Martha Mondays: Peanut Butter-Chocolate Semifreddo (ice cream)

Can you say peanut butter cup ice cream?  Oh yeah, that's what we're talkin' about here!  The best part is that I made it low-sugar too!  This ice cream dessert is decadent.  It's elegant enough to serve at a fancy dinner party, yet easy enough to make so you could serve it to a group of  lucky kids.  It's so creamy that you'll want to lick the bowl.

I haven't participated in Martha Mondays in quite a while and I'm so glad I jumped in this time.  Brette of Martha and Me, who hosts Martha Mondays, chose this splendid dessert from Everyday Food Magazine July/Aug 2010 issue.  To see how everyone else's turned out and what they thought of the recipe go here for their link-ups.  Why not join us next week as we're making chocolate pudding from avacado and dates - yum!

Like most Martha recipes, there were a few steps that I had to read and reread before I understood what I was supposed to do.  They didn't include the water in the ingredients list, which is enough to throw me off completely.  Hey, I've never made ice cream before ;o)  I retyped the recipe with my notes, and a little more direction for clarity below.

I replaced the sugar in this recipe using Truvia packets.  Truvia is made from Stevia which is a natural source (I even have a Stevia plant in my garden).  I'm not a big fan of the other chemical-laden sweeteners and this seems to be a more natural choice as it's made from plants.  Truvia's website has lots of recipes and a conversion chart for sugar here.  The sugar in this recipe comes from the peanut butter which only has 3g per 2Tbsp.  If you use home made peanut butter, then you could make this dessert completely sugar-free.

Note - I wasn't paid or asked to recommend Truvia, nor did I receive any free samples or anything.. but I'd love some!

PEANUT BUTTER-CHOCLATE SEMIFREDDO
from Everyday Food Magazine July/Aug 2010

2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups sugar (36 packets of Truvia)
2 cups creamy peanut butter (it's says not natural but I'm not sure why)
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (I used Hershey's chips made with Splenda)
1/2 cup water
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Line a 5x10" jumbo loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a 4" overhang on all sides.  (I had to use a much bigger 7x10" pan and it was right to the brim!)

In a medium saucepan, combine milk and 1 cup sugar (or 24 Truvia packets).  Bring to a simmer over medium-high, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat, add peanut butter, and whisk until smooth.  Transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature (about an hour).

In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup sugar (12 Truvia packets) and 1/2 cup water to a boil over medium-high, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat, add chocolate and stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.  Transfer to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature (about an hour).

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer (because it takes almost 5 minutes!), whisk cream and vanilla until soft peaks form.

Add half the peanut butter mixture and whisk until combined.

With a rubber spatula, add half the remaining peanut butter mixture (1/4 and you'll still have 1/4 left over) and gently fold 3 times (mixture will be rippled). (I folded mine about 10 times to get it mixed in somewhat).

Transfer half the cream/peanut butter mixture to loaf pan.  Top with half the peanut butter mixture and 1/4 cup chocolate mixture.  Top with remaining cream/peanut butter mixture, then drizzle with remaining peanut butter mixture and 1/4 cup chocolate mixture.  With a skewer or thin-bladed knife, swirl mixtures together. 

Freeze until firm, about 5 hours (or up to 3 days).  Let sit 20 minutes at room temperature before serving with extra chocolate sauce.

Printable Recipe

This is crazy good. 
Enjoy!