Like all of you, I have food memories. I’ve already said how special it was to make ice cream in our house, but I haven’t told you the whole story. I come from an ice cream loving family. When I was a child, my mom would buy Charles Chips Potato Chips. They came in a can, which was my favorite place to sit. I spent way too much time sitting on that can, watching shows like Eddie’s Father, Family Affair, the Brady Bunch and the Partridge Family eating bowls of ice cream. To this day, my mom will say she doesn’t have any food in the house if she’s out of ice cream. I come by it naturally.
If you’ve been following along with my Adventures in Ice Cream, you’ll know that my first batch of ice cream for the summer was the French Vanilla from Vegan a la Mode. Hannah’s recipe for this classic ice cream more than exceeded my expectations, leaving me anxious to try another.
Enter the Mocha-Maca Rocket Fuel. Move over Ben and Jerry, this is the greatest ice cream name ever! Hannah is generously allowing me to share the recipe with you, and if you’ve got the stuff, jump on it. If you don’t, get the stuff. I swapped chocolate chips for the vegan chocolate-covered espresso beans as I don’t think I’ve ever seen them. The ice cream was creamy, smooth and had a great depth of flavor. Something magical happens when the maca meets the chocolate and the coffee. The intensity of this tasty ice cream is really something to behold. Give this recipe a try and see if you don’t agree.
Mocha-Maca Rocket Fuel
Makes about 1 quart Maca is said to be the secret to increased stamina, frequently utilized by ancient warriors. I can’t personally lay claim to any battle victories that maca has guided me to, but all the hype aside, I happen to love that malty, butterscotch flavor, echoing the dark, roasted notes of the coffee so well. Whether it’s a caffeine or superfood content at work, this is one powerful snack sure to liven up the afternoon blah doldrums!Â
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons maca powder
1 to 2 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups plain, non-dairy milk
1/4 cup light agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan chocolate-covered espresso beans, roughly chopped
In a medium saucepan, begin by combining the sugar, maca, instant coffee,cocoa powder,and cornstarch. Pour in about 1/3 cup of the non-dairy milk, and whisk thoroughly to create a thick paste with the dry ingredients. Beat vigorously to ensure that there are no clumps of dry goods remaining, taking particular care to scrape the corners o the pan, where there may be pockets of unmixed ingredients lurking. Once smooth, add in the remainder of the non-dairy milk, as well as the agave.
Set on the stove over moderate heat and whisk periodically, until the mixture reaches a full boil. Reduce the heat slightly to maintain a brisk simmer and cook for an additional two minutes. Turn off the heat, whisk in the vanilla, and let cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge for at least three hours.
Churn in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s directions. In the last five minutes, gradually sprinkle in the chopped espresso beans so that the paddle of the machine incorporates and distributes the pieces throughout the ice cream. Transfer the soft ice cream to an airtight container and store it in the freezer for three hours minimum, or until frozen solid, before serving.
Many thanks to Hannah for allowing me to share this fantastic recipe with you, and for writing such a terrific book for the ice cream lovers among us.
Next up in ice cream: peanut butter chocolate chip from Lick It!
On another sweet note, have you seen this review of American Vegan Kitchen? Check out the photos! Many thanks to Kovas, the man behind the blog, who has a mission to try wine from every one of the states. I’m rooting for you!
14 Comments
Such a cute ice cream memory- I can completely visualize this, too.
I’m so glad you liked the Mocha Maca Rocket Fuel! I was -this- close to cutting it from the book, just because I was unhappy with the photo. Good thing I kept it in!
i love that name — rocket fuel — so cute!
Glad it made it in the book, Hannah! And what are you talking about on the photo? They are all beautiful.
GFHT, it lives up to it’s name.
where can one get maca powder?
Nice story! Funny, as a kid, we ate ice cream with salty things, like chips or pretzels, and the salt-sweet combo is amazing.
Have to get my hands on Hannah’s new book
erica, I got mine at the co-op, but I’m guessing it’s available at Whole Foods or online.
Dynise, my dad loved the potato chips on top of ice cream. It was his fave!
That ice cream looks & sounds amazing, I’m trying to clear space in my freezer for an ice cream machine bowl & then I’ll be buying the book.
Hurray for freezer space! Fill it with ice cream!
Tami, we must be the same vintage! When I read that listing of TV shows, I was telescoped right back to my childhood! Thanks for the memories…and the tasty-sounding recipe!
Betsy, we must be of ‘an age’. The recipe is a winner, hope you try it!
My mom used to get those chips! But unsalted. Blech! We used those canisters for seats (among other things). I went to half day kindergarten (rock on 1979!) And would sit in the kitchen on my Charles chips canister in the morning after “Laverne and Shirley” and watch the clock until it was time to walk to the bus stop.
Unsalted! Ewwwwww…. but I am admittedly a big fan of salt. Those cans were a bigger hit than I bet they ever knew.
I grew up in a house where we were out of food if we didn’t have ice cream as well. Watching too much I Love Lucy and Brady Bunch eating chips…ah memories.
My favorite after school snack was actually saltine crackers with marshmallow fluff. I am so glad my kids won’t have that memory, but it was a found one for me.
It’s such a luxury to only eat homemade ice cream now. Linda… funny what we liked as kids, isn’t it?