Best Dessert: Espresso Ice Cream

Summertime, sunshine, warmth, ice cream. They just go together so naturally. Ice cream any time of year, no matter what your age, is just one of those happy desserts that you simply look forward to enjoying. Making it from scratch is an added bonus.

Having already purchased the ZoKu Slush Maker and shared my thoughts with you in a previous post (http://bit.ly/VRrutC), I was curious about their new Ice Cream Maker. If you read the interview I just did (http://bit.ly/1pO9z37), you know that I love two kinds of ice cream: Vanilla and Coffee. As I paged through the ZoKu cookbook, I found a simple espresso ice cream recipe that sounded delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before I share the recipe, let me tell you a bit about this super easy to use ice cream maker. Unlike other machines that you have to plug in to the wall for it to churn the ingredients, this one is composed of just a few pieces:

 

1)   The exterior colored plastic bowl

2)   The stainless steel center core bowl that you put in the freezer

3)   White plastic spoon

 

And that’s it!

 

So, first things first. Before you do anything, you are going to want to put the stainless steel bowl into the freezer for at least 12 hours. Best is overnight. Now, you need to choose your ice cream recipe if you are making it from scratch or buy a prepackaged ice cream starter kit. Sur La Table Chocolate Mousse Gelato I should point out that you can make sorbet, gelato, yogurt, custard and sherbet as well as ice cream in this bowl.

Make the ice cream recipe of your choice. I recommend putting the finished contents in the fridge to get really cold before taking out your ice cream bowl from the freezer.

Now that everything is really cold, you are all set to make ice cream. Take your ice cream bowl from the freezer and put it in the colored bowl. It snaps into place. This keeps it steady on your counter and keeps your fingers from freezing. Pour the ice cream liquid into the bowl about ¾ full. Give it a minute and slowly begin to scrape down the sides of the bowl with the plastic spoon that comes with the kit. You will begin to see the ice cream starting to freeze as you turn the bowl. It takes about 6 minutes to get the ice cream to be more solid than liquid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you like soft serve ice cream, you are all set to enjoy. And it took just six minutes to make! But, if you want it to be a little more solid, scoop the ice cream into a container and freeze for a few minutes. I wouldn’t recommend freezing it in the ice cream maker though as it gets too hard to remove from the bowl. 

 

 

 

 

 

What I love about this little ice cream maker is it really helps me to control the amount of ice cream I eat. I can make just enough to take care of my sweet tooth without feeling too guilty because I ate more of that carton than I should have. Plus, it is so easy to come up with different flavors to try in a single serving size which my creative side just loves.

 

If you are looking for a creative gift or always wanted to make ice cream but didn’t want the temptation of the quantity of ice cream made by the big machines, try this ZoKu Ice Cream Machine. It’s guilt free enjoyment! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 What’s your favorite ice cream?

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Disclaimer: While I was given this item to review, I am only willing to recommend products that I personally like and use. Opinions are solely my own.