Rocky Road Ice Cream

I think chocolate and marshmallow might just be soul mates.  Or maybe more like yin and yang.  Chocolate is the dark, and marshmallow is the light.  Dense and rich belong to chocolate, while marshmallow owns air and fluff.  The pairing of them together in any sort of dessert is a match made in heaven, or maybe more like a perfect dinner date between heaven and hell. 

In any case, I hope none of you missed out on my last post, where I made homemade marshmallows and graham crackers from scratch as my entry in Project Food Blog.  There are photo tutorials, adorable heart-shaped marshmallows, smiling honey bears, and open flames; if none of these are able to convince you that my post is a must read, well then, we might not be able to keep being friends.  (Joking, obviously.  Sort of.)  But seriously, it has been my most viewed post to date, so I hope you are enjoying it!  If you think it is really great, voting is still ongoing for round four of Project Food Blog, so pop on over to my entry on Foodbuzz and show me some love with a little vote.   

But back to my marshmallows.  After coming back from a wonderful camping trip this weekend, my lungs were full of fresh air and my mind was full of ideas for using the extra marshmallows I had made.  For some reason I had my mind set on candied yams with marshmallow topping (you will probably see those pop up here soon...), but then I started having intense, undeniable cravings for chocolate.  Hmm... lets see.  Yams versus chocolate, do we even need to discuss which one wins this battle?  

When I caved and decided I would make dessert, I immediately knew I wanted ice cream.  Call me crazy since cooler weather usually means crisps and pies are suitable for the season; however, fate and my tastebuds led me to ice cream, and ice cream led me to Rocky Road.  Chocolate ice cream, tiny marshmallows, and almonds = the perfect way to use extra marshmallows and get my chocolate fix.

Plus, can I tell you the best part?  No, it isn't that I ate some of this ice cream for dinner today (although that was completely awesome); the best part about making this recipe is that my dark chocolate ice cream base uses two egg yolks!!!  Yeah... I am guessing you can't understand why this is exciting, but let me remind you that you need precisely two egg whites to make homemade marshmallows, which leaves you with two lonely egg yolks that are just begging to get chummy with chocolate in this ice cream.  I am someone who hates wasting food, so of course this tiny fact made my day, and even further cemented my resolve about making ice cream.  


Adding 'mix-ins' (ie. the marshmallows and almonds) through the top of my ice cream maker for the first time was definitely pretty cool.  I especially loved watching the snow white marshmallows get sucked down into the depths of the churning dark chocolate like quicksand.  

Do I need to tell you this ice cream is delicious?  I could tell you that, but for me it is almost old news.  Since first posting my recipe for Dense, Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, I have made several more batches and it never fails to be just the cure for any chocolate craving, no matter how intense.  Turning it into Rocky Road just gives it a facelift and takes it to that in-between-heaven-and-hell place where I can't be sure if ice cream for dinner is naughty or nice.  Lets go with nice for now.

Rocky Road Ice Cream


1 batch of Dense, Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
1 cup of mini marshmallows, if homemade (best!) cut into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup slivered almonds (add more if you really love nuts)


Make the ice cream first, according to the recipe linked above.  When your chocolate custard mixture is cooled, process in your ice cream maker according to instructions.  During the last five minutes, add in the almonds first, followed by the marshmallows, through the top of your ice cream maker.  Process for a few more minutes, or enough to evenly distribute the marshmallows and almonds.  Transfer to a container, seal, and freeze overnight.  


Alternatively, if you make homemade marshmallows and want Rocky Road Ice Cream without making your own chocolate ice cream, you can purchase chocolate ice cream from the store.  Let it sit at room temperature until it is just soft enough that you can stir it with a spoon without too much force, but not liquidy.  Add the marshmallows and almonds, and stir with a spoon to evenly distribute.  Cover and re-freeze the ice cream until solid.