Though it has been a long time since we posted, do not fear! We have still been making lots of ice cream. We’ve just been bad at posting recipes. With a resolution to do better, we wanted to start with our first flavor in what we are calling our “Summer Series”! When thinking about flavors of summer, one of the first things that came to our mind was zucchini. While zucchini ice cream sounded disgusting, zucchini bread ice cream sounded amazing! Turns out…it is amazing!
It is a zucchini bread base (complete with zucchini, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and some malt) with pieces of soft, dreamy zucchini bread and chocolate chunks. If zucchini bread is your jam, then this will be your bread and butter!
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
There’s a vegetable in it, so it’s a health food…right?
Ingredients
1 lb zucchini
3 Tbs butter
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup (minus 2 tsp) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (minus 1 tsp) powdered milk
1 Tbs malted milk powder or Ovaltine
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
- Soaked Zucchini Bread
2 thick slices of your favorite zucchini bread (we like this one)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
- Chocolate Chunks
1/2 cup chocolate chips (we like bittersweet)
1 tsp avocado or coconut oil
Directions
- For the Zucchini Bread Base
- (Tip: Prep your zucchini bread pieces before you make your base to give them time to freeze)! Grate the zucchini and squeeze as much liquid out as you can. This is really important! You want to get out all of the liquid possible to keep the ice cream from getting too icy!
- Cook the zucchini with the butter and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini has cooked way down in volume and the edges start to turn a little brown. Again, do not undercook or you will add unwanted liquid to your ice cream!
- Remove from the heat. Add the heavy cream, milk, egg yolks, sugar, powdered milk, malted milk, and spices to the sauce pan. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, with no chunks remaining.
- Heat over medium low heat until the base reaches a temperature of 162 degrees. Keep the base on a low heat and stir constantly, allowing the base to reduce for about 10 minutes.
- Add base to a plastic gallon bag, and put in a prepared ice bath until cooled (about 15-20 minutes). While it cools, prep your chocolate chunks.
- Add the prepared base to the ice cream maker. Make in your ice cream maker based on the maker’s instructions.
- During the last minute in the machine, add the chocolate chunks to your ice cream. (Do not add the zucchini bread yet, or it will crumble in the ice cream and dissolve into the base).
- When the ice cream is ready to come out, add a layer of the ice cream followed by a layer of zucchini bread chunks. Repeat the layers until all of your ice cream is in your desired container.
- Move to the freezer until hardened (at least 4 hours).
- Zucchini bread chunks
- Bake your favorite zucchini bread and allow it to cool completely before slicing it.
- Cut off two thick slices of zucchini bread. Take those, and cut them into chunks about the size of a dime (or maybe a little smaller).
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Lay the zucchini bread chunks in a single layer and bake for about 10 minutes. (You are not looking for them to get crunchy or anything. You are just aiming to take some of the moisture out so that they don’t freeze icy).
- Allow the bread to cool for a minute. While it cools, add sugar and water to a saucepan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. (This can also be done in the microwave using a microwave safe bowl). This will make a simple syrup.
- Pour the syrup over the bread chunks, stirring to make sure they are totally coated.
- Move the coated bread pieces to another cookie sheet or plate lined with parchment paper and move to the freezer. Allow them to freeze for at least on hour before you add them to the ice cream!
- Chocolate Chunks
- Add the chocolate chips and avocado (or coconut oil) into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between to help prevent burning it.
- Spread the chocolate into a thin layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Move to the freezer and allow to harden. (These will harden pretty fast).
- Right before it is time to add the chocolate chunks to your ice cream, remove the cookie sheet from the freezer and chop the chocolate into small pieces. Add them back into the freezer for a minute before adding them to the ice cream. They melt fast so be quick!