Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe

There are two kinds of people in this world…

Those who make ice cream with a mix of milk and cream — and those of us who boldly go all-in with just cream.

I proudly belong to the latter camp. Whether it’s pistachio-cardamom, double vanilla, mint chocolate chip (using fresh mint leaves, of course) or chocolate chocolate chip, I start with heavy cream. Only cream. Ideally raw. And honestly? You should too. Why? Because ice cream made with pure heavy cream just tastes… better. Richer. Dreamier. Like the grass-fed dairy gods meant it to be.

Now, let’s talk about summer. It’s been a perpetual sweat lodge here in northern New Mexico. While I’m not built for frigid winters, I’m even less equipped for high-altitude desert heat. However, I’ve developed a few survival tactics to keep the sun from frying my mood, nervous system, and general ability to put one foot in front of the next. Air conditioning isn’t one of them — we don’t have it. Mostly because we only need it for about one week a year. My wife, who grew up in Phoenix, disagrees. This disagreement reemerges like clockwork every July. And just as reliably, we forget about it by August.’

Since we don’t currently live near a river (spoiler alert: that’s changing soon — stay tuned for some very splashy updates!), managing my excessive perimenopausal body heat in the middle of a high desert summer takes strategy. We’re talking survival mode.

My top tactics? Sticking my head in the cows’ water trough (they don’t seem to mind — I swear they find it entertaining: what is this overheated human doing in our drinking water?!), taking cold showers, guzzling iced anything… and, of course, eating ice cream.

Now, depending on what podcast you’re into, which wellness practitioner you're seeing, or what health tome is currently face-down on your nightstand, you probably have some opinions swirling around in your head about ice cream.

Let’s just clear the air right now.

Ice cream has been blamed for everything from damp constitutions to digestive sluggishness, inflammation, mucus build-up, estrogen dominance, and general moral collapse. And to that, I say: please.

The only trustworthy authority on whether or not you should eat ice cream is… your body.
That’s it. Not your podcast host. Not your acupuncturist. Not the latest celery-juice prophet. Just you. If you eat it and feel good — enjoy it. If you don’t — maybe don’t. Revolutionary, I know.

So for the love of joy and all things creamy, I invite you to release the fear, the guilt, the cold-damp warnings, and the digestive fire catastrophizing — and just eat the damn ice cream. With fervor. And zero body flagellation. It may take a few tries to let all of the old food follies go, but trust me, with time and practice you’ll get there.

As always, I use the best ingredients I can get my hands on. Real food. Grown outdoors. In sunlight. With roots or hooves in the ground. Not only does it taste better, but it’s more nutrient-dense, more mineral-rich, and—dare I say it—vibrates at a higher frequency than something you’d get from a chain drive-thru or even at your organic grocer.

Each week, I make ice cream for my family (mostly my wife) and our farm customers using raw cream from our dairy cows and pastured eggs from our hens. If you can get your hands on raw, grass-fed cream, do it. It’ll give you the richest, creamiest, most luscious ice cream of your life. No exaggeration.

If raw cream’s not an option, look for grass-fed cream at the store — and skip anything that says ultra-pasteurized. Your arteries (and your taste buds) will thank you.

Now let’s talk texture.

Heavy cream alone will give you a rich, creamy, non-icy base. But the real magic? Egg yolks.

Lots of egg yolks.

I’m talking six per quart of cream, minimum. Maybe eight if you’re feeling lucky. Egg yolks transform the base into something like a goose-down pillow — plush, dreamy, indulgent.

Separate your whites carefully (and don’t you dare throw them away). As I add the ice cream ingredients to my Vitamix, I heat a skillet with a generous scoop of lard or bacon fat, and drop those whites in one by one. Not for the ice cream — heaven forbid — but for my cats, dog, and chickens. Nothing goes to waste around here. Not even egg whites.

And then, of course… sugar.

