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Fresh Cherry Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate
Churn up a batch of our homemade fresh Cherry Ice Cream with dark chocolate!
Hey cherry lovers! This recipe is for you, and me too of course. I’m a cherry lover from way back. This week we’re focusing on cherry recipes and to get started I’ve revived an old post you might have missed. We’ve got new photos, new taste testers, and a brand new bottle of Kirsch.
Fresh cherries soaked in cherry brandy folded into an eggless ice cream filled with more fresh cherries, then blended with dark chocolate. What more is there to discuss? This stuff is cherry-licious.
Adding small amounts of liquor to eggless ice cream helps create a softer, scoop-able consistency.
Custard style ice creams made with egg yolks don’t freeze as hard as eggless ice cream recipes. Adding just a touch of liquor like this cherry brandy not only adds a delicious punch of flavor, it helps create a better scoop-able consistency.
If you don’t generally imbibe or prefer not to buy a whole bottle of Kirsch, it’s all good. This recipe will be fine without it.
However if you do enjoy a little brandy from time to time, this French cherry brandy is wonderful served cold. It’s also terrific added to recipes like this ice cream, or Black Forest Cake and Cherries Jubilee.
Check out this article by cookbook author David Lebovitz for more about Kirsch. HINT: Well chilled and stored in a dark location, Kirsch will keep for a year or two!
Overview of ingredients:
- fresh cherries, pits removed, chopped and divided
- Kirsch – cherry brandy
- whole milk
- heavy cream
- granulated sugar
- salt
- vanilla extract
- good quality dark chocolate, chopped or dark chocolate chips, rough chopped
How to make cherry ice cream:
1. Macerate part of the cherries
Place 1/2 cup of cherries in a small bowl. Add the Kirsch, cover and refrigerate until needed. The cherries and brandy are going to make this incredible, flavorful cherry juice 🙂
2. Steep the remaining cherries on the stove-top
Combine the remaining chopped cherries, milk, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat until the mixture starts to boil. Remove from the heat, cover and steep for 30 minutes.
3. Puree the milk and cherry mixture
Using a stick or immersion blender, process the cherry and milk mixture until pureed. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of cream. Pour the ice cream base into a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
4. Make the ice cream!
Add the vanilla and Kirsch soaked cherries to the pureed milk and cherry mixture. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
When also frozen, add the chopped chocolate and process until distributed.
Transfer to a freezer safe container with a lid. Freeze for several hours or overnight for a firm consistency.
Serve and enjoy!
Cherries and chocolate are the perfect match.
There are two full cups of fresh cherries in this ice cream recipe so the consistency is slightly different than a dairy only recipe. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Along with the pureed cherries, there are chunks of chopped cherries and chopped dark chocolate. You can use dark chocolate chips, as I have done here, or chop good quality chocolate bars.
We prefer dark chocolate in this recipe, but semisweet or bittersweet are both good too. If using chocolate chips I recommend giving them a rough chop, or if you can find dark chocolate mini-chips, they’re perfect!
Fresh cherries are the base for this luscious, eggless ice cream.
Don’t skimp on the cherries in this recipe! Some of the cherries are steeped in hot milk and sugar for 30 minutes before being pureed and added to the base.
Another 1/2 cup of diced cherries are soaked overnight in cherry brandy then added to the mixture before churning. This is a full-on cherry flavored frozen treat you’ll remember long after you’ve taken the last bite. Enjoy!
During summer, it’s hard to beat a nice cold scoop of homemade ice cream
Now days it almost feels like cheating because homemade ice cream is so easy to make. When I was young, somebody (usually the kids) had to hand churn the ice cream maker while Dad added salt and ice to the tub.
In later years we graduated to an electric ice cream maker, but you still had to add salt and ice.
Now all you have to do it mix it up, pour it in and turn it on! Amazing! Check out the link at the bottom of this post for information about our favorite ice cream maker.
Thanks for PINNING!
Cherry Ice Cream with dark chocolate
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherries pitted, chopped, divided
- 2 tablespoons Kirsch (cherry brandy)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream, divided
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup good quality dark chocolate, chopped, or dark chocolate chips, rough chopped
Instructions
- Place ½ cup of the chopped cherries in a small bowl. Add the Kirsch, cover and refrigerate until time to make the ice cream.
- In a medium saucepan combine the remaining 1 ½ cups chopped cherries, milk, ¼ cup heavy cream, sugar and salt. Heat on medium/low until the mixture just begins to boil. Turn off the heat, cover and steep for 30 minutes.
- Puree the milk and cherry mixture with a stick/immersion blender or regular blender. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of cream. Pour the mixture into a container, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- When ready to make the ice cream, stir in the vanilla and the Kirsch soaked cherries. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. When the ice cream is almost finished, add the chopped chocolate and process until distributed. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container with a lid. Freeze for several hours or overnight for a firmer consistency.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Here are a few more ice cream recipes you might enjoy!
What a treat! Chocolate Chocolate Chunk-Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream made with a luscious and rich chocolate ice cream, chunks of semi-sweet chocolate and a tart raspberry swirl.
