort in my opinion, as it will be softer when frozen and allow you to taste it as it melts in your mouth.

To make the chips, you’ll be making a magic shell, which will harden once poured on ice cream. If you have some left over from this recipe, save it in the refrigerator to use for an ice cream topping later.

In a medium microwave safe glass bowl, combine 230 grams of semi sweet chocolate and 85v grams of refined coconut oil. Unrefined coconut oil will taste like coconuts, but refined will have a neutral flavor. if you are allergic or prefer another oil, you can use any other neutral oil. I have always used unrefined coconut oil but I’ve seen many recipes that say this is possible.

To melt the chocolate and oil, heat in the microwave for thirty seconds. Stir, then back for another 30 seconds. Stir again and if there are still pieces of un-melted chocolate, heat in 15 seconds increments until it’s fully melted. I use a squeeze bottle to fill the silicone molds, you can also use a piping bag or just pour into it and level it off. I also don’t fill the molds completely as its best to have smaller pieces of chocolate. Once the molds are filled, place in the freezer or refrigerator and they will solidify quickly.

Another method is to make a straciatella by slowly pouring the chocolate into the ice cream while it is churning. This will produce small flecks of chocolate dispersed throughout.

For the cherry mix-ins you’ll be using the pieces of cooked cherries and the 1/2 cup of fresh cherries left over. Chop up the fresh cherries into small pieces. This will give you multiple textures and flavors of the fruit in the final ice cream.

Once the ice cream base is fully chilled, churn it in an ice cream maker as per the machine’s instructions. At the end of the churn, add the chocolate chips or pour in the melted (but cooled) chocolate into the machine while its running to create a straciatella effect. Add the pieces of chopped fresh cherries and the cooked cherries. If the machine is too full you can also add the cherries and chocolate chips after its churned and hand mix them in.

Transfer ice cream to a container. You can enjoy it right away as a more soft serve consistency or freeze it for a few hours or overnight for a more scoop-able consistency. Enjoy.