Flavours, Swirls and Mix-ins
Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1
Chapter 6 · Flavours, Swirls and Mix-ins
Skill goal
Add swirls and mix-ins at the right time and size, and make a safe cookie dough.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Plain vanilla becomes something special with swirls and mix-ins. The skill is in the timing, the temperature and the size: cold sauces ripple into streaks, cold mix-ins stay crisp, and small pieces are easy to eat when frozen.
The rules
- Chill everything first: warm sauces melt the ice cream and warm mix-ins go soggy.
- Add mix-ins last, folded in with a few strokes, so they stay whole.
- Ripple, don't stir: one or two passes of a knife leave streaks. More makes it muddy.
- Keep pieces small, about the size of a lentil or a hazelnut: frozen large pieces are hard to bite.
- Freeze sticky mix-ins (cookie dough, brownie, fudge) first, so they hold their shape.
| Mix-in | Prepare by | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | Chop small and chill | Large pieces freeze hard |
| Biscuits and cookies | Crush; add last | They soften with time |
| Nuts | Toast and chop; check allergens | Toasting keeps them crunchy |
| Caramel and sauces | Thicken and chill | Thin sauce melts the base |
| Cookie dough | Heat-treat flour, no egg; freeze pieces | Raw flour and egg are unsafe |
Allergens, hot sugar and raw flour
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.Peanuts: peanut butter is a common and serious allergen. Never serve peanut ice cream to a guest without asking about allergies, and keep spoons and tubs separate. Check the label for other nuts.
Making caramel: melted sugar reaches well over 160°C and causes serious burns. Keep the pan handle turned in, never touch or taste it, stand back when adding the cream because it spits and steams violently, and keep children and pets away. Don't stir while the sugar melts (swirl the pan instead). If it burns, let it cool in the pan before washing it.
Raw flour: raw flour can carry harmful bacteria. Don't eat dough or batter containing raw flour: heat-treat flour first, as in the cookie dough recipe, or leave it out.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Chocolate chip ice cream
Chopped chocolate scattered through vanilla: simple, and a good test of mix-in size. Large chunks freeze rock hard, so chop them small, and chill them first.
Ingredients (5 portions)
- 1 batch vanilla no-churn base (Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1, chapter 2)
- 80 g dark chocolate, chopped very small (or mini chocolate chips)
- 1 pinch of salt
- Chop the chocolate into pieces no bigger than a lentil and chill them for 15 minutes.
- Make the vanilla no-churn base. Fold the chocolate in for the last 3 or 4 strokes.
- Pour into a tub, cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Allergens and small children
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.Small children: hard lumps, frozen fruit pieces and nuts can be a choking risk for very young children, so keep pieces small and sit with them while they eat.
Freezer storage: keep the freezer at -18°C or colder, store ice cream in a covered, labelled container, and eat it within about a month for the best taste and texture (general guidance). Don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely, and throw it away if it has been left out for hours.
Level 2 · Sauce
Salted caramel swirl
A dark, buttery, slightly bitter caramel through plain vanilla. Cook it to a deep amber, not pale, or it will taste only sweet. Cool and chill it before use, or it melts the ice cream.
Ingredients (5 portions)
- 100 g caster sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- 100 ml double cream
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes
- 1 batch vanilla no-churn base
- Heat the sugar and water in a heavy pan over a medium heat, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves, then bubble until it turns a deep amber, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Take off the heat and stand back. Pour in the cream (it will bubble up), and stir until smooth. Stir in the salt, pour into a bowl, cool, and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Pour half the vanilla base into a tub, drizzle over half the caramel, add the rest of the base and the rest of the caramel.
- Ripple with a knife twice. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Hot sugar, allergens and freezer
Making caramel: melted sugar reaches well over 160°C and causes serious burns. Keep the pan handle turned in, never touch or taste it, stand back when adding the cream because it spits and steams violently, and keep children and pets away. Don't stir while the sugar melts (swirl the pan instead). If it burns, let it cool in the pan before washing it.Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Freezer storage: keep the freezer at -18°C or colder, store ice cream in a covered, labelled container, and eat it within about a month for the best taste and texture (general guidance). Don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely, and throw it away if it has been left out for hours.
Level 2 · Ripple
Peanut butter ripple
Peanut butter is thick and sticky: loosen it with a little warm water and icing sugar, or it freezes into lumps. Ripple, don't stir.
Ingredients (5 portions)
- 1 batch vanilla no-churn base
- 4 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tbsp warm water
- Stir the peanut butter, icing sugar and warm water until smooth and pourable. Chill for 20 minutes.
- Make the vanilla base. Spoon half into a tub, drizzle half the peanut butter on top, add the rest of the base and the rest of the sauce.
