Rich, dark, ultra-smooth, and creamy chocolate meets a hint of orange in a sweet ice cream like no other you’ve ever tasted. If you’re skeptical of the chocolate and citrus combination, one taste will be all it takes to convince you.
What is it about being on vacation that allows us to indulge a little more? We forget about the calories, and dive into each meal, not caring about how many extra minutes it might cost on the treadmill or whether or not we really should be eating ice cream after both lunch and dinner. There’s something ultra-relaxing and peaceful in the vacation mindset.
While we were vacationing this summer, we ate a lot of ice cream, a heck of a lot of ice cream. There is so much evidence of that in my Instagram photos, it’s kind of laughable. I wanted to remember each flavor and each wonderful place we visited; and as a result many pictures were taken.
We tried a Chocolate Orange flavored ice cream while we were in Montreal and Sean declared it the best one he tried throughout our vacation. It really was fantastic. So, naturally, I couldn’t resist trying my hand at recreating it. Four (maybe it was five ?) batches later, this ice cream has been declared one of Sean’s all time favorites.
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup special dark unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Whisk together the sugar, cream, milk, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest in a medium size saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer while stirring occasionally for 2 minutes. Add the chocolate chips and continue stirring while the chocolate melts. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange juice and vanilla extract. Let cool and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's directions. Enjoy!
Special dark cocoa is my preference for this recipe. However, you can use a standard dutch cocoa or plain cocoa powder as well. (The color will not be as dark without the special dark cocoa.) I've made this both with and without orange zest, as well as with store-bought juice. The zest makes a big difference in the results. Fresh and store bought orange juices both work well. The fresh is a milder flavor with a little more sweetness to it. The store-bought orange juice was just enough stronger than fresh that I preferred it in the end.
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Aarti says
Hi, The pictures are amazing. I am thinking of giving it a try this weekend. Did you use whole milk in this recipe?
Mary says
Yes, I use whole milk.
aarti says
Thank you. I just made the ice cream with 2% milk. It was really dark and intense which is how i prefer my ice cream. I actually just saw your comment, so next time I am going to try it with whole milk and store bought orange juice.
Wendy says
It seems to be a phenomenon that ice cream recipes NEVER reveal how much they make. I make enough for about 75 people every Fourth of July, so I really need to know how much I need to add to this recipe. How many servings does your recipe make? My citrus trees have given me bushels and bushels and bushels of tangelos this year, so I’ll be substituting tangelos for the oranges. (I hope freezing the juice and some zest will work..!)
Mary says
Most of my recipes make about 1 1/2 quarts of ice cream. So, approximately 4-6 servings, depending on size. I’ve never made enough ice cream to serve a crowd that size! That would require a massive ice cream maker, and likely more than a few of them. Have fun!
(and this will work great with frozen juice and zest – enjoy!)
Nimisha Thuluvath says
I have an ice cream maker where the bowl actually has to be frozen, so do you think the mixture would still need to be chilled?
Mary says
Yes, definitely. A warm ice cream base will cause your ice cream bowl to thaw quickly.
Nimisha Thuluvath says
Hi
Kyle L says
This recipe is incredible! The texture of the ice cream is perfection; as good as anything ice cream parlour serves up.
I used slightly less orange juice and more orange zest. I also used Lindt dark chocolate that has little crunchy bits of hazelnut. One of the best ice creams I’ve ever eaten.
Steve says
I have been looking for Chocolate Orange Ice Cream since our local ice cream shop stopped carrying it, 🙁 – can’t wait to give this a shot this weekend. Thanks!
Mary Younkin says
I hope you love it, Steve!
Caroline says
Hi Mary!
I loved the richness of the chocolate ice-cream, but would prefer a stronger orange flavour. I had followed your exact recipe and used fresh orange juice and orange zest. Could you suggest any tweaks or additions to the recipe which would increase the orange flavour? Thanks! 🙂
Mary Younkin says
Hi Caroline! I’m so glad that you like the ice cream. For a richer orange flavor, I’d play with adding a bit more zest, or even a small amount of orange extract.
Colin Lockett says
I’ve just made this, virtually to the recipe, added 2 teaspoons of orange essence for that extra orange taste. This is a serious chocolate ice cream packed with flavour with a hint of orange,.
I’ve made several batches of chocolate ice cream over the last 6 months and this is easily the best. Will definitely be making more.
Thanks for the recipe.
Now looking for a serious Strawberry recipe..
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you are enjoying the ice cream, Colin!