Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ahhhhhh yeah!  It's the most wonderful time of the year....ice cream season!

I love making homemade ice cream, it is so fun to experiment with different flavors.  Plus it just tastes so much better than store bought.  And what better way to kick off the season than with the much-adored combination of chocolate and peanut butter?

This ice cream is wonderful....rich, smooth, creamy, sweet with just a hint of salt.  Seriously, delicious.  And especially easy because no cooking is required.  And of course, the chocolate chips are optional....but a little chocolate makes everything better.  Right?

So, first things first, in order to make your own ice cream, you will need an ice cream maker.  I have a relatively cheap electric  Kitchen Aid one, and it does the trick just fine.  There is no sense in shelling out for the self-freezing kind unless you plan on making batch after batch of ice cream.  In which case, please invite me over so I can sample all your wares.

Also, for this ice cream, natural peanut butter won't work.  You need the regular old shelf-type stuff.

Another note...I almost always add a little booze to my ice cream.  If this freaks you out, keep in mind that the alcohol is totally optional.  I find it keeps my ice cream from getting rock hard in the freezer.  If you don't have any or want to leave it out, totally fine.  It wont affect the flavor, the only drawback is you might have to let your ice cream sit out a bit before serving.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Makes ~1 quart

1 cup regular peanut butter, creamy or chunky

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 TB rum, optional

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup chocolate chips (I prefer the mini kind), optional

1.  In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, rum, and 1 cup half-and-half with an electric mixer until cream and smooth.  Add the remaining half-and-half and the cream and beat until just combined.  Let sit in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight, to chill.

2.  Pour the chilled mixture into your prepared ice cream maker and let it run per the manufacturer's instructions until frozen and creamy, like a soft-serve texture (about 15 minutes for mine).  Add he chocolate chips and continue to let it churn until they are mixed in, about 3 more minutes.  Store in an air-tight container in the freezer.

Ahhhhhh yeah!  It's the most wonderful time of the year....ice cream season!

I love making homemade ice cream, it is so fun to experiment with different flavors.  Plus it just tastes so much better than store bought.  And what better way to kick off the season than with the much-adored combination of chocolate and peanut butter?

This ice cream is wonderful....rich, smooth, creamy, sweet with just a hint of salt.  Seriously, delicious.  And especially easy because no cooking is required.  And of course, the chocolate chips are optional....but a little chocolate makes everything better.  Right?

So, first things first, in order to make your own ice cream, you will need an ice cream maker.  I have a relatively cheap electric  Kitchen Aid one, and it does the trick just fine.  There is no sense in shelling out for the self-freezing kind unless you plan on making batch after batch of ice cream.  In which case, please invite me over so I can sample all your wares.

Also, for this ice cream, natural peanut butter won't work.  You need the regular old shelf-type stuff.

Another note...I almost always add a little booze to my ice cream.  If this freaks you out, keep in mind that the alcohol is totally optional.  I find it keeps my ice cream from getting rock hard in the freezer.  If you don't have any or want to leave it out, totally fine.  It wont affect the flavor, the only drawback is you might have to let your ice cream sit out a bit before serving.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Makes ~1 quart

1 cup regular peanut butter, creamy or chunky

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 TB rum, optional

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup chocolate chips (I prefer the mini kind), optional

1.  In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, rum, and 1 cup half-and-half with an electric mixer until cream and smooth.  Add the remaining half-and-half and the cream and beat until just combined.  Let sit in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight, to chill.

2.  Pour the chilled mixture into your prepared ice cream maker and let it run per the manufacturer's instructions until frozen and creamy, like a soft-serve texture (about 15 minutes for mine).  Add he chocolate chips and continue to let it churn until they are mixed in, about 3 more minutes.  Store in an air-tight container in the freezer.