Not your average chocolate chip ice cream. This Homemade Stracciatella Ice Cream is rich & creamy with tender shards of dark chocolate throughout.
What is Stracciatella?
Roughly translated from Italian, it means “little rags.” Stracciatella is actually the name for three very different Italian foods – soup, cheese, and gelato. Of course, the only thing they have in common is their name.
Stracciatella can refer to…
- A Roman soup, similar to our Chicken Escarole Soup with Egg & Pasta
- A cheese from Puglia
- A gelato flavor that originated in Northern Italy.
What’s the difference between gelato and ice cream?
Gelato is made with milk, typically does not include eggs and has a dense texture from a slower churning speed than ice cream.
Ice cream is made with heavy cream and has a higher fat content than gelato. Also, it’s often made with eggs and has a fluffy texture as a result of the fast churning speed.
What makes this Homemade Stracciattella Ice Cream different?
Instead of the chips and chunks you typically find in chocolate chip ice cream, this Homemade Stracciattella Ice Cream has fine bits of dark chocolate throughout. It results in a smooth texture with just the slightest crunch in every bite.
This is achieved by drizzling in a thin stream of melted chocolate during the final stages of churning, which hardens on contact and gets broken up into “rags” as it churns.
A friendly reminder – be sure to have your insulated ice cream bucket fully frozen and ready to use.
Shall we get started on the ice cream base?
- In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, agave syrup and vanilla.
- Place the saucepan over low heat.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Be sure to whisk often.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
A note on vanilla bean paste…
I have this awesome product that I save for when I make special treats. The ones where the vanilla bean speckling will be noticed and the flavor most pronounced. This is one of those times.
One tablespoon of vanilla bean paste is equivalent to one vanilla bean where you split the vanilla bean down its length using a paring knife, then scrape out the seeds.
The paste simplifies the process with excellent results.
- In a medium heatproof mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar.
- Whisk vigorously until the mixture is pale yellow and frothy.
- Pouring in a slow steady stream, gradually whisk the hot cream mixture with the egg mixture.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and place it over low heat.
- Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes.
- A slightly thick custard should form.
- Test to see if it’s ready by drawing a finger across the back of the spoon.
- If it leaves a trail, your custard is ready.
- Remove the custard from the heat.
- Transfer the mixture into a clean mixing bowl.
- Place in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least 2 hours.
- Once the custard has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator.
- Transfer to your frozen ice cream bucket.
- Process the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- While that’s churning, melt the chocolate and salt with the optional coconut oil.
- The coconut oil adds a bit more tenderness to the final chocolate shards.
Some folks are okay with melting the chocolate in the microwave.
I’d rather set the heatproof bowl over a pot with a small amount of boiling water. Works like a charm.
- When the consistency of the ice cream is similar to soft-serve, it’s time to add the prepared chocolate.
- Pour very slowly into the ice cream while it’s churning.
- A slow and steady stream will produce the best results.
You can do this by pouring from a spouted glass measuring cup.
Or transfer the melted chocolate into a quart-size plastic bag and make a small cut on one corner.
When the melted chocolate hits the cold ice cream it will immediately solidify into small pieces.
- Continue churning the ice cream until it’s more solid, about 10 to 15 minutes more depending on your machine.
- Place the ice cream into a freezer-friendly container.
- Cover and freeze for at least 3 to 4 hours.
Warning: This homemade stracciatella ice cream is highly addictive.
It really is all about the shards of dark chocolate. It’s reminiscent of the delicious dark chocolate dip that we all love on our ice cream cones. Only with this decadent treat, that tender chocolate is found throughout …in each and every bite.
homemade stracciatella ice cream
Not your average chocolate chip ice cream. This one is rich and creamy with tender shards of dark chocolate throughout.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup agave syrup (or organic light corn syrup)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 6 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon refined coconut oil (optional)
Instructions
-
In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, agave syrup and vanilla. Place the saucepan over low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Be sure to whisk often. Remove from the heat and set aside.
-
In a medium heatproof mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is pale yellow and frothy. Pouring in a slow steady stream, gradually whisk the hot cream mixture with the egg mixture.
Return the mixture to the saucepan and, once again, place it over low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon, until a thick custard forms for about 5 minutes.
You can test to see if it's ready by drawing a finger across the back of the spoon. If it leaves a trail, your custard is ready.
Remove the custard from the heat and transfer the mixture into a clean mixing bowl. Place in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least 2 hours.
-
Once the custard has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and process the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
When the consistency of the ice cream is similar to soft-serve, melt the chocolate with the salt. Add the optional coconut oil and pour very slowly into the ice cream while it's churning. A slow and steady stream will produce the best results.
You can do this by pouring from a spouted glass measuring cup. Or transfer the melted chocolate into a quart-size plastic bag and make a small cut on one corner. When the melted chocolate hits the cold ice cream it will immediately solidify into small pieces.
-
Continue churning the ice cream until it's more solid, about 10 to 15 minutes more depending on your machine. Place the ice cream into a freezer-friendly container. Cover and freeze for at least 3 to 4 hours.
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Love that hint of chocolate?
