Red Velvet Ice Cream with Brownie Bits

The week of love is upon us, and you know what I love almost as much as my fiance? Ice cream. I don't consider myself a sweet tooth. Actually I am quite the opposite and would gladly skip dessert for another piece of homemade bread or a salty treat. But ice cream just gets me. A friend of Andrew's (and future groomsman in our wedding) loves to send me those amazing recipe lists from Buzzfeed, listing off his favorites from each one. A couple of weeks ago he sent me  one with a list of 32 Over the Top Desserts to Make this Valentine's Day. While they all looked delicious, the recipe for red velvet ice cream automatically caught my attention, causing me to frantically order an ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer on the spot. Talk about product placement! As the first batch of homemade ice cream, I have to say that it was a success and I can't wait to try out every ice cream flavor that I can think up. Andrew's 1st request is mint chocolate chip, and I can't say that I'm mad about it.

Red Velvet Ice Cream with Brownie Bits

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 3 tsp. red food coloring
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 cup crumbled brownie bits

In a small bowl whisk the egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar together. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, buttermilk, 1/4 cup sugar, cocoa powder, food coloring, vanilla, and salt. Heat the mixture to a simmer and whisking constantly, dissolving the sugar and making sure the cocoa powder gets combined into the liquid. 

Once the sugar is dissolved and the cocoa powder is combined, remove form the heat and add 1/2 cup of the warm mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly as you pour it in. This will temper the eggs, allowing you to add them back into the cream mixture without scrambling them. Add the egg yolk and cream mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, constantly stirring. The mixture will become thick.

Pour the mixture into a clean bowl over a strainer and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cool, pour into your ice cream maker and churn according to the directions. Add in the brownie bits in the last 2 minutes of churning. Keep in a an airtight container in the freezer for 5 hours before serving.