Chocolate Keto Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream can be a bit intimidating, and when you compound the process by making it keto-friendly, it can be all the more overwhelming. Recipes for low-carb ice cream are all over the internet, and most of them seem to be pretty disappointing. However, if a proper base (we call it crème anglaise in the professional culinary world) is prepared and a decent quality ice cream maker is used, then there is no reason why you cannot concoct a satisfying homemade, ketogenic ice cream at home.

You may need to play a bit with the sweeteners and the cocoa ratio to appease your personal preference, but the cream, milk and egg base is going to provide the consistency. MCT oil, vodka, and xanthan gum are all popular options for reducing iciness and hardness while frozen, while gelatin will also aid in keeping the ice cream soft by adding some richness and creaminess to the texture. However, if you don’t have those ingredients on hand or you find it to be superfluous to the preparation process, then by all means leave them out, especially if you plan to eat your ice cream sooner rather than later.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups heavy cream 
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup erythritol or similar artificial sweetener
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup unflavored/unsweetened almond milk
• 4 tablespoons MCT oil or 2 tablespoons vodka or 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (all optional to reduce iciness) 
• 2-3 teaspoons gelatin mixed together with 3-4 tablespoons water (optional)
• 2 ounces chopped unsweetened extra dark (90%) chocolate or chocolate chips (optional)

PREPARATION:

1. Set up an ice bath (bowl of ice water). In a separate bowl (slightly smaller than the ice bath bowl), whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, erythritol/sweetener, and vanilla extract. 
2. Put the cream and cocoa into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer at medium-high heat. Add half of the cream mixture to the eggs to temper and whisk together. Reduce the heat on the stove to medium-low and pour the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan. Stir with a spoon for about 10-15 seconds and remove from the heat. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, but if the eggs curdle, then it is overcooked and will not work.
3. Return all of the mixture back to the bowl and set on top of the ice bath. Whisk in the salt and the almond milk. This is the step where you whisk in either the MCT oil, vodka or xanthan gum, and/or the gelatin (plus water).
4. Allow the mixture to cool down to room temperature for about 1 hour. Covering it with plastic wrap after about 30 minutes can prevent it from drying, but it is not necessary and it may slow your cooling process. It can be cooled in the refrigerator, but this may thicken it too much.
5. Pour the contents into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions. Churning usually takes about 30-60 minutes. If adding the chopped chocolate/chocolate chips, fold it in after the ice cream mixture is finished churning. 
6. It can be served immediately or scooped into a container for freezing. Freezing will firm it up a bit, but it will need to sit out for a while to soften before serving if frozen for more than a few hours.

Yield: 10 servings

PER SERVING: CALORIES 323 | FAT 31G | CARBOHYDRATES 5G | FIBER 1.5G | NET CARBOHYDRATES 3.5G | PROTEIN 6G