No Churn Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Here in the Midwest the onset of summer means the long awaited return of berry season. Beautiful fresh, ripe strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries start becoming readily available at the grocery stores and Farmer's Markets. From jams, to preserves, to pies, to muffins, to sauces, to galettes, to crisps, to ice cream, fresh berries sweeten the summer by amplifying the flavor of everything made with them. Especially homemade ice cream.

In spite of resurrecting my ice cream maker last year, I am still a big fan of no-churn ice creams. You can find recipes for Peach Ice Cream, Espresso No Churn Chocolate Ice Cream, No Churn Peanut Butter Ice Cream, and No Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream on the blog. And I am predicting there will be a few more no churn ice cream options created (and possibly updated) and shared with you in the weeks ahead!

The combination of raspberries and (dark) chocolate is a match made in heaven. The flavors of slightly tart berries and rich chocolate paired together are sinfully ambrosial. Which makes this No Churn Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream craveworthy delicious.

So how do you like eating your ice cream? In a waffle cone, in a cake cone, in a sugar cone, in a waffle bowl, in a dish, and/or maybe just right out of the container? Are you an ice cream purist or do you like to top it with a sauce or some of that Magic Shell scrumptiousness? 

Some raspberry ice cream recipes have you straining your cooked raspberry mixture and discarding all of the seeds. Not this one! Remember that 'more is almost always better' mantra? It's definitely applicable here. To deepen the raspberry flavor in the ice cream, the cooked raspberries are processed in a food processor until only a few of the seeds are detected. Using all of those raspberries makes for an insanely delicious raspberry ice cream!

Instead of using chocolate chips, coarsely chop up a semi-sweet or dark chocolate bar. Not only do the various sizes of the shards of chocolate more evenly distribute in the ice cream mixture, finding a big piece of chocolate in a bite of ice cream is akin to discovering a hidden treasure!

While the raspberry puree cools down in the refrigerator, make the ice cream 'base' in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a food processor. Cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, Kosher salt, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream are whipped together until the texture is similar to luscious whipped cream. 

The raspberry puree followed by the chopped chocolate are folded into the ice cream base mixture until well blended before it all goes into the freezer to chill overnight. Aka the place where the magic happens!

If you don't have a freezer safe ice cream container, line a 9" loaf pan with plastic wrap before spooning in the ice cream mixture. Then tightly wrap the pan with plastic wrap (and some aluminum foil for good measure) and place in the freezer overnight.

No churn ice cream has a slightly denser texture than the air whipped ice cream made in an ice cream maker. Because of that, no churn ice cream needs to be removed from the freezer for about 10 minutes before it's scooped into the container of your choice! This No Churn Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream has all of the creaminess, lusciousness, richness, and deliciousness of one of those high end, small batch, high end pints of ice cream you find at the grocery store! And on a hot summer's day is there anything better than cooling off with some ice cream? If you love ice cream, raspberries, and chocolate, you are going to be smitten with this No Churn Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream! 

Recipe

No Churn Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 pound 5 ounces (600g) fresh raspberries (this is about 4 cups)

1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

14 ounces (396g) sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

4 ounces (114g) cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups heavy whipping cream

5-6 ounces (140-168g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate (72% cocao), coarsely chopped

Directions

Raspberry Puree

1. In a medium sized heavy bottomed saucepan, bring the raspberries, salt, and sugar to a simmer over medium-high heat. Continue cooking the mixture for 5-7 minutes, pressing down the berries with a back of a spoon, until it has thickened (or lightly coats the back of a spoon).

2. Remove from the heat and let cool down slightly.

3. Process the mixture in a food processor until almost smooth (there will still be some berry seeds visible).

4. Transfer to a bowl and let cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Ice Cream

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes).
2. Add in the whipping cream and vanilla. Beat mixture until it has the consistency of a slightly stiffened whipped cream (about 4-5 minutes).

3. Fold in the raspberry puree with a spatula until almost no streaks remain.

4. Add in the chopped chocolate and fold until ice cream is completely blended.
5. Spoon the ice cream into your ice cream container or a 9" loaf pan lined with plastic wrap.
6. Seal the container or wrap the loaf pan well with plastic wrap (and a finish wrap of aluminum foil) and place in the freezer overnight.
7. Remove from the freezer about 10 minutes before you are ready to scoop into your favorite ice cream cone or into a dish. 

8. Optional: If serving the ice cream in a dish, pour some chocolate sauce or Magic Shell sauce over it.

Notes: (1) Use a good quality chocolate. I used a couple of bars of Trader Joe's Swiss Dark Chocolate but next time would probably use 2 1/2 bars. (2) No churn ice creams are best enjoyed within a week of being made.