You probably already guessed that you won’t find corn syrup, agave, monk fruit, or anything ending in “-ose” in my ice cream. I sweeten mine with raw, local honey — straight from our bee-rich valley. If I lived back east, I’d be using real maple syrup without hesitation. Go with what grows near you and what lights up your tastebuds in a chemical-free, all natural way.

Before I give you my chocolate chocolate chip ice cream recipe (I promise it’s coming), let’s cover one last critical point:

You’ll need an ice cream maker. A real one.

I use a Whynter model with a built-in compressor, which means no pre-freezing of canisters — a huge perk when your freezer is already filled to the brim with meats, bones, and crustacean shells (seafood stock gold teeming with iodine!). Not to mention the stack of raw cream ice cream tubs awaiting our Santa Fe customers and, of course, my wife. My wife is a sucker for ice cream. A pint per day designated to her hardworking, creative soul and her seemingly insatiable stomach.

If you’ve got the freezer space and want to save a few bucks, the Cuisinart model with a freezable canister works beautifully. Just keep that canister in the freezer at all times. Trust me — when the ice cream craving strikes, the last thing you want to hear is, “Sorry, gotta wait 10 hours for the thing to freeze.”

Enjoy this recipe, and be sure to share it with all the other heat-aggravated and ice cream seeking souls out there just trying to survive summer with some dignity (and a spoon…and maybe a little chocolate).

~Heathar

Heathar’s Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

This recipe is rich, silky, chocolatey, and as they say dangerously easy to love. It’s sweetened with honey, made with raw cream (the real deal), and rich in nourishing egg yolks. Bonus: it also makes you very popular with kids, spouses, farmhands, and unsuspecting delivery drivers who “just happened” to stop by around dessert time (no joke, I just gave a pint to our USP delivery guy).

Ingredients:

• 1 quart raw cream

• 6 egg yolks (ideally from hens pecking around your yard, bossing bugs around and living their best lives — but if you’re not quite there yet, use eggs from a local farm you trust)

• ½ cup raw, local honey

• ¼ cup cacao powder

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• Pinch of sea salt (it makes the chocolate flavor pop)

• A handful of soy-free, organic chocolate chips (to taste — and if you taste them a few times while measuring, who’s counting?)

Directions:

1. Place everything but the chocolate chips into your blender.
   Start on low speed, then slowly increase to medium. Blend for about 20–30 seconds, max. We’re not making a smoothie here — just mixing until silky and combined.

2. Pour the chocolatey mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to your machine’s instructions — usually 30–60 minutes, depending on your setup.

3. Add chocolate chips at the end, once it’s thick and glorious and looks like something you’d risk frostbite for.

4. Scoop into mason jars or food-safe containers and store in the freezer.

Consume within 2–3 weeks for freshness… though honestly, if it lasts that long, are you even doing summer right?

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We’re hiring!

Farmhand Wanted – Raw Milk Dairy
Looking for a reliable, hands-on person to help with our small raw milk dairy. Duties include milking, caring for cows, making dairy products, and town (Santa Fe) errand runs (1-2x per week). Experience is great, but not required—we’re happy to train. Includes free on-farm housing in a fully equipped casita. Position starts ASAP. Great for someone interested in farm life, animals, and traditional foodways. You can learn more about our farm at www.ojoconejo.com

Email ojoconejonm@gmail.com for more info!

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Jen and I are thrilled to announce the launch of our new podcast: Something Feral.

It’s for all you rebels out there—those tired of the grind, itching to trade in your office job for a pitchfork, and craving a life that’s more rooted, wilder, and real. Whether you dream of flocks of chickens, fields of veggies, or just a deeper connection to the land—you’re in the right place.

Each week, we share raw, unfiltered stories from our farm, diving deep into the ups and downs and unexpected lessons of homesteading, farming, and building a life on your own terms.

Pull on your boots, and come join us.

🎧 Listen to Something Feral wherever you get your podcasts.