Matterhorn Midnight Chocolate
Ja, I have watched people dump cold cocoa powder into a pint and call it chocolate ice cream — schandalig, that is a punishment, not a dessert. You will bloom the cocoa in hot milk AND melt real dark chocolate into it, because I said so and because your tongue deserves both the perfume and the body. Freeze it flat, spin it, re-spin it without whining, and then — lekker, hè? You're welcome.
Named after the Matterhorn — the only peak good enough for this chocolate.
Dark chocolate fat sets rock-hard at freezer temperature, so the agave/corn syrup plus the 1/4 tsp guar gum are non-negotiable for scoopability — skip them and you get a chocolate hockey puck. Always add the melted chocolate to the blender with the other ingredients (never straight into cold milk, or it seizes into gritty flecks). If your freezer runs very cold (below -20 C), let the pint rest 5-10 minutes on the counter before spinning; and remember a crumbly first spin is not failure, it is physics — splash, re-spin, done.
Ingrédients
Préparation
- 1
Melt the dark chocolate gently (20-second microwave bursts or a bain-marie) and let it cool 2 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the soy milk until steaming and whisk in the cocoa powder until it forms a smooth syrup — blooming the cocoa in hot liquid unlocks a much deeper chocolate flavour.
- 2
Blend everything smooth: put the coconut milk, bloomed cocoa-milk, melted chocolate, sugar, agave, vanilla and salt in a blender and run ~45 seconds until completely smooth. With the blender running, sprinkle in the guar gum and blend 15 seconds more so it disperses without clumps.
- 3
Pour the base into the Ninja Creami pint up to the MAX FILL line only — never above. Lid on, then freeze for 24 hours sitting FLAT on a level freezer shelf; a tilted pint freezes at an angle and spins unevenly.
- 4
Spin on the "Lite Ice Cream" program.
- 5
Assess the texture: a plant base often comes out powdery or crumbly on the first pass — this is normal. Add 1 tbsp plant milk, run RE-SPIN, and repeat once more if needed until you have a glossy, velvety scoop.
- 6
Optional mix-ins: cut a well down to the bottom of the pint, drop in chopped dark chocolate or cacao nibs, and run the MIX-IN cycle. Serve immediately; refrozen leftovers want 10 minutes on the counter or a quick re-spin before scooping.
