My love for goat cheese clearly has no limits.
I folded it into ice cream.
It’s not strange — the goat cheese is melted into the cream base, not left as chunks. Melted goat cheese blended with cream and chocolate creates a silky, tangy, and rich base that’s surprisingly familiar.
And yes, it’s combined with plenty of chocolate for extra decadence.
This makes me very happy.
I’ve wanted to make goat cheese ice cream for a long time — inspired years ago by a version I tried from Jeni’s. That tangy, creamy flavor stuck with me, and it felt inevitable to recreate it at home.
If you haven’t tried Jeni’s, it’s worth sampling if you get the chance. The idea of a goat cheese ice cream stuck with me and pushed this recipe forward.
Here’s what you end up with: chocolate cheesecake in ice cream form. The goat cheese provides a tang that reads like cheesecake, while the milk chocolate offers a sweet, mellow balance. It reminded me of a chocolate cheesecake my aunt used to make.
The ice cream is studded with fudgy ganache chunks. I make a simple ganache, chill it until firm, scoop mini pieces and add them to the ice cream during the last minutes of churning so you get soft, chewy bits throughout.
Absolutely fabulous.
A milk chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate fudge ribbons and chunks — rich, tangy, and lush.
Ridiculously creamy.
This is one of many unconventional chocolate ice creams I make that raises questions at home: why not just make plain chocolate? My answer: plain chocolate is fine, but this version is more interesting.
It’s essentially classic chocolate ice cream elevated by tangy goat cheese and rich ganache pieces — familiar enough to enjoy, but surprising enough to be memorable.
Chocolate Fudge Goat Cheese Ice Cream
Yield:
1 quart
8 hrs
Ingredients
- 8 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
- ganache fudge chunks (see below)
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (for ganache)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream (for ganache)
Instructions
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Let the goat cheese sit at room temperature for an hour or two so it softens. Place it in a large bowl and whisk until fairly smooth; this may take a few minutes.
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In a large saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, sugar, cocoa and corn syrup. Heat over medium, whisking constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low, whisk in the chopped milk chocolate until melted, then remove from heat.
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Pour the hot chocolate mixture over the softened goat cheese while whisking. Continue whisking until the goat cheese is fully incorporated and no white bits remain, about 5 minutes. Chill the base in the refrigerator for an hour or two.
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To make the ganache, place the semi-sweet chocolate in a bowl. Heat 3/4 cup heavy cream until bubbling at the edges, pour it over the chocolate, let sit one minute, then whisk until smooth. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate until firm, about an hour. Once chilled, scoop spoonfuls or cut into small chunks for folding into the ice cream.
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Churn the chilled ice cream base according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. In the last few minutes of churning, add the ganache pieces so they incorporate evenly. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, add a few extra ganache spoonfuls if desired, cover, and freeze 4 to 6 hours before serving.
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I.can’t.even.