I must love you guys because I had to make two batches before it was right. It's hard work being a blogger sometimes. In the first batch, I added too much Bailey's so it was really strong (which was ok) but it never really froze. It was similar to soft serve but had the consistency of sour cream. I did a fudge ripple in it, which turned out like chocolate syrup. Overall it was good but not quite right. I wanted a more typical ice cream consistency and chunks of fudge. I made it again and perfecto--it's probably the creamiest ice cream I've ever made! It's definitely my new favorite ice cream.
Bailey's Fudge Ice Cream for Two Recipe
Makes about 3 cups
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Notes: While the directions indicate to boil the Bailey's mixture for one minute in an attempt to cook off the alcohol, I'm not sure that it ever really cooks off. I definitely would not recommend serving this to children, pregnant women, or people who don't drink. I like the chunks of chewy fudge in the ice cream, but if that's not something you'd like (or if you have loose fillings in your teeth), use the fudge as hot fudge on top or make a half batch of chocolate syrup and swirl some of that throughout ice cream in the last minute of churning. If you want to make 2 quarts, multiply all the ingredients by three, except for the egg yolks--use 5 egg yolks.
For the ice cream:
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1/3 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/3 cup sugar, divided
Pinch of salt
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the fudge:
5 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons water
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
To make the ice cream: In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, Bailey's, milk, salt, and half of the sugar. Heat over medium, stirring frequently, until it comes to a boil. Let it boil for one minute.
While the milk mixture is heating, whisk together the egg yolks and the other half of the sugar until thick and pale. After your Bailey's mixture has boiled for one minute, slowly pour a steady stream of it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Once you have poured 2/3 of the Bailey's mixture into the eggs while whisking, pour the egg mixture back into the pan and reheat over medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for a few minutes until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and pour it through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Remove the strainer, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to cool for 2-3 hours.
While the ice cream is cooling, make the fudge by combining the corn syrup, sugar, heavy cream, water, and salt in a medium saucepan set over medium heat, stirring frequently until thickened. This should take about five minutes.
Meanwhile microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Whisk in the sifted cocoa powder until it's dissolved.
When the sugar mixture has thickened, take it off the heat, add in the butter and vanilla, and let cool slightly. Add in the chocolate and mix until smooth. Set aside.
Once the ice cream mixture is cold, churn it according to the manufacturer's directions. During the last few minutes of churning, drop 1/2 teaspoon-fulls of the fudge into the ice cream maker, using about half of the fudge mixture. Store the rest of the fudge in the refrigerator and heat slightly before using later. Scoop the ice cream out of the maker and into a bowl. Freeze it for several hours before serving.
Ice cream a She Makes and Bakes creation based on a Cuisinart recipe
Fudge adapted from Cook's Illustrated