Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Ice Cream is smooth, rich, and oh so decadent. Here is a recipe for an ice cream that is a bit different than the typical recipe. The hazelnuts are infused in the milk and then discarded, leaving the final texture as smooth and creamy as possible. It is like a lighter version of Nutella that is still rich, creamy, and utterly delicious.
I first ran across this version in David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop for his Gianduja gelato. The idea intrigued me, and I decided to play with it to come up with my own version. The result is a smooth and very creamy ice cream with amazing flavors of hazelnuts and chocolate but nothing overwhelming the other flavors. I will admit I love stuff in my ice cream. Sometimes the more chunks and swirls, the better, but this Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Gelato has a place too. It is so smooth and satisfying, almost like eating the best-frozen pudding you will ever eat. Sometimes smooth is better.
So just what is the difference between gelato and ice cream? Well, technically, the proportion of cream is higher in ice cream, and gelato usually doesn’t have any eggs in it. Gelato shouldn’t have as much air incorporated into it, so it is denser. However, in my research, it seems many recipes for gelato have just as much cream and often have eggs in the recipe, so I think the terms have blurred. This was based on a recipe with more cream and has a bunch of egg yolks in it, so go figure. I ended up calling this recipe Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Ice Cream to be more accurate. I did use the gelato paddle in my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, and the results were perfect.
This is one of those times when a good quality Milk chocolate makes a huge difference, so choose something with at least 30 percent cocoa solids that you would eat on its own. So the flavor will come through in the ice cream. This recipe calls for some glucose syrup. It helps keep the ice cream from forming big ice crystals. Of course, you can substitute more sugar. But I find the texture using the syrup is far superior. You can find a small tub of it here on Amazon. It is inexpensive and keeps forever. I am totally in love with my Cuisinart Ice cream maker. It makes perfect ice cream every time and is so easy to use that I recommend getting one if you can afford it and have the space. But I have had excellent results with my old Kitchen Aide one and even older Cuisinart one that required freezing the insert beforehand. I was tired of always having the insert in my valuable freezer real estate.
Ok, That is all for this week. I hope you are all staying healthy and safe out there. Please think of others in your choices. Together we can get through these crazy times. I hope you make this Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Ice Cream. It is worth the effort for something spectacular and different from the average ice cream. Until next time!
- 2 cups hazelnuts
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 ½ cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup glucose syrup you can substitute ¼ cup more sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 oz milk chocolate finely chopped
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
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If you have an ice cream maker that requires the insert to be frozen, make sure it is in the freezer 24 hours before you are ready to make the ice cream.
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Heat the oven to 350°
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In a shallow pan, roast the hazelnuts until fragrant and toasted, 10-15 minutes.
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Rub the toasted nuts in a kitchen towel to remove as much as possible. Removing all the skin will be impossible, so don’t worry about some with the skin still on.
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Chop the hazelnuts into about the ¼ inch pieces. No need to be precise. This can be done in a food processor or by hand.
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In a medium saucepan, heat the milk with 1 ½ cups of the cream, sugar, glucose syrup, and salt to just below a simmer.
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Take the saucepan off the heat and add the chopped hazelnuts.
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Cover and let seep for an hour.
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While the hazelnuts are seeping:
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In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks to break them up and set them aside.
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Place the chocolate into a large bowl small enough to fit into a larger one for an ice bath.
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Have ice and water ready in the larger bowl for the ice bath.
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Heat the remaining 1 cup of cream to just a simmer.
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Pour the cream over the milk chocolate in the big bowl and let sit for a couple of minutes, then stir until smooth and the chocolate has completely melted. Set the bowl aside.
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When the hour is up, pour the hazelnut-infused milk through a fine mesh strainer into a second saucepan or transfer the milk and nut mixture to a bowl and then strain back into the dirty saucepan. Squeeze the nuts with your hands to extract as much moisture as possible. Take a moment to clean the strainer, as you need it again.
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Rewarm the infused milk mixture to a simmer.
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Slowly pour about a cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks, whisking or constantly stirring to not cook the yolks too fast.
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Add the yolk mixture to the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan.
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Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Be careful as it can go from wonderfully smooth and thick to curdled quickly.
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Pour the cooked custard through the strainer into the bowl with the melted chocolate, stirring well to combine.
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Stir in the vanilla.
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Place the bowl into the bigger bowl with the water and ice and stir occasionally until the mixture has cooled to room temperature or colder. About 20 minutes.
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Cover the mixture and chill in the fridge for several hours or preferably overnight.
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Make the ice cream according to the instructions of your machine.
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Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Gelato can be served right out of the machine or let cure in the freezer for several hours to firm up into scoopable deliciousness!
