Do you remember my Salted Pecan Bark from a few weeks ago? It was SO good, but even I can get too much of a good thing. So to change things up a bit, I converted the bark recipe into a chocolate ice cream recipe. Oh my! Another big mistake! Bobby kept telling me that I had to make one more batch before he was sure that the recipe was perfect. 🙂 As a result I’ve made four batches of this chocolate ice cream in the past 2 weeks! He finished off the fourth batch last night and asked “More please?”.
One of the ingredients that separates it from other chocolate ice creams is the use of an 80% dark chocolate bar. This adds just a bit of a tart bite to the ice cream buried within the sweetness of semi-sweet chocolate and the maple syrup. And speaking of maple syrup, this adds another flavor that one can’t get from plain sugar. It’s these two ingredients – 80% cocoa and maple syrup – that make this ice stand out above other chocolate ice creams. I trust that you will enjoy it as much as we do.
- 1.5 – 2 ounces dark chocolate (80% cocoa)
- Heaping ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup milk (2% or whole milk)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ tsp. plus a pinch sea salt
- Add the chocolate and maple syrup to a pan over a pot of boiling water (a double boiler).
- As the chocolate melts, stir to combine the syrup and chocolate. Keep stirring until all of the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Slowly add the cream, stirring and combining with the chocolate as you go. Add the milk and stir.
- Once all of these ingredients are well combined, stir in the pecans and sea salt.
Let cool, then place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Freeze in ice cream maker once the mixture is cold.
- You can also make the ice cream in the morning, then churn it that night. Since my ice cream maker is ancient, it works best if both the blue ice insert and the ice cream mixture is frozen and chilled overnight, respectively.
Let’s talk about those 4 batches:
Batch 1 – This first batch was absolutely delicious BUT…one serving provided my calorie and salt intake for the week. It was extremely creamy and rich, more like a mousse, but a little too salty. Here’s the recipe: 1 cup milk chocolate morsels, 2 ounces of dark chocolate, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 cup half and half, 1/4 cup pecans, 1/2 tsp. sea salt. So if you want an ice cream that is very rich and creamy and you can handle the calories, this is it. Just be sure to decrease the salt to at least 1/4 tsp. sea salt.
Batch 2 – Went in the opposite direction and exchanged out the half and half with 1% milk, decreased the morsels to 1/2 cup and the salt to 1/4 tsp. Better, but a little TOO far in the opposite direction.
Batch 3 & 4 – Changed the milk chocolate morsels to semi-sweet and used 2% milk. Perfect!
Microwave or double broiler – According to a comment from the Salted Pecan Bark post, a microwave works just as well as a double broiler to melt the chocolate. So if you don’t want to use the stovetop, try the microwave.
Ice cream is a wonderful way to cool off on a hot summer day. It’s hard to beat. So if you like ice cream, then you’re going to love these other ice creams as well. Enjoy!
Here’s an ice cream that will knock your socks off! Oreo Ice Cream @ This Skinny Chick Can Bake
Pingback: Purple Yam Ice Cream Recipe | MJ's Kitchen
an interesting combination and very delicious one, everybody gonna love this salted pecan ice cream, even if they on a diet 😀
Finally got around to making this. Thoroughly enjoyed it! This is a keeper.
Pingback: Peach Pecan Ice Cream | MJ's Kitchen
Wow, this is so easy to make and sounds so perfect, MJ! I love the combination of chocolate with salty nuts – and pecans sound so good. This is a perfect frozen summer treat for sure. I’m fascinated with the use of the maple syrup which I’ve never tried to use with ice cream before…
Thanks for the recipe. It seems like such a wonderful taste to try. Nice post.
Thanks!!
Salt and chocolate – fantastic. Thanks for joining in the Food on Friday fun. Cheers
I saw this recipe in a link up party and had to check it out. It surely looks delicious. Great work!
Yepp-there’s such a thing as eggless ice cream 🙂 This looks declicious-I love the idea of pairing dark chocolate with salted pecans, sweet & salty 🙂
YUM YUM YUUUMMM! I wish it was summer here, so I’d have an excuse to make this… Because it definitely looks edible no matter what season it is! 😀
This looks wonderful. Thank you for sharing it.
My husband and son love it when I’m recipe testing too! Your salted pecan chocolate ice cream sounds divine. I was so interested to read about the variations you tried before you got the one that was just right.
This sounds amazing! I’m not normally one to choose Chocolate Ice Cream, although I love all things chocolate, but the addition of pecans and sea salt makes me want to try this one. It’s still ice cream without the eggs; it’s just Philadelphia style ice cream rather than French style. 😉
Great post. I found a swiss chocolate called a taste of salt recently and it was just yummy
I found you via Whole Food Wednesday. I linked in a post about spicy mince lettuce cups. Have a great week.
Wow, this looks perfect — I don’t blame your family for wanting more!!
Sounds so refreshing and delicious. Great pictures. Thank you!
Oh my, how I would love to be your taste tester….I may have asked for just a few more batches….you know, just to be sure 😉 Simply delightful!
So my ice cream maker just came in the mail…and this looks like the perfect recipe to christen it! Bookmarked and ready to go.
Just hopped over from Gallery of Favorites. Your recipe sounds delicious and I’ll have to try it — I’ve been making dairy free ‘ice cream’ and it’s definitely not ‘ice cream’. For me as long as there is cream in the recipe I consider it ‘ice cream’.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe,
Joanne
That ,might just be the perfect ice cream flavor! No wonder you’ve made it 4 times already! I’m quite the sucker for chocolates with something a little salty to balance it out.
