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Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Chocolate peanut butter ice cream made with a cooked custard base and a churned, ribboned peanut butter swirl. Deep cocoa flavor with thick peanut butter streaks running through every scoop, finished with a firm freeze for clean slices.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling + freezing (4 hours) 4 minutes
Total Time 39 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ice cream base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 4 oz dark chocolate
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Peanut butter swirl
  • 0.75 cup creamy peanut butter Warm until pourable so it ribbons through the churned ice cream.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker

Method
 

Make the chocolate custard base
  1. Whisk cocoa into the heavy cream and whole milk, then heat until steaming and small bubbles form at the edges.
  2. Add the chopped dark chocolate and whisk until completely melted and smooth, then keep it just steaming.
  3. Whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until pale and slightly thick, about 1 minute.
  4. Slowly whisk the hot chocolate cream into the egg yolk mixture to temper it, keeping the whisk moving.
  5. Return everything to a saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175°F.
  6. Strain the custard into a clean bowl, then whisk in the vanilla extract and salt.
  7. Cool the custard completely, then refrigerate at least 4 hours until very cold.
Churn and swirl with peanut butter
  1. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions until thick and scoopable.
  2. Layer the churned ice cream into a container, drizzling warm peanut butter between each layer.
  3. Swirl the peanut butter through the ice cream with a knife to create ribbon streaks.
  4. Freeze at least 2 hours until firm, then serve.

Notes

Pro tip: strain the custard after cooking to keep the chocolate base extra silky, and cool it fully before chilling so it thickens evenly. Refrigerate the custard base up to 3 days before churning; the finished ice cream keeps 2-3 weeks in the freezer (freezer yes). For a dairy-light swap, use half-and-half instead of the heavy cream, but expect a softer texture and less rich mouthfeel.