Homemade Cool Britannia Ice Cream

A creamy homemade vanilla ice cream, studded with chocolate covered shortbread and strawberries.

This post is sponsored by Smith Brother's Farms. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make two sugar bugs possible.

I've already professed my love of ice cream. Homemade Cool Britannia ice cream is my all time favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor; chocolate covered shortbread and strawberries in creamy vanilla ice cream.

This flavor was around from 1995-1998 before making it's way to the flavor graveyard. I remember being so sad when this flavor disappeared from stores. It's hard for me to believe it has taken me twenty one (21!!) years to make a homemade copycat version. I know you are going to love it.

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So, have I mentioned that we have a milk man? Like a real deal, milk man that drives a truck and carries the milk up to my porch?? Smith Brother's Farms was established in 1920 and has been serving the greater Seattle area ever since. We have an adorable insulated box that sits on our front porch and once a week we get our delivery of fresh from the farm milk and local products. My family has been customers since 2012 and we can't imagine ever going back to buying store bought milk.

I am beyond excited to share my homemade ice cream recipe today, which was made using Smith Brother's Products.

Homemade Cool Britannia ice cream takes a few steps to create, but it is absolutely worth it. The end result is a creamy vanilla ice cream with crunchy and chocolatey shortbread and sweet strawberries. It is pure bliss!

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE COVERED SHORTBREAD

Start with a good quality shortbread cookie and dark chocolate. I like Walker's shortbread and Callebaut chocolate. Ghiradelli, Lindt and Trader Joe's Pound Plus dark chocolate are other good options for chocolate.

Melt the chopped dark chocolate with ½ teaspoon of coconut oil (canola or vegetable oil work as well). I use a double boiler, but a microwave can also be used. After the chocolate and oil are melted together, dip the shortbread cookies until fully covered in chocolate. They do not have to be perfect and pretty as they will be chopped into bite size pieces. Allow to cool and harden on a wire cooling rack, parchment paper or waxed paper.

Then prepare your strawberries by thinly slicing and chopping them. Place strawberries in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside while you prepare the vanilla ice cream.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM

Whisk the eggs and set aside. Then stir together the granulated sugar, half and half, and ½ cup of milk in a medium-large size saucepan.  Heat the mixture over medium-low heat until it reaches a simmer.

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Once simmering, remove pan from heat and quickly add half of the mixture to the beaten eggs.  Whisk quickly to keep the eggs from scrambling.

Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and stir in the heavy cream and remaining ½ cup of milk.  Cook over medium-low, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon (about 10 minutes on my stove).

Remove saucepan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.

Pour the ice cream base into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cool (approximately 2 hours).  Once cool, pour mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions (approximately 30 minutes). 

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

While the vanilla ice cream is churning, chop the chocolate covered shortbread into bite size pieces.

Next, lightly mash the strawberries with a fork.

Once the ice cream has finished churning, move ice cream to a bowl and fold in the chocolate covered shortbread followed by the strawberries. Be gentle while mixing in the strawberries and only mix a couple of times or the ice cream will turn pink in color.

If you don't want to make a traditional ice cream base or don't have an ice cream maker; have no fear. Follow my good friend Kathleen's Circus Animal Cookie Ice Cream recipe up through step 2 and then add in the chocolate covered shortbread and strawberries.

Transfer the ice cream to a loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap or place ice cream in an air-tight container and store in the freezer. Ideally, ice cream should firm up for a minimum of 6 hours before serving.

Recipe shared with Full Plate Thursday, Meal Plan Monday and Weekend Potluck