I wonder if I’ll ever make traditional churned ice cream from scratch again.
I don’t see a reason to! The no-churn method is so wonderfully easy! There’s no tempering eggs and melting sugar and all that jazz.
This version is straight-up scrumptious. I have always loved black cherry ice cream, and I’ve always loved the chocolate-cherry combo. So, this flavor just made sense in my world.
This ice cream starts by cooking some fresh cherries in sugar and amaretto liqueur. Are you drooling yet? That alone was delicious – I could have spooned it over vanilla ice cream and used it as a topping itself. So, so good.
Then, we fold the amaretto poached cherries into the no-churn ice cream base of sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and freshly whipped cream. We also add some amaretto to the base for good measure. It adds such a luxurious flavor to the ice cream!
If you don’t want to use the alcohol, you can omit it completely from the recipe (see the notes section of the recipe below) and sub in a splash of almond extract if you like. Almond and cherry are an amazing combination. Almond and chocolate are an amazing flavor combination. So, you can’t really go wrong.
Finally, a generous chopping of dark chocolate goes into the mix. Don’t skimp! We need it not only for its wonderful flavor but for its texture as well. Mix it all up and get it into a baking dish or loaf pan and freeze for a few hours.
The result is a ridiculously creamy, sweet, and slightly boozy concoction that tastes like the best chocolate-covered cherry ever. You really can’t tell that this ice cream hasn’t been churned in an ice cream machine. You really can’t tell that it doesn’t have the traditional egg custard base.
This is why I may never go back.
Dan said that it might be the best ice cream I’ve made yet, although he had a hard time choosing between this one and the browned butter PB&J one I recently shared. Both are insane. Both require very little active work!
The hardest part of both recipes is waiting for the ice cream to freeze long enough. I recommend a minimum of four hours, but really, 6-8 hours or even overnight is best. I know. Trust me when I say this ice cream is worth the wait!
As we ease into mid July, fresh cherries are becoming more and more difficult to find. I think we’ve got a couple weeks left and then we’re done for another year. So! Run to the store and scoop up some cherries so you can make this ice cream! Or these steaks. Or this mojito.
I’m clearly having a cherry moment over here. It happens every late spring/early summer when they first start showing up at the stores again.
Sorry not sorry!
No-Churn Amaretto Cherry & Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
- Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This No-Churn Amaretto Cherry & Dark Chocolate Ice Cream tastes like the best chocolate-covered cherry ever! It’s sweet, creamy, a touch boozy and you’d never know that it wasn’t made with an ice cream machine. No tempering eggs, straining, or melting sugar involved in this one. The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze!
Ingredients
For the Cherries:
- 1½ cups fresh cherries, pitted
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur (see NOTE)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
For the Ice Cream:
- 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
- 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur (see NOTE)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- Pinch of salt
- The cherries
- 4 oz dark chocolate, grated or finely chopped
- Additional fresh cherries, for serving (optional)
- Hot fudge sauce or chocolate syrup, for serving (optional)
Instructions
For the Cherries:
- Place the ingredients in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the cherries are very soft and juicy.
- Cool to room temperature.
For the Ice Cream:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, amaretto, vanilla, and salt.
- In another bowl (using a stand/handheld mixer), whip the cold heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the whipped cream, in batches, into the sweetened condensed milk base. Fold gently, being careful to not deflate the air from the cream as much as possible. This is what gives your ice cream a churned texture without having to use an ice cream maker.
- Gently fold in the cherries and grated dark chocolate.
- Line a baking dish or loaf pan with parchment paper and gently scoop the ice cream base into the pan, smoothing out the top.
- Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours (6-8 hours is ideal!).
- To serve, let ice cream sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly and then scoop into bowls or cones and enjoy drizzled with hot fudge sauce and fresh cherries, as desired.
Notes
The amaretto is completely optional in this recipe. If omitting, add ½ teaspoon almond extract to the ice cream base in addition to the vanilla OR just use vanilla! Whatever you prefer.
- Prep Time: 4 hours 30 minutes (mostly inactive freezing time)
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- 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!
The recipe doesn’t state if you are too drain the cherries or add the cherries AND juice they were cooked in. Do you drain them?
Hi Christine! Thanks for the question – you can stir the cooking liquid right in with the cherries. There shouldn’t be too much anyway. Hope this helps!