Random Thoughts – Randocity!

I don’t often do food related posts, but in the spirit of randomness, I’m going to do one today. This recipe shows you how to create a hard chocolate shell for ice cream. Let’s explore.

Preface

Unlike some recipes on the net that require you to cook down your chocolate, this one doesn’t require any cooking. In fact, this recipe is so simple and fast, you can create your chocolate shell drizzle in under 5 minutes.

Ingredients

Coconut Oil
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder (I like Hershey’s)
2-3 packets Stevia powder or Sweet N Low powder or Splenda Powder or finely ground sugar

Instructions

This will produce 1 serving for immediate use. Make sure your coconut oil is liquid and not solid. Place it in the microwave and warm it in 30 second increments to liquefy, if needed. Coconut oil becomes liquid above 76ºF/25C. I keep mine on top of the fridge where it gets warmth from the condenser coils and remains liquid most of the year.

In a small container that you can seal, like a small condiment container, pour in 1 tbsp of cocoa powder. On top of the cocoa powder, pour in 2-3 packets of your preferred sweetener. Note, the sweetener must be dry. Do not use any liquid sweeteners as they are made of water and water and oil don’t mix.

The reason I don’t give an exact amount of coconut oil to add is that depending on how thick you like your drizzle, begin by adding a small amount (1/4 tsp) of coconut oil and stir. The less you add, the thicker the drizzle will be. The more you add, the thinner. Keep adding more oil a little at a time until you get your desired consistency. If you go too far with oil, you can always add in more cocoa powder.

Taste the mixture to make sure it’s as sweet as you like it. If it’s not sweet enough, add another packet. If you plan to use this as a hard shell on ice cream (and I’m assuming you are), then you don’t need it overly sweet. The ice cream’s sweetness will take care of that.

Notes

The coconut oil will make the mixture dissolve almost instantaneously. So, don’t worry about clumping or any other problems with the dry powders. You also don’t need to cook or in any way heat the final mixture to use it. It is ready to use immediately after mixed.

If you have any leftovers, don’t refrigerate. Cover and leave in your cabinet. If the mixture hardens because the temperature has gotten too low, hold it in your hand and then stir the mixture to warm it up. It will quickly liquefy for use again.

Note that this mixture will produce a hard shell. It is literally crunchy. If you prefer a softer shell, add in a few drops of vegetable oil. This will prevent the shell from getting fully hard. The more vegetable oil you add, the softer the shell will be. Though, it will still harden. If you would prefer it even more crunchy add in some chopped nuts.

Serving

Pour the drizzle on top of your ice cream. It will take about 30-45 seconds to fully harden. It will change from a shiny surface to a dull matte surface once hardened.

Bon appetit!