Every once in a while, if we have had a long day or just are really in the mood for something special, we order dessert to our house. One of our favorite desserts to order is cheesecake. At the Cheesecake factory, we often order the Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch cheesecake. Well, it was about time that we turn it into ice cream!
We began, as great cheesecakes do, with a great crust. We really wanted the hazelnut flavor and texture to come through, so we simply pulverized hazelnuts, added in melted butter, and baked it. For the ice creams we simply made a nutella chocolate base and a cream cheese base. When we put all of the elements together, the result was insane! So creamy, perfect flavor, and a great nutty texture. We will definitely be making this one again!
Nutella Cheesecake
We’re nutty for this one!
Ingredients
- Nutella Base
1 cup whole milk
4 oz bittersweet chocolate
3 heaping spoonfuls of Nutella (this can be done to taste)
1 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Dash salt
- Cream Cheese Base
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 ounces cream cheese
- Hazelnut Crust
1/2 pound hazelnuts
3 Tbs butter
Directions
- Hazelnut Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Add the hazelnuts to a food processor and turn it on. Run it until the nuts are in pretty fine chunks.
- Melt the butter. Slowly add the butter to the food processor and pulse a few times until the crust is uniform and starts to stick together.
- Flatten the crust in an even thin layer on a baking sheet. Cook for about 10 min, until the edges start to turn golden. Allow them to completely cool while you make the ice creams.
- Nutella Base
- Melt the 4 oz chocolate in a double broiler. Once completely melted, slowly add the 1 cup whole milk in small amounts, whisking each time you add cream until color is uniform. Add the Nutella and whisk until it is all melted in. Set it aside while you make the rest of the ice cream base.
- Heat the 1 cup heavy whipping cream on low in a medium saucepan until it reaches 140° F, stirring occasionally. While the custard heats, using an electric mixer to whisk the 2 large eggs in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- While the cream is still heating, slowly add the 1 cup sugar into the eggs, whisking thoroughly to make sure the mixture doesn’t become grainy.
After the cream reaches the target temperature, gradually pour it into the egg and sugar mixture, again whisking each time the cream is added to avoid cooking the eggs. - Pour the entire mixture back into the medium saucepan and heat it to 170° F.
- Now pour the mixture back into the mixing bowl and add the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and the dash of salt. Add the chocolate mix and whisk until combined and uniform.
- Cover and chill for 1 hour or up to 3 hours.
- When ready, make in your ice cream maker based on the maker’s instructions.
- Move the ice cream into a temporary container while you wait for the cream cheese ice cream to run through the ice cream maker.
- Cream Cheese Base
- Heat the 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 1 cup milk on low in a medium saucepan until it reaches 140° F, stirring occasionally. While the custard heats, using an electric mixer to whisk the 2 large eggs in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- While the cream is still heating, slowly add the 3/4 cup sugar into the eggs, whisking thoroughly to make sure the mixture doesn’t become grainy.
- After the cream reaches the target temperature, gradually pour it into the egg and sugar mixture, again whisking each time the cream is added to avoid cooking the eggs.
- Pour the entire mixture back into the medium saucepan and heat it to 170° F. Add the cream cheese at this point and whisk/blend until no chunks remain (we use an immersion blender for this).
- Pour the mixture back into the mixing bowl. Cover and chill for 1 hour or up to 3 hours.
- When ready, make in your ice cream maker based on the maker’s instructions.
- Layering the Ice Cream
- Add a layer of cream cheese ice cream to the container of your choice. Sprinkle small, crumbled pieces of hazelnut crust on top. Then, add a layer of chocolate and, again, top it with the crust.
- Keep repeating these layers (adding bits of crust in between each flavor) until you have reached the top of your container. I sprinkled a little bit of crust on top as well.
- Place your ice cream in the freezer until hardened (usually at least 4 hours).
