This decadent Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream is our favourite frozen dessert to scoop when a craving for gianduja hits.
Our quick & easy homemade recipe is prepared using an Ice Cream Maker, which churns dark chocolate custard into a rich and creamy gianduja ice cream.
Classic gianduja flavours, roasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate, make this ice cream recipe the perfect dessert for lovers of Nutella, Ferrero Rocher and Kinder Bueno.
Enjoy as a cool scoop on a hot day or serve as a special dessert like a truffle ice cream sundae with wafer cookies, chopped hazelnuts and warm Nutella drizzle.
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What Is Gianduja?
Gianduia or gianduja is a sweet chocolate spread containing approximately 30% hazelnut paste. The sweet confection was invented in Turin, Italy during Napoleon’s regency, between 1796-1814.
The Continental System, imposed by Napoleon in 1806, prevented British goods from entering European ports under French control, putting a strain on cocoa supplies.
A chocolatier in Turin named Michele Prochet extended the small amount of chocolate he had by mixing it with local hazelnuts. From a base of gianduja, Turin-based chocolate manufacturer Caffarel invented gianduiotto in 1852.
The world’s most famous Gianduja is Nutella, but the popular chocolate and hazelnut combination can be enjoyed in popular confections like Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Bueno and Baci.
Our Gianduja Ice Cream recipe pays homage to the classic flavour pairing, featuring crunchy roasted hazelnuts and chopped chocolate truffles.
What Are Chocolate Truffles?
A chocolate truffle is a type of chocolate confectionery, traditionally made with a chocolate ganache centre coated in chocolate, cocoa powder, coconut, or chopped and toasted nuts, usually in a spherical, conical, or curved shape.
Their name derives from their resemblance to black and white truffles, an edible fungi.
According to legend, French pâtissier Louis Dufour coined the idea for chocolate truffles on Christmas Day, 1895 in Chambray. When he ran out of ideas for Christmas treats he could make to sell to his customers, he chose to try something new.
Dufour made a batch of ganache, shaped them into small round balls, and then dipped them into melted chocolate. He then rolled the chocolate-covered ganache balls in cocoa powder.
This decadent Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream recipe features truffles in two ways: truffles are melted into the ice cream custard giving it a rich and velvety consistency and chopped truffles are incorporated into the soft serve with roasted hazelnuts.
My Family Loves Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream
What family doesn’t love ice cream?
I spent months researching Toronto’s best ice cream & gelato. In search of the city’s most drool-worthy frozen desserts, I found endless inspiring flavour combinations.
As a kid my parents used to take me to local ice cream parlours all the time in Toronto, Markham, Oakville and Muskoka.
Over the years each family member has developed a penchant for a particular flavour. I love Gianduja Ice Cream, Dad hearts Jamoca Almond Fudge, Mom adores Mint Chocolate Chip and my sister raves for Pralines & Cream.
My family loves eating desserts that feature chocolate and hazelnuts. Every Christmas my dad would receive boxes of fine chocolates from his clients. My sister and I would would excitedly snack on heaps of Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Bueno and Baci.
Every holiday season my dad would receive a big box of Truffettes de France. They’d go uneaten because I think he finds them a bit too rich to eat on their own. So I incorporated them into this Truffle Ice Cream recipe to the surprise and delight of the whole family!
Once the truffle flavoured ice cream is finished churning and had the consistency of soft serve, I folded in roasted hazelnuts and chopped chocolate truffles before storing in the freezer overnight.
Gianduja Flavouring Options For Ice Cream
This gourmet ice cream recipe features two special ingredients that we suggest you purchase at a premium. Quality over quantity when it comes to flavouring homemade ice cream!
- Truffettes de France: are the most exquisite truffles made in France. Each truffle is rolled in cocoa powder for a lucious finish.
- Hazelnuts: we like to purchase raw hazelnuts with the skin on and roast them in a toaster oven. Roasting hazelnuts brings out their flavour and gives them a nutty and buttery taste.
Feel free to get creative with your Truffle Ice Cream recipe by incorporating other gianduja flavours.
Add a swirl of Nutella or Lindt Hazelnut Chocolate Spread to the soft ice cream before freezing. You can also add Lindor Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Gianduja Truffles, chopped Lindt Hazelnut Chocolate Bars, Ferrero Rocher, Baci or Kinder Bueno Wafers.
