Blackberry Ripple No Churn Ice Cream & Brandy Snap Cones

 

Ever since first making my Ultimate Dark Chocolate and Malbec No Churn Ice Cream, I have been experimenting with creating different flavours. So far there have been no misses. This isn't me being arrogant or modest, I just really think you can't go too far wrong experimenting with this type of ice cream. All my creations so far have set and apart from a wild idea to make Marmite ice cream there have been no crazy flavours coming out of my kitchen. I'm all for interesting flavours, wasabi ice cream maybe, bacon and jam ice cream we'll see, breast milk ice cream 100% not happening ever (why this was ever sold in London I'm not sure).

I've been foraging for urban blackberries from the bushes near our flat ever since they came into season at the beginning of August when I made this artery clogging but delicious Baked Camembert Topped with Blackberries and Walnuts. As my first no churn ice cream flavour was pretty adventurous with a generous tipple of malbec, I decided to strip it back and go simple. Well as simple as homemade Blackberry and Vanilla Ripple Ice Cream can be. Which coincidentally is simply delicious.

The vanilla ice cream is sweet, creamy and unctuous with the hum of vanilla, providing the kind of comforting goodness only vanilla ice cream can. With one or several swirls of tart blackberry jam through the ice cream it's lifted to new fruity heights. And of course where there's ice cream there has to be a cone, I don't buy in to wafers and I couldn't find any biscuit cones in the shops so obviously I had to have a go at DIYing some. For me there was only one biscuit on my mind, brandy snaps. I adore brandy snaps and have been known (on stressful days) to buy a pack and eat them instead of dinner (the ginger in them was very nutritious once).

Ok I'm lying, I've never eaten a packet of brandy snaps instead of dinner. I've always eaten them as well as my dinner. But who can resist a crispy but buttery ginger biscuit. Show me one man (or woman) who can and I will challenge them to a biscuit staring competition. I'm bound to crack first but if they don't I'll eat my packet of brandy snaps! When you try and shape your cones be careful because they'll be really hot. I have 'asbestos hands' termed because I can handle molten lava with my bare fingers (second lie of the post) so I dived straight in to shaping. However, if you are a delicate flower then consider waiting a minute before shaping or just turn them upside down over bowls for hands free brandy snap baskets.

 I meant to post this recipe on Monday but I've had so much going on with work, family and general procrastination aka rereading Harry Potter (I'm on book 6). At the weekend I made my first ever batch of brownies, I don't know how I haven't made them before (must have been knocked on the head as a child), for a BBQ with my boyfriend's brother, his wife, assorted friends and the person of honour, my (almost) 3 month old niece. She is the cutest chubby chops you've ever seen and although you can't have favourites I have already declared her my favourite niece ever. The brownies were so popular (modesty shining through here) that I've been asked to make some for my niece's baptism. Get excited because not only are these brownies, but they're cheesecake brownies...with blueberries and I'll be sharing the recipe shortly (future nieces and nephews just get plain brownies).

In addition to brownie making and BBQs, there was lots of swimming. Which meant only one thing, I had to have my post swim ice cream, which ties nicely back to this recipe as I went home and stuffed myself with the last of this rippled dream. Post swim ice cream is an essential part of my exercise routine, as is lying on the sofa exhausted. It's hard work burning 470 calories doing lengths and going down the fast flume at the pool a million times. Does anyone else have a set post work out snack? When I used to go to a swimming club as a kid it used to be a Caramac bar or a Zap (psychedelic rippled toffee ice cream on a stick). Wait! Stop everything! Rainbow no churn ice cream? Is it possible, am I crazy, should I do it? All valid questions with only one answer, HELL YES!

That's it. End of post. On to my next ice cream adventure!...straight after this recipe.

Blackberry Ripple & Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream

(makes 750ml)

250g Blackberries

1 tbsp Caster Sugar

1 tbsp Water

1 tbsp Vanilla Paste

300ml Double Cream

1/2 can Condensed Milk (~198ml) 

Step 1. In a saucepan heat the blackberries, caster sugar and water on a medium heat to make the jam for the blackberry ripple, stirring occasionally. Once the jams semi set and the berries have all broken up, leave it to cool and then pass it through a sieve so you've got a smooth coulis.  

Step 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the double cream, condensed milk and vanilla paste until you reach stiff peaks. 

Step 3. Pour a third of the mixture into a suitable freezable container, you can buy disposable pots online, use a tupperware box or just pour it into a cake tin. Then dollop on a third of the jam randomly, using a chop stick feather or whirl and swirl the jam using a chopstick through the vanilla cream. Do this twice more but for the two upper layers don't swirl to the bottom just do it for that layer. Make sure you cover the ice cream with a lid or tightly wrap it in clingfilm, then put it in the freezer for 6 hours. 

Step 4. Before you serve the ice cream take it out of the freezer for about 15 minutes to loosen up. 

Brandy Snap Cones (without the brandy...)

(makes 6-8 cones)

50g Butter

50g Caster Sugar

50g Golden Syrup

50g Plain Flour

1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a saucepan on a medium heat, melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup. Take the pan off the heat and add the sieved flour and ginger into the pan and stir to mix it all together.

Step 2. On a lined baking tray place 2 tbsps of the mix in a circle 10 cm apart from one another. You'll have to do them in batches of two at a time as they will spread and engulf each other if you're not careful.

Step 3. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes till golden brown and doted with holes. Take the brandy snaps out of the oven and leave for a couple of seconds, then working quickly shape each biscuit into cones you can either do this by wrapping it round a mould or using your hands. It's really about what's easy for you.

Step 4. Brandy snap cones made, fill them with ice cream. The good thing about this ice cream is that it doesn't melt too quickly so it won't leak out of the holes as much as that which must not be named (churn ice cream). I actually ate lots of the cones before I filled them with ice cream, in fact I ate a lot of the ice cream without the cones as well. What does that say about me? Probably that I'm a winner.

Have you tried making a no churn ice cream yet? If you have, drop me a comment below with your recipe, I'd love to see what you've done. I'm super keen for a rainbow ice cream, putting it on my weekend agenda as I type. I might even make it toffee flavoured for old times sake. National Burger Day is tomorrow and I'm going to be celebrating in style, probs with several burgers on the go at once. It's made me upset though because here in the UK we don't have a National Ice Cream Day, I want to rectify that wrong so that's why I'm launching the National Ice Cream Day in the UK as the 26th August. What year? Every year. If you want to join my campaign drop me a comment below swearing allegiance to ice cream. Manifesto to be published shortly.