No-Churn Mocha Ice Cream

So, have you made Nigella Lawson's no-churn coffee ice cream? It's ridiculously easy and delicious, and when I discovered how simple it was to make really good ice cream with just a mixer, I was tempted to get rid of my ice cream machine!

To make the no-churn ice cream, you beat heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and flavorings until it's nice and thick, then freeze the ice cream. That's all there is to it! The only thing is that I'm not a big fan of cooking with sweetened condensed milk--there's so much refined sugar in it, and I try to avoid that whenever I can.



So I decided to try making my own sweetened condensed milk using maple syrup, with some guidance from this recipe from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring. The homemade sweetened condensed milk takes a while to make, but your house will smell amazing. You do have to watch it pretty closely but don't have to stir it constantly, so it's a good time to do some cleaning or other tasks around the kitchen. I got a lot of dishes done while I was making it! (Anything that gets me to do more dishes is good, and pretty rare.)

The results are so much more delicious than canned sweetened condensed milk! The maple flavor adds a caramel note to the ice cream that goes perfectly with the chocolate and coffee. In addition to working beautifully in this ice cream, the maple-sweetened condensed milk is amazing in hot or iced coffee.

Of course, you can just make this ice cream with sweetened condensed milk from the store. No judgement here, I promise! Either way, this recipe is a great option for anyone who doesn't have an ice cream machine. You'll be shocked at how great the texture is! It's almost creamier and more scoopable than homemade ice cream made in a machine.

If you really want to go all out, this ice cream makes a wonderful iced coffee float. I recommend chilling the glass first, then adding two or three scoops of ice cream. Pour chilled coffee on top and serve with a straw and a spoon! A mocha ice cream float is the ultimate power drink of summer, in my humble opinion.

Do you have an ice cream machine? Have you ever tried making no-churn ice cream? What's your favorite ice cream flavor of all time? Answer all my ice cream questions in the comments!!

No-Churn Mocha Ice Cream
Yield: About 1 quart (6-8 servings)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: None

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (I use Medaglia D'Oro)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
Pinch of sea salt
1 recipe maple-sweetened condensed milk, cooled (recipe below) or 1 cup store-bought sweetened condensed milk

Beat all ingredients in a stand mixer until nice and thick, almost like a custard or mousse. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze for at least 6 hours. Scoop and enjoy!

Maple-Sweetened Condensed Milk
Yield: About 1 1/4 cups
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients (adapted from Gluten-free On a Shoestring):

1 cup maple syrup
3 cups whole milk
Pinch of sea salt

Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly so the mixture simmers gently. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently and skimming the curds off the top (don't worry about getting every last one, just the larger ones). The sweetened condensed milk is ready when it's nice and thick (when you drag a spoon through, the trail left should remain for a few seconds). Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for up to a week. The condensed milk needs to be at room temperature or cooler when you use it to make ice cream.

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