#03 - Vodka Ice-Cream with Chocolate Chips / Chocolate Ice-Cream with Vodka and Walnuts

Remember the recipe on Homemade Double Chocolate Chips Ice-Cream which I have posted couple of days ago? It was a really nice first experience for me in making homemade ice-cream without an ice-cream machine. It's like a dream come true for a little girl, to be able to make (endless supply of) ice-cream at the comfort of her own house! However, I have to be very honest to say that the texture of the ice-cream wasn't exactly what we hoped it will be. We had wanted the ice-cream to be a little more soft and a little more creamy. With that thought, it led us to our small adventure yesterday.

After doing some reading up online, we come to know that adding a little alcohol will help to prevent the ice-cream from over-freezing and at the same time, we wanted to bring down the sweetness of the dessert by a little bit. Hence, we end up replacing the sweetened condensed milk with evaporated milk instead. With that, we also decided to do some variations in the flavour and TADAH!! We have the Vodka Ice-Cream with Chocolate Chips / Chocolate Ice-Cream with Vodka & Walnuts for you.

Mind you, the taste of vodka was heavenly. I am not much of a drinker but I must admit that on a bright hot afternoon, this Vodka Ice-Cream really provides the cooling effect which I definitely need!

******************

Servings
Make approximately 1 litre.


Ingredients
Chocolate chips               : 1/2 cup each (dark & white chocolate chips)
Cocoa powder                 : 2 tbs (for the chocolate ice-cream)
Evaporated milk               : 100 ml
Icing sugar                       : 80 g
Vanilla extract                  : 2 tsp
Vodka                              : 3 tbs
Walnuts                            : 1/2 cup
Whipping cream               : 600 ml


Directions
1. Cream whipping cream, evaporated milk, icing sugar, vodka and vanilla extract using a electric mixer until the mixture is soft, thick and creamy.

2. Portion the mixture into two.

3. Vodka ice-cream with chocolate chips - For one of the portion, add in the dark chocolate chips and give it a good stir using a spatula to ensure the chocolate chips are evenly spread out within the mixture. Place this mixture in an anti-freeze container and leave it in the freezer to freeze.

4. Chocolate ice-cream with vodka & walnuts - For the other portion, add in cocoa powder, white chocolate chips and walnuts. Using a spatula, stir through the mixture to ensure that the chocolate chips and walnuts are spread out well. Place this mixture in another anti-freeze container and leave it in the freezer to freeze.

5. After an hour, remove both ice-cream mixtures from the freezer. As they starts to freeze near the edge, stir the individual ice-cream mixture using a spatula to break up any frozen sections within the ice-cream. This is to prevent the ice-cream from becoming overly firm. After which, return both ice-cream back to the freezer.

5. Check on the ice-cream every 45-60 minutes and make sure to stir it well as it freeze until the ice-cream is well frozen.

6. Remove the ice-cream from the freezer 5 minutes before serving. Top your ice-cream with chocolate or caramel sauce before serving.

#02 - Double Chocolate Chips Cookies

Servings
Make approximately 4 dozen.

Ingredients
All-purpose flour            : 2 1/2 cups
Baking soda                 : 1/2 tsp
Brown sugar                 : 1/2 cup
Butter (cold, unsalted)   : 1 cup (cut into cubes)
Chocolate chips            : 1 cup each (dark & white chocolate chips)
Egg (large)                   : 2
Salt                             : 1/4 tsp
Vanilla extract              : 2 tsp
White sugar                  : 1/4 cup


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 150 degree Celsius

2. Combine all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well and set aside.

3. In a mixer bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars to form a grainy paste using an electric mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and continue mixing at low to medium speed until the mixture is creamy and well combined.

4. Add the flour mix and both chocolate chips and mix well to ensure the chocolate chips are well distributed within the mixture.

5. Using a small ice-cream scoop or rounded tablespoons, drop the cookie dough 2 inches apart, onto a ungreased baking sheet. Flatten the dough slightly using the back of a fork, while maintaining the circular shape of the cookie dough.

6. Bake for 17-20 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden. Transfer the cookies to a cool surface and allow them to cool completely.

********************

If you were to do a simple search on recipe for Chocolate Chips Cookies, you are bound to bag more than a dozen of them online. Some of them encourage the use of cinnamon powder, some require the addition of vegetable shortening while some recommend manual folding-in of the chocolate chips. While all of them promise the best outcome, i decided to stay simple and use the bare minimum when it comes to the ingredients. I always believe that less is more. With the recipe above, we were able to make 4 batches of Double Chocolate Chips Cookies, which came in different shapes and sizes. Personally, I prefer the batch which came out really well, in golden brown, after a mere 17 minutes. My hubby, on the other hand, really likes the crunchier 20 minutes batch instead.

We made so much of these cookies that we just had to share them with some dear friends. Look at how pretty the cookies are in little gift bags. You little fellows make my day :)

#01 - Homemade Double Chocolate Chips Ice-Cream

Ingredient:
600 ml whipping cream
100 ml sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
80 g icing sugar
2 tbs cocoa powder
2/3 cup of chocolate chips


Method:
1. Cream whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, icing sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla extract using a electric mixer until the mixture is soft, thick and creamy.
2. Add in chocolate chips and give it a good stir using a spatula to ensure the chocolate chips are evenly spread out within the mixture.
3. Place the completed mixture in an anti-freeze container and leave it in the freezer to freeze.
4. After 30 minutes, remove the ice-cream from the freezer. As it starts to freeze near the edge, stir the mixture using a spatula to break up any frozen sections within the ice-cream. This is to prevent the ice-cream from becoming overly firm. After which, return the ice-cream back to the freezer.
5. Check on the ice-cream every 30 - 45 minutes and make sure to stir it well as it freeze until the ice-cream is well frozen.
6. Remove the ice-cream from the freezer 10 minutes before serving. Top your ice-cream with chocolate or caramel sauce and roasted nuts before serving.

Enjoy :)


Servings:
Make approximately 1 litre.

********************

Special thanks to Joyce for the original recipe. My first try at homemade ice-cream and I am very pleased with the outcome. Thinking of trying out different ice-cream flavours based on this recipe. Fun!