Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams’ Buckeye State

As I mentioned in my February Favorites post, I’ve been really into the Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home cookbook I received from my in-laws for Christmas. Like, REALLY.

Not only is the book BEAUTIFUL and filled with tons of delicious recipes, but the finished product is far superior to any other ice cream I’ve made at home. No frustrating frozen crystals. No disappointing texture. Each recipe comes out perfect every time (and I should know – I’ve already made several) due in part to Jeni’s unique process of adding a corn starch “slurry” and a few tablespoons of cream cheese to her ice cream bases. (Seriously – cream cheese!)

Out of all the recipes I’ve made from the book thus far, the Buckeye State has been my favorite (but trust me – they’ve all been wonderful). Buckeye State is a honeyed peanut butter ice cream with dark chocolate flecks, inspired by the Buckeye candies that are popular in Ohio. And, since a majority of my family lives in Ohio, I felt a certain affinity towards this flavor (aside from the fact that it’s peanut butter and chocolate, of course).

If there’s anything better than peanut butter and chocolate, I don’t know what is.

Buckeye State from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (makes one quart)

Recipe from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home

Special equipment: An ice cream maker (I use this one from Cuisinart)

What you need:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

How you do it:

1. Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese, peanut butter, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
2. Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and honey in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
3. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese mixture until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
4. Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and begin to spin the ice cream.
5. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double broiler. Remove from the heat and let cool until tepid but still fluid. When the ice cream is thick and creamy and almost finished, drizzle the melted chocolate slowly through the opening in the top of the ice cream machine and allow it to solidify and break up in the ice cream for about 2 minutes.
6. Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

PS: If you’re in Chicago, stop by the grand opening party for the new Jeni’s in Wicker Park (1505 N. Milwaukee Ave.) TONIGHT (March 17th) from 7 to 10PM for free scoops and a chance to meet Jeni herself.

Asset from the Jeni’s Wicker Park Facebook Page