- Ripple with a knife twice. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Peanut allergy
Peanuts: peanut butter is a common and serious allergen. Never serve peanut ice cream to a guest without asking about allergies, and keep spoons and tubs separate. Check the label for other nuts.Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Freezer storage: keep the freezer at -18°C or colder, store ice cream in a covered, labelled container, and eat it within about a month for the best taste and texture (general guidance). Don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely, and throw it away if it has been left out for hours.
Level 3 · Dough
Cookie dough ice cream
Cookie dough pieces are one of the most popular mix-ins, but raw flour and raw egg are not safe to eat. This dough uses heat-treated flour and no egg, and the pieces are frozen first so they stay in lumps.
Ingredients (5 portions)
- 100 g plain flour (to be heat-treated)
- 60 g butter, softened
- 60 g soft light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 60 g chocolate chips
- 1 batch vanilla no-churn base
- Heat-treat the flour (see the box), cool and sift. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy, then mix in the milk, vanilla, flour and chocolate chips to a dough.
- Roll the dough into small pieces the size of a hazelnut, spread on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Make the vanilla base. Fold in the frozen dough pieces for the last 4 strokes.
- Pour into a tub, cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Raw flour, allergens and small children
Heat-treating flour: spread the flour on a baking tray and bake at about 160°C fan (180°C conventional) for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring once, until it is hot all through (about 75 to 80°C if you have a thermometer; general guidance). Cool completely and sift before using. Never eat raw dough or batter made with untreated flour, and there is no raw egg in this dough.Raw flour: raw flour can carry harmful bacteria. Don't eat dough or batter containing raw flour: heat-treat flour first, as in the cookie dough recipe, or leave it out.
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Small children: hard lumps, frozen fruit pieces and nuts can be a choking risk for very young children, so keep pieces small and sit with them while they eat.
Experiments
Experiment
Mix-in size
Small or large.
- Make two small batches of chocolate chip ice cream with finely chopped chocolate and with big chunks. Freeze overnight.
Look for: The big chunks are very hard to bite and can even hurt your teeth. The small pieces melt in the mouth. Cut mix-ins small.
Experiment
When to add
Early or late.
- Fold cookie pieces into one batch of base early, and add them to another just before freezing.
Look for: The early cookies go soft and the ice cream turns grey and sandy. The late ones stay crunchy. Add them last.
Experiment
Ripple thickness
Thin or thick sauce.
- Ripple a thick, chilled caramel through one batch and a thin, warm one through another.
Look for: The thick sauce stays in clear streaks. The thin warm one melts into the base and disappears. Chill and thicken your sauce.
Experiment
Frozen or not
Cold mix-ins.
- Add frozen cookie dough pieces to one batch and room-temperature ones to another.
Look for: The frozen pieces hold their shape; the room-temperature ones smear and make the ice cream soft and sticky. Freeze sticky mix-ins first.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate chip | ||||
| Salted caramel swirl | ||||
| Peanut butter ripple | ||||
| Cookie dough | ||||
| Mix-in size | ||||
| When to add | ||||
| Ripple thickness | ||||
| Frozen or not |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Ripple disappeared | Sauce too thin or warm, or stirred too much | Thicken and chill; ripple only twice |
| Soggy mix-ins | Added too early | Fold in last |
| Rock hard lumps | Pieces too big | Chop small |
| Burnt caramel | Cooked too long or too high | Remove at deep amber; start again with a lower heat |
| Grey, muddy ice cream | Over-mixed | Fold in a few strokes |
| Peanut butter clumps | Too thick | Loosen with warm water and icing sugar |
Allergens, hot sugar and raw flour
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.Peanuts: peanut butter is a common and serious allergen. Never serve peanut ice cream to a guest without asking about allergies, and keep spoons and tubs separate. Check the label for other nuts.
Making caramel: melted sugar reaches well over 160°C and causes serious burns. Keep the pan handle turned in, never touch or taste it, stand back when adding the cream because it spits and steams violently, and keep children and pets away. Don't stir while the sugar melts (swirl the pan instead). If it burns, let it cool in the pan before washing it.
Raw flour: raw flour can carry harmful bacteria. Don't eat dough or batter containing raw flour: heat-treat flour first, as in the cookie dough recipe, or leave it out.
Keeping: ice creams with cookie dough, caramel or nuts keep for about 2 to 3 weeks in a covered tub at -18°C (general guidance). Check the label of anything shop-bought for allergens.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can chop and chill mix-ins to the right size.
- I can ripple a sauce twice without mixing it in.
- I can make caramel safely.
- I know why raw dough isn't safe to eat.
- I check allergens before serving mix-ins.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1, chapter 7 is Scooping, Serving and Storing: sundaes, affogato and keeping ice cream at its best.