Roasted Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream

Creamy, rich, chocolate ice cream studded with bits of roasted cherries was one of the very best ice creams I made last year. I saved the recipe a full year, so that I could share it with you when cherries were in abundance. Now that they are finally back in season, I plan to make this every chance I get until the cherries are gone!

Roasted Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream
Yield: (8) 1/2 cup servings
(printable recipe)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 cup roasted cherries (directions below), roughly chopped to 1/4″ size

Combine the cream, milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and allow the mixture to simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and  stir in the almond extract and the chocolate
until dissolved. Let cool and chill in the refrigerator for at least 6
hours. (If you are in a hurry, an hour or two in the freezer will speed up the process.)

Roast the cherries (as shown below) and then let them chill until you’re ready to make the ice cream. Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream machine and freeze
according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When it is almost finished
churning, roughly chop the cherries and add them to the ice cream. When the machine finishes churning, serve immediately for soft serve ice cream or transfer to an
airtight container and freeze until firm. Enjoy!

Saucy Roasted Cherries
Yield: 1 1/2 cups roasted cherries (save the extra 1/2 cup for topping)

1 lb cherries, about 3 cups pitted and halved
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment. Wash and pit the cherries.
Slice the cherries in half and spread them across the baking pan. Roast
for 20 minutes, until the cherries start to release their juices.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle
with sugar to help the cherries release more of their juices.
Stir and chill until needed. Enjoy!

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