Rocky Road Ice Cream – A rich, smooth chocolaty bowl of deliciousness blended with fluffy mini-marshmallows and chopped roasted almonds. A great treat with terrific textures and flavor.
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream – don’t let summer pass you by without making this luscious, rich vanilla ice cream with ribbons of fresh strawberry sauce and crushed shortbread cookies throughout.
Froggy
Hi! My son and I were making this today with cherries from our tree! We have way too many!
Anyway, when we mixed all the ingredients in the pan and started warming them up it all curdled! Is this normal? It was boiling or anything…
Any advise?
Thanks!
Froggy
I mean it wasn’t boiling! Sorry about the typo!
Tricia Buice
Hi Froggy. No it normally does not curdle. Sounds like it was over-heated but not sure how if it didn’t boil. I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the recipe. Perhaps next time omit the heavy cream and add it later. Again sorry you had trouble. Having fresh cherries from a tree in your yard must be amazing!
Any Nadeau
Acid curdles dairy.. the brandy curdled the dairy.. add the brandy at the very end
Tricia Buice
Thanks for commenting. Our recipe does just that – adds the brandy at the end.
Eliza
Any way to make this without an ice cream maker??
Tricia Buice
Hi Eliza. I haven’t made this into a no churn ice cream. However, if you follow the directions for a no-churn vanilla ice cream and add cherries and dark chocolate, you’ll get close! Enjoy
mimi rippee
oh boy. Now I want ice cream. This is one of my favorite flavor combinations, and I am really enjoying cherry season right now. I love that you marinated them a bit in the kirsch!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Mimi – the Kirsch soaked cherries really add that pop of deliciousness. So yummy! Thanks for stopping by!
handmade by amalia
This looks almost too amazing to eat. Almost.
Amalia
xo
Tricia Buice
Haha – thanks Amalia!
Chris Scheuer
Your new photos are spectacular, Tricia! I want to run to the store, get cherries and pull out the ice cream maker. This is a heavenly dessert for summer!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Chris. Ice cream inspires me – haha – usually to eat too much!
Pam
You got me at cherry and then again at ice cream! It looks very delicious, Tricia!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Pam – great to hear from you. Hope you’re having a terrific summer.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I spotted the first cherries at the market this week, so I’ll be making this one! Cherry and chocolate are always a winning combination 🙂
Tricia Buice
Yes indeed – thanks Jennifer!
angiesrecipes
That looks heavenly! Can’t wait for the cherry season arrive here.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Angie – I was so thrilled when I saw cherries in the market. Love these little fruits!
sue
Delish! I’ve got a bag of beautiful cherries and I’ve been trying to decide what to make with them, and then this popped up, thanks!!
Tricia Buice
Can’t wait to see what you make with the cherries Sue. Enjoy 🙂
Cake Duchess
Love your cherry ice-cream. I've been enjoying baking with cherries these last couple of weeks. Wouldn't mind a scoop of your ice-cream tonight:)
Blond Duck
What a delicious summer combo!
Kari Lindsay
LOVE the ice cream, my favorite blizzard is choco-cherry-love, they add cherry topping and the dipping chocolate (which hardens into yummy chocolate bites) into the soft serve. Your ice cream like the grown up
Mary
Tricia, this sounds so refreshing. I love its color and it is really a perfect summer treat. I really enjoyed my visit here. I like your blog. Have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Angie's Recipes
How gorgeous these ice cream look! Chocolate and cherry are such a killer combo!
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow
Ha! If they had cooking wonderful food as an event in the Olympics, you'd be there!!! 😉 blessings ~ tanna
Jessica | Cajunlicious
Tricia this looks so satisfying! I had some diet cherry coke over the weekend this combined with that would make a killer float!
Chatty Crone
Those look good – I have never made ice cream before. Sandie
Tricia
Hey Sandie – be careful if you start making ice cream – you won't want to stop! Way to easy and delicious. I didn't know they were doing karate – can't wait to see that! Have a great week.
Sue/the view from great island
I'm amazed that the ice cream took on that beautiful color from the chopped cherries! I'm very impressed with this! My favorite all time flavor was/is Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, which sounds a lot like yours.
Tricia
Hi Sue – soaking the cherries in warm milk and cream, then blending gives it that lovely pink color. Such fun when things turn out good. Have a great week!
The Slow Roasted Italian
OK, not sure if you will get this twice. I know I was just here and left a comment, but hmmmm… Not here.<br /><br />Anyway, your ice cream looks amazing. Spoon?
Tricia
Well Donna you can post as many comments as you want! 2, 3 I don't mind! I have an extra spoon when you're ready. I don't know why we haven't had more visitors being so close to DC, with an extra room for guests, etc. Come see us!
Mary
Morning, Tricia! This looks sooooooo delicious! I adore chocolate and cherries, so this is a given for me. Of course, I might be guilty of drizzling some dark chocolate sauce right over the top as well. Tell me again why we can't be neighbors? Oh, that's right, I'm so stalker-like it would scare you. 😉
Tricia
Mary – I thought about putting chocolate syrup on top too. It was hard but I was strong! I wish we were neighbors too – we could have such fun sharing and taste testing!