Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Swirl

And just like that, another year has passed. Twenty-six was a hard year for me, in a lot of ways. I was stretched and grown in ways I certainly didn't ask for. Then again, do we ever ask for painful growth?! Coming out of twenty-six and heading full swing into twenty-seven, I can say with certainty that, like every year, I'm emerging stronger, more sure of myself, and more comfortable in who God has made me to be. 

Lest this sound too vague or like too much of a downer, let me emphasize--this year was fantastic in a lot of ways. I had one of the best weekends of my life, celebrating Julia and Nate's wedding. I ran my fourth (!!) RAGNAR Relay and fell in love with California Wine Country. We hosted friends and family for dinners, weekend visits, and visited friends in New York, watched my brother play basketball in Minnesota, spent a girl's weekend with my sister and cousin in Orlando, and made many visits to Chicago (and Wisconsin) to visit the family. I finished my Master's Degree and continued to learn and be challenged in my job. Somehow, amongst all that, I managed to deepen relationships, maintain this blog, and eat a lot of good food!

Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Swirl

What better way to wish twenty-six goodbye and welcome twenty-seven than with ice cream. Creamy chocolate pudding ice cream with a peanut butter swirl, no less! My sister-in-law Kate gave me these adorable ceramic ice cream cones for my birthday (Anthropologie!) and I've been dying to make an ice cream to fill them with. I could not have made a better creation for the inaugural use of the cones.

As it turns out, pudding mix does amazing things to ice cream, much like it does to cookies. The chocolate ice cream was rich and creamy, without the use of a single egg yolk. I was tempted to eat the mixture (which obviously had the taste and consistency of pudding) before it made it to the ice cream maker, but I'm so glad I held out for the finished result! While nearly perfect as is, the peanut butter swirled throughout puts the final product in a league of its own. I can't wait to experiment with adding other pudding mixes to ice cream bases!

One Year Ago: Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Chocolate Layer Cake
Two Years Ago: S'Mores Cheesecake Bars
Three Years Ago: Peanut Butter Ice Cream


Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Swirl
pudding ice cream adapted from Elizabeth Lou & Company

Ingredients:
-1 cup milk (I used 2%)
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1 (5.8 oz) package instant chocolate pudding
-2 cups half & half
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 cup natural peanut butter

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk the milk, sugar, pudding mix, half & half, and vanilla together. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Churn according to the ice cream manufacturer's instructions.
2. When ice cream has finished churning, heat peanut butter in a glass bowl for 30 seconds, or until runny. Pour ice cream into storage container, alternating with peanut butter and using a knife to swirl together. Freeze until firm.