Mid-march in Melbourne is my most favorite time of the year because the days are mild or slightly warm and the nights are just nice being moderately cool and not too cold.
To me, March is the best month of the year to enjoy chocolate. Chocolate in the form of anything! This is why I've made this sticky chewy brownies gelato for our after-dinner dessert.
"Mmm... I love this sticky chewy brownies ice cream." said my son.
My son has been telling me that he loves this ice cream whenever I gave him a serve of this ice cream.
Well actually, this ice cream is not exactly an ice cream. The ice cream base is actually a gelato that is made with chocolate and milk... no cream and no egg. And it is definitely way less sinfully than the chocolate brownies ice cream that I have made at here. Yet, it is chocolatey enough! And its sticky chewy fudgy texture is awesomely nice to indulge.
Chocolate Brownies Gelato
Sticky. Chewy. Fudgy. and Awesomely Nice!
First, I baked, chopped and freeze the brownies.
Then, I made the no-cream chocolate gelato base and churn the gelato with the brownies. Watch my video.
And we were enjoying this!!! YUM!!!
Why is this gelato base less sinfully? For your info, the sugar content of this gelato base is only 16% which is the minimal amount required. The fat content can't be the minimal because I have to incorporate a good amount of chocolate into this dessert but it has to be lesser than 10% because any chocolate gelato that are made with more than 10% fat tends to be dense and rock-hard to scoop!
So there you go...
A good gelato base should have:
16-22% sugar
6-12% fat
32-42% solid
58-68% liquid
This chocolate gelato base has:
16% sugar, the minimal
10% fat so that the gelato contains a good amount of chocolate and not too dense to scoop
36% solid - within range
63% liquid - within range
"I like this but I still want something that is smooth and all chocolate." said my husband. If you are looking for a smooth dark chocolate gelato recipe that is made with NO cream and minimal sugar, you might want to try our favorite recipe at here.
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Here's the recipe.
For the best consistent result, it will be good to measure all ingredients by weight, not measuring cups. DO NOT reduce and change any of these amounts!
Makes about 1L /1 quart
For the brownies:
Makes one 10 x 20 cm30g dark chocolate with 70% cocoa
25g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
20g caster sugar
25g dark brown sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
1/4 tsp vanilla paste or extract
30g all purpose / plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
To bake the brownies:
Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F. Line 10 x 20 cm loaf pan with baking paper.Place 30g chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl. Use a microwave with low power or a double boiler to melt the chocolate and butter mixture. Allow chocolate mixture to cool slightly for about 10 mins without having the mixture turning back to solid again.
Place both sugars, egg and vanilla in a mixing bowl and use a spatula to mix until the sugar has dissolved. Add chocolate mixture and mix well until combined.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into the chocolate mixture and mix until just combined. DO NOT OVER-MIX! Transfer batter into the prepared pan and tap the filled pan slightly until the batter is evenly spread.
Bake for 14-15 mins or until the top is firm. Do not over-bake brownies and it's ok if it is a little soft in the middle. Allow brownies to cool slightly in the pan for 5-10 mins, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Chop brownies into fine crumbs and it is ok to have some coarse bits. Place brownies in a container. Cover and freeze for at least 3 hr or more.
For the gelato:
120g dark chocolate with 70% cocoa - I used Callebaut callet.500g regular milk with 4% fat, cold
45g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted - Mine is Dutch processed.
90g caster sugar
1g guar gum, optional but good to have so that your gelato has a nice thick creamy texture
1 tsp vanilla paste or 1 tbsp vanilla extract
170g finely chopped brownies, see above
Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Melt and stir chocolate mixture by using a microwave, pulsing with low power or placing the heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stop heating immediately when the chocolate are just melted as overheating can cause the chocolate to burn and change its texture. Mixture should be thick and smooth.
Weigh out the exact amount of milk. Transfer about 1 cup (250g) of milk and heat with low heat until lukewarm. DO NOT OVERHEAT or BOIL the milk.
Add the lukewarm milk into the melted chocolate and mix until well-combined. If the chocolate and milk are still separated, heat mixture slightly by using a microwave, pulsing with low power or placing the heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Heat and stir until both chocolate and milk are well-incorporated. DO NOT OVERHEAT or BOIL the mixture.
Combine cocoa powder, sugar and guar gum (optional). Add tablespoonful of cocoa powder mixture into the milk-chocolate mixture and stir well after each addition. Keep adding and mixing until all of the ingredients are completely added and incorporated.
Pour the milk-chocolate mixture through a sieve. Then, stir in the remaining 250g cold milk and vanilla.
Pour mixture into a container and chill it in a fridge for about 1-2 hrs or until completely chilled but do not leave mixture to chill overnight. This pre-chilling step is optional if you are using an ice-cream maker that has a chilling unit.
Transfer the mixture to a pre-chilled ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions. This gelato will take about 40-45 mins to churn if the mixture is not pre-chilled or 30 mins to churn if the mixture is pre-chilled. When the gelato is almost ready (about 2 mins before it is done), add 3/4 of the finely chopped brownies into the ice cream mixture and continue to churn and freeze until the gelato is ready.
Transfer gelato into an airtight container and top with the remaining chopped brownies. Allow gelato to set in the freezer for about 3-4 hrs before serving. Due to its high fat and liquid content, this gelato will be hard after freezing for more than 3 hrs. Allow gelato to thaw for a while at room temperature or microwave for low power for 10-30 sec before scooping and serving.
Freeze for up to 1 week in home freezer because this gelato hasn't been stabilised with eggs and might become icy after 1 week or more.
Enjoy this chewy sticky chocolatey ice cream! Yum...
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