Kicking off December with the most festive dessert of the season: hot chocolate amaretto ice cream floats!
Happy December 1st, everyone!! I am so happy that it lands on a Friday this year, because as soon as December begins, all I want to do is be extra cozy and cook all of the comforting foods!
I’ve got a ton of great recipes planned for this month…mainly holiday recipes, but also just some plain good winter recipes that make you want to curl up by the fire and go back for plenty of seconds.
This past weekend I spent all of Sunday cooking and shooting, and just when I thought I was done, I had the biggest craving for hot chocolate to relax with by the fire (after doing all the dishes, of course).
I had made some amaretto ice cream the day before without a plan of what I was going to do with it yet. And then I thought…hot chocolate ice cream float it is!
Not going to lie, I drank two full floats…one after the other. They were just too good.
First off… the amaretto ice cream. While strolling the aisles at Whole Foods, I found this really good-looking amaretto syrup. It worked perfectly stirred into my classic vanilla ice cream base. I added a bit of almond extract, too, just to make sure the almond flavor was noticeable.
It turned out creamy and luxurious. If you’re an amaretto fan, you’re going to freak over this stuff. It’s a miracle I had enough of the base left to freeze because I couldn’t stop “taste testing” it!
Ok, so once the ice cream is made (you’ll want to make it the day before), all you need to do is make some hot chocolate. I use real chocolate. I just like it better than using cocoa powder. The end result is richer and really velvety.
The hot chocolate takes all of 10 minutes to make. And from there you are ready to scoop some amaretto ice cream in the most festive glasses you can find and pour the hot chocolate right over top.
I think you should definitely make these floats (and these manchego cheese fritters) a plan for this weekend to kick off the season in a really, really delicious way! I know I for sure will be.
Enjoy!
PrintHot Chocolate Amaretto Ice Cream Floats
a festive hot chocolate amaretto ice cream float
serves: 6
Ingredients
Amaretto Ice Cream
- 2 cups half & half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 9 egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pure almond extract
- 1 ½ tbsp amaretto syrup
- ½ tsp salt
Hot Chocolate
- 6 cups whole milk
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 lb semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Amaretto Ice Cream
Combine the half & half and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat until just simmering (do not boil). While the liquid heats up, whisk the egg yolks vigorously in a mixing bowl until pale yellow. Add both sugars, whisking until incorporated. Temper the egg yolks by slowly whisking in about ⅓ of the heated cream mixture into the bowl.
Once incorporated, pour the tempered eggs into the saucepan with the rest of the cream mixture. Cook until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes over low heat. Transfer the custard to a glass bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract, almond extract, amaretto syrup, and salt.
Place the bowl into a larger bowl full of ice to let cool slightly before refrigerating and cooling completely. Pour the cooled custard into an ice cream maker and process according to the machine’s instructions. At this point, it will be at the soft-serve stage. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer container (I like to use a non-stick, 9” by 4.5”, 1 pound, bread pan). Freeze for a couple of hours before serving.
Hot Chocolate
Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the cinnamon sticks. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once the milk comes to a simmer, slowly whisk in the chocolate chips until fully incorporated. Let simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks.
Scoop the ice cream into festive glasses, 1 or 2 scoops, whatever you prefer. Pour the hot chocolate over the ice cream and enjoy.
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