Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream with Ferrero Rocher Pieces

*From Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker Recipe Booklet

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream with Ferrero Rocher Pieces

1 C. whole milk

1/2 C. granulated sugar

8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (I use semisweet) broken into 1/2 in. pieces

2 C. heavy cream

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 C. chopped Ferrero Rocher pieces

Heat the whole milk until it is just bubbling around the edges (this may be done on the stovetop or in a microwave). In a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse to proces the sugar with the chocolate until the chocolate is very finely chopped. Add the hot milk; process until well blended and smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and let the chocolate mixture cool completely. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste. Cover, refrigerate, and chill for 2 hours or longer.

Mix according to ice cream maker directions. Add Ferrero Rocher pieces during the last five minutes of mixing. If a firmer ice cream consistency is desired, place in an airtight container in the freezer for two hours or longer. Remove from freezer about 10 minutes before serving.

Here's how it went:

Pulsing the sugar and chocolate pieces.

Heating up the milk on the stovetop.

The milk/chocolate/sugar mixture.

Adding the heavy cream.

And mixing in the ice cream maker.

Now for the little bit of heaven.

All chopped up and ready to go.

So delicious!

My take: I've used this chocolate ice cream recipe a lot before, but if I added anything I used York peppermint patties (which is also really good). But when we were in California we had some Ferrero Rocher gelato, then I saw an episode of Barefoot Contessa where she made some chocolate ice cream like this, so I decided to go for it. It turned out really well, and Jack even said this was better than his previous favorite (homemade coconut ice cream). I did learn from Barefoot Contessa that you shouldn't use chocolate chips for your chocolate pieces, since they have some sort of waxy additive in them. And I always put my homemade ice cream in the freezer after mixing it so that it gets hard like normal ice cream.