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This deep, silky chocolate sorbet gives you all the luxury of a top-notch chocolate dessert without any dairy. The intense cocoa flavor gets even stronger as it sets, making an elegant frozen treat that's surprisingly easy to whip up in your kitchen.
I came up with this recipe during a boiling hot summer when my friend who can't handle lactose stopped by for dinner. Seeing her face light up when she realized she could enjoy a frozen chocolate treat without getting sick turned this into a permanent fixture in my cooking arsenal.
What You'll Need
- Water: Works as your foundation instead of milk, keeping the dessert light but fulfilling
- Sugar: Or substitutes like erythritol give just the right sweetness while helping with texture
- Dutch cocoa powder: Brings that strong chocolate flavor and gorgeous dark color
- Salt: Makes the chocolate taste even better and cuts the sweetness
- Chocolate chips: Not required but they add more complexity and smoothness
- Vodka or liqueur: If you want it, this keeps your sorbet from freezing too hard
- Instant coffee: Optional extra that boosts chocolate flavor without tasting like coffee
- Peppermint or vanilla extract: Optional add-ins for different flavor twists
How To Make It
- Get Your Equipment Ready:
- Check what your ice cream maker needs before starting. If you don't have a machine, just clear some freezer space for a flat container.
- Make The Sweet Base:
- Mix half the water with sugar in a pot over high heat. Keep stirring and watch until every bit of sugar melts into clear liquid. This forms the smooth foundation for your sorbet.
- Mix In The Cocoa:
- Stir the salt and cocoa powder into your hot sugar water until it's totally smooth. Be thorough with your mixing so you don't get dry cocoa clumps that would make your sorbet feel grainy.
- Give It A Quick Boil:
- Let the mixture come to a full boil while you keep stirring. After it starts bubbling, keep stirring hard for exactly 30 seconds to build flavor and mix the cocoa properly.
- Throw In Extras:
- Take it off the heat and right away add chocolate chips and alcohol if you're using them. Keep stirring until all chocolate melts and everything looks shiny and even. This makes the end result even better.
- Cool It Down:
- Pour in the rest of the water and mix it up. Put it in the fridge or freezer until it's completely cold. The mix has to be cold before you churn it or it won't set right.
- Freeze And Set:
- Pour your cold chocolate mix into the ice cream maker and follow the directions until it looks like soft serve. You can eat it right away or freeze it for half an hour to make it firmer and easier to scoop.
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Dutch cocoa powder really makes all the difference here. I found this out the hard way after trying this recipe with regular cocoa and feeling let down by the results. The Dutch processing gives a smoother, fuller taste that tricks your tongue into thinking this sorbet has cream even though it doesn't.
Keeping It Fresh
Your chocolate sorbet will stay good for up to two weeks if you store it right. Put it in a container that seals tightly with as little air space as possible to stop ice crystals from growing. Since there's no dairy or eggs in this treat, it does freeze pretty hard. For the best experience, pull it out about 10 minutes before you want to eat it so it can soften a bit. If you added that optional splash of booze, you'll notice it stays easier to scoop even straight from the freezer.
Without An Ice Cream Maker
Don't worry if you don't have an ice cream maker! After your sorbet mix is cold, pour it into a shallow metal dish and stick it in the freezer. Set a timer for 30 minutes. When it goes off, take the pan out and stir the frozen edges into the middle vigorously. Put it back and do this again every half hour for about 2-3 hours until everything is frozen but still smooth. This hands-on approach puts air in just like a machine would, so you don't get big ice chunks.
Tasty Twists
This chocolate sorbet works great as a starting point for trying different flavors. Want a Mexican chocolate kick? Just add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a tiny bit of cayenne pepper. If you love coffee, put in more of that optional instant coffee—about a teaspoon—for a mocha taste. Some orange zest and a splash of orange liqueur makes a wonderful chocolate-orange combo. And if you're into mint chocolate, the peppermint extract turns this into a refreshing after-dinner dessert that reminds you of fancy chocolate mint treats.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- → How do I make sorbet without a machine?
Of course! Put your mix in a chilled dish, then stir every half hour until it's frozen to your liking.
- → Which cocoa powder gives the best results?
Dutch-processed cocoa makes it extra rich, but natural cocoa does the trick too!
- → Can I swap sugar for other sweeteners?
You can! Granulated erythritol or xylitol work great. Just tweak the sweetness to taste.
- → What’s an easy way to boost the chocolate flavor?
A little coffee or a dash of vanilla extract makes the chocolate really pop.
- → What’s the best way to store it?
Keep it in a tight container in the freezer. Before enjoying, let it sit at room temp for a few minutes to soften up.