Butter pecan ice cream has always been my choice on ice cream. Now I think I might have a new favorite.
Ice cream is not one of my fav treat but there are very few type that I love. One being chocolate and another with pecan in it 🙂
Oh MY….This looks incredible!!!
Chocolate plus maple plus pecans plus sea salt? This is just too perfect for words! And I think the photos say it all – I’m completely starving now! 🙂
MJ, how rich and creamy this ice cream looks. I wish I had an ice cream maker to whip some up. I have tried without one and it just doesn’t get it, LOL. I see pecans in that bowl, yum.
MJ, I have no doubt that you went through 4 batches in 2 weeks! hahaha it sounds ridiculously good. I just has salted caramel and ice cream over the weekend and it was insane. The added chocolate will make this quite the treat!
This looks amazing! I am craving ice cream now.
Yum, MJ. Personally, I’m a big fan of salty icecream flavors. This is a very elegant combination of flavors and just the perfect treat to end a summer barbecue. Very alluring!
this is so tempting!! something that my daughter and my nieces will love!
This ice cream must be absolutely delicious! Thank you for your perseverance in testing – so much experimentation for a perfect ice cream recipe 🙂 If you are looking for volunteers to participate in future testing – I’m in!
And I did not know that by definition ice cream was supposed to have eggs. I think ice cream that I made did not…
LOL. Bobby and I can relate. I’d be asking for 5th batch just to make sure everything is okay…. double and triple check! I always enjoy reading your Tips and I enjoyed even more for today’s post reading about the adventure with this recipe. Looks so delicious!!!! I have to make ice cream with cherry after this green tea ice cream batch is over. I have to try yours after that!!!
Thanks Nami! You just reminded me that I wanted to make a green tea ice cream! Need to check out your site for the recipe! Thanks for the reminder. Green tea ice cream is one of my favorites!
I love chocolate and salted nuts. This combo is calling me! Now I will patiently wait for summer!
How funny about making 4 batches in two weeks!! It does look and sound sooooo good!! Thanks for sharing.
I am sure this sea salt is going to do wonders to this ice cream. The way you combined the ingredients to create this icecream is praiseworthy and I am drooling already! Put in one word, this is simply “awesome”!!
I enjoyed reading about the recipe iterations – always fun to learn more about recipe development. That first batch sounds awfully good, though! And I have some pecans in the freezer that I was planning on turning into a savory snack, but I might have to steal just a few for this! Good recipe, great photos – thanks.
Thanks KR! There’s not a thing wrong with Batch 1! When I really feel l like splurging and not worrying about the calories, I will make it again! That’s one reason why I didn’t overwrite it. It was TOO good!
Great photos and love this fantastic treat!
Oooh, this looks sooo good! Mmmmm, I love homemade ice cream! I’m definitely putting this recipe in my bookmarkers. 🙂
I love adding salt to ice creams as well it adds a nice contrasting flavour to the sweetness of it, love this one
This ice cream reminds me of pecan pie for some reason 😀
Delish!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I’ve made ice cream with and without eggs – and in my book it’s still great ice cream. This looks just delicious!!
I am adding this to my pinterest board… yum.
Oh my gosh! Delish! I love that it doesn’t have eggs in it, sounds soooo good!
Oh my goodness…. can I please have that!
Mmmmmmmmm….what gorgeous ice cream! I’d have to make it nut free for my picky family, but I really, really want a bowl of yours as is 🙂
I’m still dreamng of that bark but. converting it into a ice cream ~ dreamy!!
Another gorgeous ice-cream! I think tomorrow will be my Italian ice-cream shop day 😉 Your creations tempt me too much. I love sweet and salty combination too.
Why oh why do we crave sweet, salty things so much? One of the great mysteries of life. I want to curl up on my couch with a blanket and a bowl of this goodness. Yum!
I don’t know, but I LOVE sweet and salty!!!! Thanks Valerie!
Love the salted pecans and chocolate combo!!Awesome flavors and sure looks like a winner!I HAVE to get an ice-cream maker fast 🙂
So creamy, so delicious! Love the combination of salted pecans and chocolate morsels! 🙂
I’m so hungry for this right now. I had promised myself a week without ice cream but I’m weakening fast.
Aw, I don’t know – batch one sounds amazing by your description… frozen chocolate mousse… mmmmm 😀 I’ve never made my own ice-cream before. Really want an ice-cream maker but I just have no space for it… sigh 🙁
Thanks Charles! Batch 1 was AMAZING, but since I had the feeling we would be eating A LOT of this ice cream combo, I had to come up with something that didn’t totally destroy my never ending diet! 🙂
MJ, this looks awesome! I love desserts that have just a hair of salt in them to temper the sweet.
Sounds so delicious! Beautiful photo too!
Bobby sounds just like my husband. He tells the kids that he has to try their desserts to make sure they aren’t poisoned! This looks fabulous.
Very smooth and creamy!
Ah, the perfect warm weather parallel to your delicious bark (I sure do remember!). I don’t have an ice cream maker but no matter. I think I can still whip this up with yogurt or use a quality vanilla ice cream as the base for these ingredients. Looks fabulously refreshing and moreish MJ! (love the melting chocolate ;-)).
Thanks Kelly! I love the idea of whipping it up with some yogurt! Bet that WOULD be good!
I would lick the bowl clean!! What a perfect combination of salty and sweet!! Have a great weekend!! stay cool. 🙂