You Got Chocolate in My Peanut Butter!

You got peanut butter in my chocolate!

And I thank you for that.

As a kid, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were my favorite candy.  They probably would still be if I hadn't embarked on adventures in cholocate eating via Mo's Bacon Bar and pretty much anything by Chocolove.  Justin's makes a terrifically adult version of my favorite childhood treat; I love the dark chocolate one in particular.  (And look, ma, no high fructose corn syryp!)

Chocolate and peanut butter; peanut butter and chocolate.  The richer, the better. 

So when I come across something like this from joythebaker, I say "NOW YOU'RE TALKING!"  (Yes, I really did shout that when I found this recipe.) 

Anything chocolate and peanut butter that warrants multiple warnings about its addictiveness is, well, right up my alley.

When I told Brad I planned to make this, he turned to me said "I love you" and gave me a big kiss.

And that, my friends, is why I cook.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
As noted, this recipe is based on one posted by Joy the Baker.  We only had about 1/3 cup whole milk, so I used mostly skim.  The ice cream was still super rich and creamy, really more like a gelato, so I'd stick with skim milk next time.

2 1/2 cups skim milk
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
pinch of salt
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli 60% cacao)
1/2 cup smooth salted peanut butter ( I used Skippy Natural peanut butter)

In a sauce pan over medium heat, whisk together 2 cups of the milk with the sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Heat until the milk start to steam, but do not let it come to a boil.

In a small bowl, whisk together until smooth the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the cornstarch.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the heated milk and chocolate mixture, bring to a low boil and cook until thickened. The mixture will look the consistency of loose chocolate pudding; it will continue to thicken as it cools.

Place chocolate chips in a small bowl.  Place 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a tall glass measuring cup and microwave until it just begins to boil (50 seconds in my microwave); pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 minute, then stir the cream and chocolate mixture briskly until incorporated.

Stir the cream and chocolate mixture into the cooling chocolate ice cream base. Place in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap or a lid, and put in the fridge for a few hours until cool.

Once cool, follow the manufacturers instructions on the ice cream maker to churn ice cream. Once the mixture has chilled and thickened in the ice cream maker, drop 1/4 cup of the peanut butter into it by small spoonfuls with the machine running. Turn off the machine before it becomes fully incorporated, to get a ribbon of peanut butter running through the chocolate.

Transfer the ice cream into a freezer safe container and add the remaining 1/4 cup of peanut butter by dropping small spoonfuls and folding to incorporate. Cover and freeze until solid.