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Chocolate Sorbet

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By America's Test Kitchen
4.5(71)
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Time

40 minutes, plus 4 hours cooling and 2 hours freezing

Yield

Serves 8 (Makes 1 quart)

Ingredients

Ingredient check list

Why This Recipe Works

To make sure our sorbet lived up to its potential, we added a whopping half cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to our water base; we simmered it along with sugar and corn syrup to fully bloom and dissolve the cocoa. But that wasn't all: Off heat, we melted in 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate. Blending the base ensured we had a grit-free chocolate-packed mixture before churning. Super-chilling a cup of the sorbet base in the freezer before reintroducing it to the rest of the chilled base kept ice crystals to a minimum. How? This small amount of base froze rapidly and formed small “seed” crystals that initiated a chain reaction in the larger base, causing a network of small, imperceptible (rather than large and rough) crystals to form immediately. Pectin, in the form of Sure-Jell, is the secret ingredient that slowed melting and also helped preserve a smooth texture.

Before You Begin

Make certain that you use Sure-Jell engineered for low- or no-sugar recipes (packaged in a pink box) and not regular Sure-Jell (in a yellow box). We prefer to use Dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe, but other cocoa powders will work. If using a canister-style ice cream machine, be sure to freeze the empty canister for at least 24 hours and preferably 48 hours before churning. For self-refrigerating machines, prechill the canister by running the machine for 5 to 10 minutes before pouring in the sorbet mixture. Allow the sorbet to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften before serving.

Instructions

  1.  Combine water, cocoa, sugar, corn syrup, Sure-Jell, and salt in medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until simmering and sugar and Sure-Jell are fully dissolved, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in chocolate and vanilla until fully combined. Transfer mixture to blender and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  2.  Transfer 1 cup mixture to small bowl and place remaining mixture in large bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap. Place large bowl in refrigerator and small bowl in freezer and let cool completely, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. (Small bowl of base will freeze solid.)
  3.  Remove mixtures from refrigerator and freezer. Scrape frozen base from small bowl into large bowl of base. Stir until frozen base has fully dissolved. Transfer mixture to ice cream machine and churn until mixture has consistency of thick milkshake and color lightens, 15 to 25 minutes.
  4.  Transfer sorbet to airtight container, pressing firmly to remove any air pockets, and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Serve. (Sorbet can be frozen for up to 5 days.)

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