CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM & CHOCOLATE DIPPED BROWNIE CUPS

Those of you who follow this blog know that I support Alzheimer's Idaho (local grassroots organization) and one of the things that I do is to make the dessert for their monthly support group dinner.  The dinner is the last Friday of the month.  Last night they had creamy chocolate ice cream and chocolate dipped brownie cups with whipped cream topping.  Both recipes new to me.

 Let's start with the recipe for the embarrassingly EASY ice cream. Four ingredients - cream, vanilla, chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. I modified the recipe as it was originally a coffee ice cream recipe from the wonderful Nigella Lawson. Her recipe is even more easy as she just puts the ingredients into the mixer and whips it into the wonderful fluffy concoction and puts into containers and freezes until ready to use.  

Nigella's Recipe

Ingredients 

• 300 ml double cream
• 175 grams condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons espresso liqueur

Method

• Whisk all the ingredients together until soft peaks form, and you have a gorgeous, caffe-latte-coloured airy mixture, and then fill 2 x 500ml / 1 x 1-pint airtight containers, and freeze for 6 hours or overnight. Serve straight from the freezer.

The problem for us in the U.S. is that our heavy cream is typically 36% butterfat and has been pasteurized. In the U.K. double cream 48% butterfat and has been heated then cooled and is used to make the creamiest puddings and desserts and may be piped. Double cream may be available in some areas of the U.S. but it is very hard to find.  Below is how I got around this problem and made chocolate instead of coffee ice cream.

Modified Recipe

1 14oz Can sweetened, condensed milk
1 1/4 Cups heavy cream
2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon Vanilla or Vanilla paste 

As you see in the photograph above while whipping the cream, in another bowl combine the remaining ingredients and when the cream has whipped to pretty stiff peaks (don't make butter) pour the other ingredients into the whipped cream to mix, pour into containers and freeze until ready to serve.

The recipe yields (2) pints - I made (4) pints.

 A quick label in Corel Draw and the ice cream is ready for the freezer. Feedback from the girls was that this was the creamiest ice cream they had ever had.  I want to try the coffee recipe and think I will do so the next time I am asked to bring a dessert - so easy.

 Once again I modified a recipe - this time to make it much easier.  These adorable little brownie cups are not hard to make but are a little time consuming so I made mine easier by using a box brownie mix.

 Not just any brownie mix but Trader Joe's Truffle Brownie Baking Mix.  It is made with dutch cocoa and is often at the top of the lists of BEST brownie mix.  I completely understand the frustration of anyone reading this who does not have a Trader Joe's as the first Trader Joe's in Idaho just opened a few months ago.  Amazon understands and they have made some of the most popular Trader Joe's items available on their website - I will post a link below.

 This pan is called a mini-cheesecake pan, if you don't have one of these you can just use a muffin pan, mini (if you want lots of little brownie cups) or a regular size muffin pan if you would like bigger brownie cups.  A word about specialty pans. I admit that over the years I have collected several specialty pans and I often read someone saying not necessary, why would you spend the money for something rarely used, etc. I am polar opposite - if I need a specialty pan well, I'm apt to just get that pan!  This pan was perfect for these brownie cups - one box of mix made 12 mini brownie cups or one pan. Just make your brownie mix according to pkg directions and spray your pan with non-stick spray and bake.  Baking can be a little tricky because the directions on the box will not apply when  you are baking in cups - I found that what worked best was to lower the temp about 25° and increase the baking time. The cups are taller than a brownie and they need to be done.

After the cups were baked and cooled time for the next step, dipping them in chocolate. I took 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (you could use milk chocolate, personal preference) and gently melted them in the microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring after each 20 seconds until melted.  Then using a spoon cover the top of the cups with chocolate and put in the fridge to cool.

 Once the chocolate on top is set you are ready for the final step - pipe some whipped cream on the top and dust with some chocolate sprinkles.  I used a Wilton 2D, large flower tip. The chocolate whipped cream needs to be stiff in order to stand up so here is the recipe I used and it worked great.

*Chocolate Whipped Cream for piping

1 Cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 t Vanilla
2 T fine white sugar
1.5 T Cocoa powder

*If you are only making 12 of these brownie cups cut this recipe in half and you will have plenty.

 Combine all ingredients into your mixing bowl and whisk to combine - because of the chocolate it will not look combined but that is OK.  Put the bowl and your paddle for your mixer in the refrigerator for at least one hour to chill, then mix as usual and pipe onto the brownie cups and add the chocolate sprinkles.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I created the labels in Corel Draw and printed them out on a full sheet label and then cut them out and applied to the ice cream cartons and made a tent out of white card stock and added the brownie cup label to the cardstock. Using the print-pdf button on the side of this page you can print these labels out for your own use.


Resource

Brownie Cup recipe inspiration, The Kitchen Whisperer
Ice cream recipe, Nigella Lawson

Wilton 2D tip, WILTON LG DROP FLOWER TIP#2D 402-2004
Trader Joe's brownie mix, Trader Joe's Brownie Truffle Baking Mix
Mini Cheesecake Pan, Chicago Metallic Mini Cheesecake Pan 12 Cavity, 13.90-Inch by 10.60-Inch (2-Inch by 1.6-Inch Cavities)
Paper Ice Cream Cartons, 25ct White Pint Frozen Dessert Containers
Chocolate sprinkles, grocery store

Thank you for stopping by.