Ingredients

Serves 8-10

Extra-Chocolatey Cookies
Makes 32

400 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
110 g unsalted butter at room temperature
120 g brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
80 g plain flour
35 g cocoa
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt

 

Classic Vanilla Ice Cream
Makes 1.25 litres

500 ml cream
500 ml full cream milk
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
220 g sugar
10 egg yolks

 

Rich Chocolate Ice Cream
1.25 litres Classic Vanilla ice cream
750 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

 

Method

Extra-Chocolatey Cookies
Melt 120 g of the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave to cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Cream the butter and sugar with electric beaters until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the cooled melted chocolate, then the egg and the vanilla.
Sift the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a separate bowl, then add to the chocolate mixture and mix to a smooth dough. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate.
Roll into walnut-sized balls and arrange on trays lined with baking paper, leaving plenty of space between the balls as they spread while cooking. Press the balls down with the back of a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.


Classic Vanilla Ice Cream
Combine the milk, vanilla pod & seeds and half the sugar in a large heavy-based saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat and bring to just below a simmer, then remove the pan from the heat.
Put the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and foamy (use a whisk attachment if you have an electric mixer). With the motor on low speed, add a little of the hot cream mixture, then slowly pour in the rest. Return the mixture to the rinsed-out saucepan and stir continuously over a low heat for 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. If you have a sugar thermometer, the mixture should reach 65-70°C.
Strain back into the rinsed-out mixing bowl set over a larger bowl (or sink) of iced water and allow to cool. Fish out the vanilla pod and scrape any remaining seeds into the custard.
When the custard is cold, pour into an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to one month.


Rich Chocolate Ice Cream
Make the vanilla ice cream, add the chocolate to the thickened hot custard, stirring until completely melted, before returning the custard to the mixing bowl set over iced water.
When the custard is cold, pour into an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an air tight container and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.

 

To serve, sandwich a slice of chocolate ice cream between two cookies.