double chocolate mochi bit ice cream with black sesame fudge sauce

This ice cream owes its existence to a younger and more foolish me, who once had what she thought was a genius idea, oh, you always eat brownies way too quickly, maybe if you freeze them, you’ll eat them slower, and who then found frozen brownies to be the best thing she had ever encountered and ate them all the live long day until she became the me of today: older, wiser, and significantly more full of brownies.

There’s just something magical that happens to brownies in the freezer–especially the underdone variety–because what was once gooey and molten at room temperature isn’t rock hard when frozen, but fantastically chewy, a little less sweet than when warm, which gives it a deeper, more pronounced chocolate flavor. So when, the other day, I was looking for a good, classic creamy chocolate ice cream–it seems like it shouldn’t be as hard to buy from a supermarket as it has been!–and decided to make one from scratch, obviously brownie bite ice cream it was.

I wanted the darkest, chocolatiest ice cream I could find, and so naturally Jeni’s was the one that ended up being exactly what I wanted–as usual, her recipes require no eggs, which is already a major plus in my book, but despite that they turn out magically fluffy, light, and scoopable, with a purer and deeper flavor on an egg-free canvas.

Jeni’s recipe requires two types of chocolate, which you’d think would be enough if you were anyone other than me, but here is where I got a litle distracted. On the way to brownie ice cream we took a slight detour and ended up at mochi brownie bits. I can’t say I’m sorry. Chocolate mochi at room temperature has even more of that tender, pillow-like lightness that makes it chewy and delicious frozen. Chocolate makes my typical mochi recipe a bit less pliable than usual and a bit more tender, but as frozen it made no difference, and the contrast between the dark, chewy mochi bits and sweet chocolate ice cream (Jeni’s, who else) was just what we were looking for.

Finally (since I was off the rails anyway) I decided to gild the lily with black sesame fudge sauce, which adds a dark, bitter toastiness that compliments the chocolate in the best way (a flavor combination I’ve been smitten with ever since this loaf in my cookbook). But you can be reasonable and just have it as is–in these dog days of summer, it is perfect either way.

double chocolate mochi bit ice cream with black sesame fudge sauce

Chocolate ice cream base based on the inimitable Jeni’s, which I love because it lets you skip all the coddling of an egg-based ice cream, yet never fails to yield a dreamily fluffy, scoopable ice cream. Fudge sauce based on Smitten Kitchen.

Scale

Ingredients

For the chocolate mochi bits:

1 cup sweet rice (Mochiko) flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

¹/₂ teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup milk

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Sweet potato starch or regular cornstarch for dusting

For the ice cream:

2 cups milk

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup more, divided

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

1⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1⁄2 cup brewed coffee

1 1⁄2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

For the black sesame fudge sauce:

2 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds

1/3 cup (155 ml) heavy or whipping cream

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the mochi bits, up to one day ahead: Preheat the oven to 275° F and line a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
Heat the butter and the chocolate together in a small saucepan over low heat or in a bowl in the microwave in 15-second increments, stirring frequently until smooth. Whisk in the milk and vanilla, then add to the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth.
Pour the mixture into the lined baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes. The mochi is done when it is soft and gelatinous but holds its shape when touched. If not set at an hour, raise the temperature to 300° F and remove the foil. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, uncovered.
Let cool completely or overnight. Dust a surface with your starch (alternatively, you can simply use more mochiko flour) and turn the mochi onto the surface. Sprinkle starch over the mochi. Cut the mochi into small pieces, then dust again with starch or flour. Set aside.
Make the ice cream: In a bowl, stir together 1⁄4 cup milk and the cornstarch; set slurry aside. In a separate bowl, place the cream cheese and allow to warm to room temperature. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the remaining milk and the cream, sugar, syrup, and salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 4 minutes, watching to make sure the mixture doesn’t boil over (slide the pot halfway off the heat if it does). Stir in the slurry, then return to a boil and cook, still stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture over the cream cheese and whisk vigorously until smooth. Then whisk in the remaining milk mixture.
Rinse out the saucepan and return to heat. Add the cocoa, brewed coffee, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Cook for 30 seconds, then remove from heat and stir in chocolate.
Stir the chocolate mixture into the ice cream base. Chill overnight or place into a Ziploc or jar and then into an ice bath until fully cold.
Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers’ instructions. Add a third of the ice cream to a 9×4 loaf pan. Sprinkle the mochi bits over the ice cream, then add another third and repeat. Finish with the rest of the ice cream and more mochi bits. (You’ll have a lot of chocolate mochi left over. It’s excellent straight from the freezer or fridge.) Place the loaf pan into the freezer to allow the ice cream to firm completely.
While the ice cream is chilling, make the fudge sauce: Pulse the toasted black sesame seeds in a small food processor or blender until it forms a fine powder. Combine the cream, syrup, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low, stirring, just until melted, then remove from heat and stir in the black sesame powder and the chocolate until smooth. Use immediately over the ice cream or refrigerate for up to a week.