[Welcome again to July AKA National Ice Cream Month! To celebrate, each Friday I will be posting a new delicious ice cream flavor alongside my regularly scheduled posts. Hope you enjoy the series!]

Each year as I add to my repertoire of ice cream flavors, I get bolder with the non-traditional palates and pairings in my  concoctions. However, I also make a point to include one or two flavors that are more along the lines of “normal” for my less-adventurous fans. This is one of those more common recipes.

“Mexican” or “Aztec” ice cream and hot chocolate are fairly common, but typically they are also pretty mild. Heavy on the chocolate with a vague notion of spice in there. As someone with a pretty low spice tolerance, I can only imagine that those with a higher spice preference are even more bored with these flavors. For this one, I was inspired by a fantastic legitimately spicy hot chocolate from Summit Spice & Tea Company my equally fantastic but probably less spicy aunt sent to me for Christmas: dark chocolate and with a kick – it was a beautiful match.

Modifying the same recipe I used for last year’s Chocolate Merlot adventure, I set off to create an actually spicy ice cream. Given how much I loved the Maple Chipotle from two years prior, I was certain this adventure would be a grand one.

My first attempt was a bit mild for what I was going for (although still delicious) so I heavily exaggerated the spices on my next attempt. Honestly it was a bit much for me (I told you my tolerance is low) but my friends loved it and thought it was perfect. Rich dark chocolate smoothly combined with the slow-burn of ground chilis, it’s one of those flavors where the heat hits you late in the spoonful rather than right away. If you find your batch to be too strong, tone it down with a nice fudgy brownie and/or a drizzle of chocolate sauce. I promise it’ll be amazing.

Take your next taco Tuesday to a whole new level with the perfect dessert: spicy chocolate ice cream!

Chocolate Chili Ice Cream 

Adapted from Molly Moon
Makes ~6 cups

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 – 1 tsp ground aji amarillo pepper¹ 
1/2 – 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper¹ 
1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 oz dark (~70%) chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup egg  substitute
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat half and half, whipping cream, and sugar until sugar is dissolved and mixture is just coming to a simmer.
3. Pour cream mixture over chocolate and whisk vigorously until there are no chocolate flecks. If you are having trouble getting it completely smooth, an immersion blender works great, or you can pour it into a regular blender after a brief cooling period.
4. Let cool on the counter about 10 minutes, then whisk in egg substitute and vanilla.
5. Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator completely, or overnight.
6. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions, then place in a cold freezer-safe bowl to freeze for an additional three hours, or overnight.
7. Enjoy solo or with a fudgy dark chocolate brownie for an extra decadent dessert.

Notes

¹ For reference, 1/2 tsp of each is reasonably mild, 1 tsp of each is a bit much for me but perfect for my spicier-minded friends; adjust to your liking. Feel free to use all cayenne as well (or any other chili pepper)!