Jack Daniel's Chocolate Ice Cream
Submitted by ayk29
Jack Daniel’s chocolate ice cream folds whiskey into a French custard base with vanilla bean and melted chocolate. Boozy, smooth, scoopable Tennessee whiskey dessert.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
25 minREADY
2 hrsThis is the boozy chocolate ice cream for cooks who think Jack Daniel’s belongs in dessert as much as in a glass. A French custard base (7 egg yolks rich) gets perfumed with real vanilla bean, married with melted chocolate, then spiked with a half cup of Tennessee whiskey for the kind of grown-up ice cream you don’t share with the kids.
The alcohol is doing more than flavoring. Whiskey lowers the freezing point, keeping the ice cream softer and scoopable straight from the freezer where pure custard would freeze rock-hard. A half cup is the sweet spot: enough for that hit of caramel-oak whiskey warmth, not so much that it never freezes.
Tempering the egg yolks is the critical technique. Slowly drizzle hot cream into the yolks while whisking briskly so the eggs warm gradually without scrambling. Get this wrong and you have sweet scrambled eggs in chocolate; get it right and you have silk.
Strain twice as the recipe says. First after the custard, second after the chocolate goes in. Each strain catches any cooked egg bits and any unmelted chocolate, producing the smoothest possible final texture.
Use a real vanilla bean, not extract. Steeping a split bean in the hot cream releases vanilla notes that complement the whiskey in a way that extract can’t match.
Chef Tips
- Use Jack Daniel’s specifically (or another Tennessee whiskey). Bourbon is fine but the charcoal-mellowed character of Jack is what makes this special.
- Chill the custard fully (preferably overnight) before churning. Warm bases produce icy ice cream.
- Don’t pour straight whiskey on top after churning. The alcohol overwhelms; folded in during mixing it integrates properly.
- Serve immediately when churned for soft-serve, or transfer to a container and freeze 4 hours for scoopable.
Variations
- Sub a dark rum or aged tequila for whiskey for completely different flavor profiles.
- Add a half cup of chopped pecans or chocolate-covered espresso beans for crunchy texture.
- Drizzle with caramel sauce and flaky sea salt at serving for a bourbon-caramel-chocolate trifecta.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine egg yolks and sugar in small bowl until smooth and lemon colored.
Place cream, milk and vanilla bean in small saucepan over medium heat and bring to boil.
Immediately remove from heat and cool slightly.
Remove vanilla bean and add a small amount of cream to the yolks, stirring briskly.
Slowly add yolks to remaining cream, stirring constantly.
Strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve.
Melt chocolate over hot water in the top half of a double boiler or in the microwave.
Stir into cream mixture and strain once more.
Stir in whiskey and chill. When well chilled, pour into an ice cream maker.
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