Confession: I’m not a coffee fan. Believe me, I’ve tried it black and loaded with sugar, I’ve sipped on lattes and bad espresso but I just don’t get down with it unless it’s in my mocha ice cream. This stuff is enough to make anyone a believer. I mix coffee and chocolate together in my custard that freezes up super creamy! I toss in some crushed Oreos for texture, and it’s next level.
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How to Make Mocha Ice Cream
Step 1: Make the Ice Cream Base
- Add the sugar, cocoa powder, and instant coffee to the bowl of whisked eggs and egg yolks.
- Whisk the mixture together until it is well mixed.
- Add the heavy cream and half and half to a large pot and heat to a boil.
- Remove the hot milk from the heat.
- Slowly add three tablespoons of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture to temper it and whisk together to combine. Then slowly add in the rest of the milk mixture and continue whisk the entire time to make sure it doesn’t scramble. Cover with plastic and place the mixture in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to chill completely.
- Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and stir in the vanilla extract.
Step 2: Make the Chocolate Sauce:
- Add the sugar and cocoa powder to a small saucepan.
- Whisk in the corn syrup and milk and heat over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat to a low simmer once it boils, and add the butter and vanilla extract.
- Whisk until smooth then set aside to completely cool.
Step 3: Freeze the Ice Cream and Assemble
- Add the ice cream base mixture to an ice cream maker.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and freeze until it gets to the soft serve stage.
- Spread a layer of ice cream in a freezer-safe container, top with chocolate sauce, then with crumbled cookies.
- Repeat making layers until all the ingredients are gone. Freeze it.
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Mocha Ice Cream Recipe
This mocha ice cream is smooth, rich and creamy and filled with a fudgy swirl and crushed cookies! A homemade ice cream you can enjoy all summer long.
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Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Ice Cream:
- 3 large large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 crushed cookies and cream
Instructions
- Whisk eggs and egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Next add sugar, cocoa powder, and instant coffee to the bowl and whisk together.
- Add heavy cream and half and half to a large saucepan and heat gently; do not let come to a boil.
- Temper eggs by slowly pour 1 cup of hot heavy cream mixture into egg mixture while whisking quickly. This will raise the temperature of the eggs carefully without scrambling them. Then while stirring, pour the tempered egg mixture slowly into the remaining heavy cream mixture in the saucepan.
- Gently heat ice cream base over medium low heat, stirring constantly (especially the corners of the pot), until thickened and reaches 170F on a digital thermometer. The mixture should look silky and coat the back of a spoon so when you run your finger through it, it doesn’t come back together.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve (to catch any cooked egg pieces) and chill in an ice bath (a bowl set inside of a bowl of ice water) until it’s cooled to room temperature. Then cover with plastic wrap and move into the refrigerator until completely cold, about 2-3 hours.
For the Chocolate Sauce:
- Add sugar and cocoa powder to a small saucer then whisk in corn syrup and milk and heat over medium heat.
- Once everything comes to a boil, reduce heat to low to simmer.
- Add butter and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth then set aside to completely cool.
To assemble:
- Add your mixture to an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and freeze until it gets to soft serve stage.
- Alternate layering ice cream, chocolate sauce and crumbled cookies to freezer safe container until all ingredients are gone and freeze.
Notes
How to Store
Transfer the ice cream into an airtight, freezer-safe container and smooth the top. Seal it tightly and stash it in the coldest part of your freezer. When you are ready to serve, allow it to sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes to soften up before scooping it up and serving it. Store it in the coldest part of your freeze to keep it fresh and scoopable for up to 2 months! However, I have to say in all honesty that the ice cream doesn’t taste as fantastic when being stored that long. It’s best to enjoy it freshly made and within a week or so of making it!Nutrition
Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 223mg | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 261mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 1295IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 1.5mg
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Recipe Tips
- Give It Some Time. Let your ice cream set up a while in the freezer before serving it. Usually an hour or so will do the trick.
- Don’t Swap the Dairy. Use full-fat dairy gives the best flavor and texture.
- Refer to Your Ice Cream Maker’s Instructions. They will all freeze at slightly different times so the best bet is to check them for the length of time it takes to freeze your ice cream.
- Temper the Egg Mixture. By adding it slowly you prevent the eggs from curdling or scrambling when adding the heated milk.
- Plan Ahead. There are multiple steps in this recipe and periods of time for cooling. You can’t rush things along if you want your ice cream to freeze properly. Make the chocolate sauce while the ice cream mixture is in the fridge so it has time to cool down to add to your ice cream.
Serving Suggestions
- Ice Cream Sundae: Serve it up as an ice cream sundae or banana split with homemade whipped cream, caramel sauce, and all your favorite ice cream toppings!
- Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches: Spread it in between two brown butter chocolate chip cookies or use it to make these brownie ice cream sandwiches.
Recipe Help
Can I make this ice cream without an ice cream maker?
Unfortunately, this particular recipe needs to be made with an ice cream maker. If you’re looking for a no-churn ice cream I highly recommend my strawberry cheesecake ice cream or banana pudding ice cream.
How many layers of ice cream is best?
In order to get the marbled chocolate and cookie ribbons throughout the ice cream try to aim for 3-4 layers of ice cream separated with the cookies and sauce.
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Girl, maybe it’s a good thing that you never got into coffee. . I can’t live without the stuff. love it. and yes, chocolate + coffee in ice cream or cakes!!! YES!!! love this one. . has my name written all over it. I want a scoop now!
I wish I could send you a scoop because this ice cream is bananas good.
It looks so perfectly creamy and rich. That scoop is ice cream shop worthy! You hit this one out of the park Jocelyn, especially considering my heart belongs to coffee … this could be dangerous 🙂
Oh girl if you adore coffee, you are seriously in trouble with this one!
I don’t drink coffee either. I’m not a huge fan of the flavor, but I actually love espresso and mocha flavored desserts. I’ve always been a huge fan of mocha ice cream and the fudge swirl makes it that much better!
Ashley I love people like us that aren’t fans of coffee but adore mocha flavored desserts. We are in a category all our own.
This looks so good! Love mocha flavored ice creams!
Thanks so much Jessica! I love all the mocha fans out there!
Yum! This looks so creamy and delicious. I wish I had a bowl right now 🙂
Thanks so much Ashley!
I’m a big coffee lover, so I’m definitely on board with this! I know several people that don’t like coffee but enjoy coffee ice cream…inexplicable! I have 3 egg yolks in the fridge, so I think I need to get down and make some of this today!
Well you definitely need to try this then! Oh yeah!
Seriously the best ice cream EVER!!
Thanks so much my doll!
Oh, this looks so luscious!! My favorite drink is a mocha frappucino so you know I want this! That chocolate swirl with cookies inside – love it! My son would be a big fan, too. I didn’t love coffee for a long time but it grows on you, I think. This ice cream would make anyone a coffee lover!
Yep Monica, the cookies and chocolate swirl really take this over the edge. My husband and I were eating it out of the ice cream bowl it was so delish!
Yum!! This is totally my kind of ice cream!
Girl I totally know what you mean!
I’m not a big coffee fan either but drink it in fancy drinks and ice cream!! This is major goodness right here. Mocha swirl?? Yes please!!