Chocolate Peanut Butter Sorbet

I keep seeing things all over the interwebs about the end of summer. Um…I’m not buying it. This happens to me pretty much every year. People are busting out the pumpkin and I’m still sweating it out here is Dallas. This year, we’ve really been sweating it out because our AC has been intermittent at best for the past week. In fact, I had a giant food fail last week while attempting to make scones in my non-airconditioned kitchen. The dough was literally melting as I rolled it out, so I figured ice cream was a better option, at least while it was 100 degrees in my house.

I’ve been experimenting with non-dairy chocolate ice creams all summer long, but none have been good enough to share. The coconut milk versions had strong coconut overtones, and while I’m a fan of coconut, I wanted it to taste like chocolate. Other non-dairy milks gave the ice cream a weird icy texture, so you can imagine my surprise when I came across a decadent looking chocolate sorbet.

I’m always skeptical of water based “ice cream,” but this stuff was so good, I made it twice in one week. It was so creamy, my friends didm;t believe it was sorbet. The first time, I made David Lebovitz’s original recipe. The second time, I replaced some of the chocolate with creamy peanut butter and liked it even better. The peanut butter version is what I’m sharing with you today, but if you’re not a fan, you can replace the peanut butter with an extra ounce of chocolate.

Yield: 1 1/2 pints

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups water, divided
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (75 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
• Pinch of salt (if your peanut butter is unsalted)
• 3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, whisk together the 1 cup of water, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil.
2. Continue to let the mixture boil for about 45 seconds, whisking constantly.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and mix in the chocolate and stir until it has melted.
4. Whisk in the peanut butter until smooth.
5. Add the vanilla and the remaining 1/2 cup of water and mix until smooth.
6. Transfer the mixture into a blender and blend for about 15 seconds.
7. Pour the mixture into a heat proof bowl and let it chill thoroughly in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
8. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the unit's instructions.
9. Transfer the ice cream into a container and let harden in the freezer for at least one hour before serving.
10. If the ice cream is too hard to scoop, let it thaw for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from The Perfect Scoop

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