Is it too cold for ice cream?
I don’t think so. Then again, I rarely say no to ice cream.
I inherited the ice cream gene from my father. He refers to it as getting in his daily “vitamin I.”
That is some sound logic, if you ask me. You can find five varieties of ice cream in his freezer at all times. No exaggeration.
This particular ice cream came about after I was a little overzealous with the blood oranges. I do this every winter. I go hog wild on the citrus.
Blood oranges, in particular, are such a treat and I can rarely find them in these parts, so when I DO see them, I stock up.
And then I’m left trying to come up with fun ways to eat or drink them before they go bad. It’s not a terrible problem to have, but sometimes I really have to get creative. This time around, I thought an orange ice cream was the way to go.
This ice cream turned out beautifully. It reminds me a creamsicle. A blood orange creamsicle. A blood orange creamsicle dunked in drunken chocolate.
Oh yeah. Good stuff. The boozy hot fudge sauce is optional but HIGHLY recommended. It’s just my play on the classic flavor combo of orange and chocolate…with a little booze mixed in. You really can’t go wrong here.
The creaminess of this ice cream is crazy and the fresh orange flavor really shines through. It is so, so delicious. I like to add a touch of natural orange food coloring to this to ensure we know that it’s orange ice cream, but that step is completely optional.
The ice cream process itself may seem intimidating (I get it – I used to fear homemade ice cream, too), but it’s actually not that complicated to do. Maybe a little temperamental because of the risk of scrambling the eggs, but NOT hard. I promise!
It takes some patience, but that’s about it! Make sure you carefully read through the recipe instructions. This will ensure that you don’t scramble your eggs and the results are creamy, dreamy, and creamsicle-esque!
Yum.
I want to face plant into that pool of yumminess up there.
Print
Blood Orange Ice Cream with Spiked Hot Fudge Sauce
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This Blood Orange Ice Cream with Spiked Hot Fudge Sauce tastes like a creamsicle! A blood orange creamsicle! Doused in boozy hot fudge sauce. It’s easy to make and bursting with fresh citrus flavor. The hot fudge sauce is a bonus but a highly recommended one!
Ingredients
For the Ice Cream:
- 3 cups half-and-half
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons blood orange zest
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice (see NOTE)
- 1–2 drops of orange food coloring (optional!)
For the Hot Fudge Sauce:
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup sugar
- 6 oz evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (optional)
Instructions
For the Ice Cream:
- Combine the half-and-half, ¼ cup of the sugar, vanilla, salt, and zest in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and remaining ¼ cup of sugar in a bowl until pale and frothy. Very slowly, add the warm half-and-half mixture to the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
- Once everything is incorporated, return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring CONSTANTLY, until the custard is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. This will take anywhere between 5-10 minutes. Don’t rush it – you don’t want to cook this too quickly or at too high a heat or you’ll scramble the eggs.
- Remove the custard from the heat and pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. If using the food coloring to amp up the orange hue, stir in a drop or two now. This is totally optional.
- Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing the plastic down into the bowl to gently touch the surface of the custard. This will prevent it from forming a skin on top.
- Cool the custard to room temperature and then chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. I often will make the custard the night before and chill it overnight.
- Transfer the chilled custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the machine instructions.
- Transfer the churned ice cream to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
For the Hot Fudge Sauce:
- Combine all the ingredients except the liqueur in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in liqueur.
- Carefully pour mixture into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, venting the top of your blender every so often so the heat doesn’t build up too much.
- Serve the ice cream topped with the warm fudge sauce.
- If using at a later time, gently reheat the fudge sauce by microwaving in 15-second increments, stirring after each round, until smooth and melted. It will keep in an airtight container (like a mason jar) in the fridge for several weeks.
Notes
- Blood oranges are not available all year, so this ice cream can be made with any orange variety you prefer or can find. I recommend navel or cara cara oranges as a good substitute. No matter what citrus you choose, ensure that you are using FRESHLY squeezed juice. It makes a huge difference!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes (plus extra chill time)
- Category: dessert
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
I just got myself my very first ice cream maker and this ice cream looks like it will the first I will be making. Unfortunately, I might have to use regular oranges as you suggested as I am not sure where to find blood oranges. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
I hope you enjoy it!
Just finished making the BLOOD ORANGE ICE CREAM.
The recipe calls for 1 cup fresh squeezed juice from blood oranges ( love the color) . Although the recipe doesn’t say when to add the juice I’m assuming it gets stirred in once the custard has cooled to room temperature ? That’s what I did anyway and added 2 teaspoons of Grand Marnier . Keeping my fingers crossed that it churns up beautifully!
I’ll update after mixture has chilled overnight and is churned .
Plenty of time to get the hot fudge sauce ready!!
Blood Orange mmmmmm