“There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with Chocolate.” ~ Linda Grayson, The Pickwick Papers
I owe this recipe to a good friend. Here’s the story:
I recently walked into my apartment building, arms filled with groceries, when the doorman stopped me to let me know that I had a package at the front desk.
Uch, not this again – another package that doesn’t belong to me.
You see, last week we received two mysterious packages that were not for us. One was small and had The Husband’s name on it, so we opened it. Turns out it was for The Brother-In-Law. Womp Womp.
The second one was rather large and looked quite appealing from the outside… but again, not for us. Grr. (If this handsome looking package belongs to you, let me know, and you should come and claim it ASAP!).
So, you can imagine that after these two huge let downs, I was afraid to get my hopes up. I informed the doorman that I wasn’t expecting anything and was about to carry my groceries into the elevator when I decided that maybe, just maybe, this surprise was actually for me…
Guess what? It was! (Insert victory music here!) You all know how much I love sweets. I think I’ve made that very clear. But, as much as I love sweets and treats, I also love presents. Just ask The Husband, he’ll tell you!
Well, I picked up this amazing surprise present at the front desk, and you know what it was? The Serendipity Sundaes book, which features tons of amazing ice cream constructions and frozen concoctions. Honestly, it’s the best. I opened the book to find a cute little note from my dear friend which read I saw this and thought of you. Hope it helps provide a little inspiration for 365scoops.
You can bet your little bippy that this book provided me with some great inspiration. This recipe is a testament to how awesome this book is, but more importantly, a testament to how super duper awesome my friend is. I’m the luckiest girl in the world!
So, grab a spoon and dig in!
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Chocolate Peanut Butter Chips (A.K.A. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Explosion)
From Serendipity Sundaes
Ingredients (Ice Cream)
2 cups whole milk
2 cups half-and-half
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
9 ounces best-quality bitter sweet chocolate (I used Scharffen Berger), chopped
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Yes. I melted the chocolate in a personalized ice cream bowl. Why not? An awesome gift from my girlfriends.
Ingredients (Chocolate Peanut Butter Chips)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons peanut butter
Method
First make the chocolate peanut butter chips. Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe container and melt on high for 30 seconds, remove, stir, and repeat until the chips are completely melted. This should take 1 minute – 1.5 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave. Stir in the peanut butter.
Place a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet. With a spatula, spread the melted chocolate peanut butter to the size of a 9×12 inch rectangle. Place the tray into a refrigerator until the chocolate hardens. When the mixture is firm, break into chunks and refrigerate until you are ready to use.
Now it’s time to make the ice cream base. Combine milk and cream in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat until warm over low heat.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and the sugar in a heat-safe bowl (you are tempering eggs!)
When the milk mixture is warm, add the chopped chocolate. Heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is beginning to simmer. Set aside.
Add one-fourth of the warm chocolate mix to the yolk mixture and whisk until blended. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the remaining milk mixture and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 170 degrees F. Remove the mixture from the heat and pour the batter into a clean heat-safe bowl and cool to room temperature. Whisk the vanilla extract into the batter, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator and pour out one cup of the prepared batter and whisk in 1/2 cup of peanut butter until smooth. Whisk this small mixture into remaining batter and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Approximately 5 minutes before the mixture is done churning, slowly pour in the peanut butter chocolate chips so that they mix thoroughly into the ice cream.
Scoop the mixture into a freezer-safe container and enjoy. Warning, you might eat this ice cream sttraight from the machine, it’s that good!
The Verdict: Dark chocolate peanut butter explosion! Definitely an apropos name for this special treat. This ice cream was really rich, and really creamy. The bittersweet chocolate gave a slightly bitter flavor (duh) , but that was countered beautifully by the semi-sweet chocolate peanut butter chips. This ice cream hardened slightly more than usual so just leave it out for 5-10 minutes before scooping. It’s really yummy. Really, really yummy. It even made a guest appearance into an ice cream sandwich so stay tuned for more!