Homemade Ice Cream Recipe Tips
If it’s your first time making homemade Truffle Ice Cream we suggest reading our step by step recipe from top to bottom. Familiarize yourself with each step before you start cooking in the kitchen.
Here are some helpful tips and tricks for first time ice cream makers:
- Use a Hamilton Beach Ice Cream Maker for great results.
- Use organic whole milk and whipping cream if you can find it.
- Add additional gianduja flavour to the ice cream base by adding Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur and Creme do Cocoa to the ice cream base.
- Serve your homemade ice cream immediately out of the machine for soft serve texture, or store in the freezer and scoop for a harder more authentic ice cream parlour experience.
- Serve truffle ice cream simply on a cone or as a fun sundae with cookies, muffins or a slice of Gianduja Lindt Lindor Chocolate Cake.
What To Serve With Gianduja Ice Cream
If you’re an ice cream traditionalist you’ll likely want to lick our Truffle Ice Cream off a cone or scoop out of a bowl all on its own.
If you’re celebrating a special occasion, or simply live your life with the mantra YOLO, dress up your homemade ice cream by serving it as a sundae or between two homemade cookies as a gourmet ice cream sandwich.
We love serving this ice cream recipe smushed between Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies, Dark Chocolate Lindt Lindor Cookies and Oatmeal Chocolate Toffee Walnut Cookies.
If you’re preparing this dessert for a birthday or special celebration like Christmas or Father’s Day we suggest serving a scoop of ice cream with a slice of our popular Gianduja Lindt Lindor Chocolate Cake.
Storing Ice Cream
Once you’ve mixed the freshly churned soft Truffle Ice Cream base store it in the freezer overnight to harden so you can scoop it easily.
If you’re making ice cream sandwiches, form them when the ice cream is soft then immediately store them upright in the freezer in a container or freezer bag.
Our homemade Gianduja Ice Cream can be stored in the freezer for up to a month. But, I really doubt it will last much longer than a few days!
Best Ice Cream Maker
Looking for the best ice cream maker to make homemade gelato, granita, sorbet and sherbet?
You don’t have to own a gelato shop or ice cream parlour to enjoy decadent gourmet ice cream scoops or soft serve at home.
Affordable ice cream makers typically sell for under $100 dollars and include a main base with on/off switch, frozen bowl, paddle attachment and lid. The box usually includes instructions on how to use the ice cream maker and a few easy recipes to get you started.
- Hamilton Beach Ice Cream Maker: 1.5 quart ice cream maker is fully automatic and features a compact bowl that freezes in less than 4 hours. Available in white and red.
- Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker: 2 quart ice cream maker features brushed stainless steel exterior and handy spout for adding mixins.
- Whynter Ice Cream Maker: splurge on this premium professional quality product that has a capacity of 2.1 quarts.
You May Also Enjoy These Ice Cream Recipes…
- Homemade Peaches and Cream Ice Cream
- Chapman’s Checkered Cotton Candy Ice Cream Sundae
- Blueberry Lemon Curd Ice Cream
- Homemade Pralines and Cream Ice Cream
- Black Forest Ice Cream Sundae
- Tropical Coconut Mango Ice Cream Sundae
- Espresso Coffee Java Chip Ice Cream
- Maple Black Walnut Ice Cream
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Earl Grey Ice Cream
- Buttered Popcorn Ice Cream with Caramel
- Chocolate Chip Caramel Banana Nut Ice Cream
How To Make Decadent Gianduja Truffle Ice Cream
Gianduja Hazelnut Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream
Equipment
- French knife
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing bowl
- Large pot
- Small Pot
- whisk
- spatula
- Ice cream maker
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whipping Cream
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 2/3 cup White Sugar
- 1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
- 3 cups Chocolate Truffles chopped
- 6 Egg Yolks
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Roasted Hazelnuts chopped
Instructions
- In a small pot, simmer cream, milk, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups of chopped chocolate truffles until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk yolks and vanilla extract. Whisking constantly, slowly whisk 1/3 of the hot cream into the yolks, then, whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream.
- Return pot to medium-low heat and cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Churn chocolate truffle base in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's directions.
- Scoop churned ice cream into a large mixing bowl and add roasted hazelnuts and remaining chocolate truffle pieces. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to incorporate the nuts and truffles evenly into the ice cream base.
- Serve Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream directly from the bowl as soft serve, or store in the freezer until ready to eat.
Nutrition
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