Pickles and ice cream- the stereotypical pregnancy craving foods. I will validate 50% of this theory because ice cream has definitely been on my radar lately. In fact, if I had to sum up my pregnancy cravings in one food, it just might be today’s recipe: no-churn mocha fudge brownie ice cream. Yeah, I know, it’s a mouthful. But so is this ice cream, so you’re gonna want to stick around for this one.
At the time of writing this, I am 26 weeks pregnant and just days away from entering my third trimester. According to the pregnancy app on my phone, the baby that I’m currently growing is approximately the size of a green onion. Let’s pause here for a minute, because I really need someone to explain this to me.
Pregnancy Woes
How can a green onion cause even small features like my nose and chin to feel bloated? And what about all this heartburn? Does requiring an Alka-Seltzer after eating nothing more than a slice of toast sound like the mischievous workings of a green onion? I don’t think so. Whoever is coming up with these food/baby comparisons (and I’m thinking it’s gotta be a man) should consider modifying this method of measurement and stick with something that is a little more gentle on a mama’s heart. I don’t want to look at the scale and see that I’ve gained X number of pounds, only to be told that my baby is the size of an avocado pit. That is just rude.
Mocha Brownie Fudge Ice Cream
But let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about ice cream.
I’m a huge fan of making ice cream the old fashioned way but sometimes you just ain’t got time for that. This no-churn ice cream recipe comes together pretty quickly, requires zero stovetop cooking, and BONUS: BROWNIES. I decided to take easy street on this recipe by using Ghiradelli box brownies, but you could certainly make yours from scratch if you’d like and we will all pat you on the back for being an overachiever.
Making the Ice Cream
We start the ice cream making process by baking up a small pan of good ‘ole boxed brownies with the chic addition of a little bit of espresso, just because. Incidentally, if your toddler eats half of the brownies before you even get started- don’t worry. There will be plenty.
Once the brownies are cooled and diced, we whip up the rest of the ingredients. Here’s where you will win for being an overachiever: use homemade whipped cream. It’s better that way. 
Add some reserved brownie mix, a bit of Kahlua (because we’re all grown ups here), some hot fudge, and POOF- ice cream.
The hardest part of this process is not actually making the ice cream… it’s waiting for your ice cream to set up in the freezer. You can do like I did and set aside the unfrozen leftovers in the fridge to feed your man friend for dessert. My husband, always the sophisticated palate, said the unfrozen mocha ice cream was “the best thing I’d ever made.” Really? The best thing I’ve ever made is unfrozen ice cream with boxed brownies chopped up in it? [Shakes head]
The terrific thing about this method of ice cream making is that it’s super adaptable to a number of flavors, and start to finish, this process can take less than an hour. Magic. So give no-churn mocha brownie fudge ice cream a try. I hear green onions really dig ice cream so if you need me, I’ll be camped out by the freezer. You know, for the baby.
No-Churn Mocha Brownie Fudge Ice Cream
No-churn mocha brownie fudge ice cream: rich, smooth, no-churn mocha ice cream laced with fudge and brownie pieces.
- Prep Time: 30
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the brownie pieces
- 1 (20 ounce) box of dark chocolate brownie mix, divided
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 egg
For the ice cream
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup hot fudge sauce, melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
To prepare the brownies
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray an 8″ metal baking pan with cooking spray.
- Measure out 1-1/4 cups of brownie mix, sifting out any chocolate chips, and set aside. This will be used later in ice cream.
- In a bowl, stir together oil, water, and egg until combined. Add the instant espresso and remaining brownie mix, stirring to combine. Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are barely set and the center still looks barely underbaked. Brownies will continue to cook once taken out of oven. Set aside to cool.
To prepare the ice cream
- Cut brownies into 1/2″ squares. Set in freezer while preparing other ingredients to keep cool.
- In a medium sized bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, coffee liqueur and 1-1/4 cups of the reserved brownie mix.
- In a separate bowl, whip the cold, heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture. Once combined, fold in the remaining whipped cream. Fold in 1-1/2 cups of the brownie pieces until well combined.
- Spoon the brownie ice cream mixture into a standard loaf pan until about 1/3 of the way filled. Drizzle in a bit of hot fudge and drop in a few brownies pieces as well. Repeat this process until the loaf pan is filled.
- Allow to set up in a freezer for at least 6 hours.
Notes
- For a stronger brownie flavor, you can use all of the reserved 1-1/2 cups of brownie mix in the ice cream.
- The addition of the coffee liquor helps to keep the ice cream smooth and from freezing too hard. If you don’t care for the taste, try adding another type of liquor in its place. If you’d prefer not to use alcohol, be sure to set the ice cream out a couple minutes prior to eating to maintain good scoopability.
- If you do a really good job about folding your ice cream together gently, you will likely have a cup of the mixture that will not fit in the loaf pan. Feel free to set this aside or freeze in another container.
10 thoughts on “No-Churn Mocha Brownie Fudge Ice Cream”
Chris and I love this ice cream… and I’ve even caught him digging in the freezer searching for any I hid Ha! I skip the brownies (bc…nap time is always shorter than my list) and just add dark chocolate cocoa powder to the sweetened condensed milk and coffee liquor…still so good!Thanks for sharing!
That’s a terrific idea! The brownies are certainly not needed for it to be an excellent dessert. Also, if you whip this up and put it in the fridge as opposed to the freezer, it turns into a mousse of sorts and it too is DELISH. I’m glad you enjoyed 🙂
Hi from down the street! When you do make churned ice cream, what kind of ice cream maker do you use? It’s summer time and I’m dying to whip up some ice cream… for my hubby of course…
Hi!!! I must warn you: if you start making ice cream, you won’t stop. It’s addicting! Especially when it’s so hot here!
I have a basic cuisinart machine that was a hand-me-down from a friend (bless her). It’s this one: https://www.cuisinart.com/products/ice_cream/ice-30bc.html . You should come over and make some sometime! There’s never a shortage of that happening here. I love Jeni’s Ice Cream base recipe for churned ice cream– so easy and no wasting of egg whites! But currently really stuck on no-churn as it is SO fast, easy, and bale to be completed during a baby naptime 🙂
YUMMM. I need this in my life. As soon as possible!
You so do. I’ll come eat it with you if you make it. 😉
Love this recipe!!! And, I am completely in love with your photography!! Do you have any plans to make it so that we can post each photo on Pinterest? You know, with the ‘pin-it’ button? I have a mildly, unhealthy obsession with Pinterest and would love to shove these photos all over my boards. 😉
Hi! Thank you for the kind words– your recipes are BEYOND, so I’ll take your compliments gratefully! It’s not something that had even crossed my mind, to be honest, but now that you mention it, I will definitely look into it. As of now, there is a Pinterest button at the bottom of each page so when you click that it should pull up several images that you can select from to pin Thank you for the great suggestion!
Kate – I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing.
I don’t think it will disappoint, Rita! Enjoy!