Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bowlful of Rum Raisin Chocolate Ice Cream

What comes to mind when you think about the flavor of raisins soaked in rum?

A bowl of chocolate rum raisin ice cream with more in a loaf pan in the background, beside a small glass bowl of raisins and several waffle cones, on a dark brown wood surface, with orange and white text.

For me, it brings up serious memories of rum raisin bread pudding, enjoyed during the holiday season.

My grandma used to whip up that classic recipe every single year. And as a child, I hated it.

Top-down shot of a rectangular metal loaf pan of chocolate ice cream with a light zig-zag design on top, next to a white plastic and silver metal scoop, a small dish and some scattered brown raisins, and waffle cones, on a dark brown background.

I thought it was the grossest thing in the world because she always made it nice and boozy. Of course, as a kid, my palate wasn’t appreciative of spiced rum, so naturally it’s not a flavor combination that I remember fondly from my childhood.

However, in my adulthood, that flavor combination has become one that I love. No longer tied to the holiday season, I find myself craving this particular combo year-round.

A white plastic scoop utensil holds a portion of rum raisin chocolate ice cream, on top of a rectangular metal loaf pan filled with more of the frozen dessert, with a small glass bowl of raisins and several waffle cones in the background, on a dark brown wooden surface.

Enter this creamy, dreamy ice cream that no one can resist.

Since it’s been about a thousand degrees outside every single day so far this summer, I’ve been craving frozen sweets morning, noon, and night (though I still crave ice cream in the cooler fall months, in which case I eat pumpkin spice ice cream!).

There’s nothing like a giant cone filled with a big scoop of frozen goodness to take the edge off after a long day outside in the heat, or a long commute home in traffic, when even blasting the air conditioner doesn’t bring relief.

Top-down shot of a metal loaf pan filled with chocolate ice cream, next to a white and silver scoop, five waffle cones, and a small glass dish of brown raisins with more scattered around a dark brown wood surface.

The best part is, you no longer have to chase the ice cream truck around to get your fix.

What, you don’t do that? Is it just me? I guess the cheese stands alone on this one…

Chocolate rum raisin ice cream filled a waffle cone that is standing upright in a stemless wine glass, with a small bowl of dried fruit and a loaf pan of more of the homemade frozen dessert in the background, on a dark brown wood surface against a black wall.

Making this frozen dessert from scratch can seem like a daunting task because of all the time it takes to make. That being said, it’s not the hardest process to go through, and most of this is spent freezing and soaking, leaving you time to do other things.

You start by making a creamy custard, and then add bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder to make a delicious chocolate ice cream.

The chocolate base is rich, decadent, and perfectly indulgent. It’s a recipe that you will want to keep on hand even if you aren’t in the mood to add the boozy raisin flavor to the mix.

A glass parfait dish is filled with chocolate rum raisin ice cream, with a spoon sticking out, and a small glass dish of raisins, several waffle cone,s and a metal loaf pan in the background, on a dark brown wood surface against a black wall.

All you chocoholics out there can thank me later, of course.

Then, as you churn the ice cream, you add raisins and chopped dates that you’ve soaked for a couple of hours in spiced rum. The plump raisins and dates bring a burst of that spiced boozy flavor, paired with the sweetness of the dried fruit, in every single bite.

A woman's hand with a manicured thumbnail painted with lavender polish holds a waffle cone topped with a scoop of chocolate rum raisin ice cream, with cones, a small bowl of raisins, and more of the frozen dessert in a rectangular loaf pan in soft focus in the background.

If you adore all things rum raisin, you are going to love this ice cream. It’s a recipe that you can enjoy year round, even during the holidays if you are looking for a break from the traditional cookies and cakes. It makes a lovely pairing with a rum cocktail as well.

All I can say is, no one will ever ask you, “But where’s the rum gone?” again. That is, until you run out of ice cream…

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A scoop of chocolate ice cream studded with raisins in a waffle cone that is standing upright in a stemless wine glass, with a small bowl of dried fruit and a metal loaf pan filled with more of the frozen dessert with a white plastic scooper on top, against a black background.

Chocolate Rum Raisin Ice Cream


  • Author: Meghan Bassett
  • Total Time: 8 hrs, 35 min
  • Yield: 1 Quart 1x

Description

There’s no need to hit the store for your ice cream fix. Enjoy a heaping bowl of creamy homemade Chocolate Rum Raisin instead.


Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, stir together heavy cream, whole milk, and 1/8 cup sugar. Bring to a low boil, then remove from the heat.
  2. In a small bowl, combine egg yolks and remaining 1/8 cup sugar. Whisk together until smooth. Slowly add 1/4 cup of the heavy cream mixture to the egg mixture, whisking quickly to incorporate. Once well combined, add the egg mixture to the heavy cream mixture.
  3. Return to the stove and cook over medium heat until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a metal spoon.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder and chocolate, continuing to stir until the chocolate is melted. Allow to cool, then transfer the custard to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap touches the surface to prevent a film from forming. Chill completely in the freezer, approximately 2-3 hours.
  5. While the custard is chilling, soak raisins and dates in spiced rum in a bowl for 2 hours. Drain, and reserve the rum for another use if desired.
  6. Add the custard mixture to your ice cream machine. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. In the last 5 minutes of churning, add the raisins and dates.
  7. Chill overnight, or for a minimum of 6 hours before serving.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Ice Cream
  • Method: Freezer
  • Cuisine: Dessert

Keywords: chocolate, rum raisin, spiced rum, raisin, date

Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Separate, Chop, and Measure

Separate the egg yolks from the whites, and place them in separate bowls. Reserve the whites for another use, like making meringues.

Roughly chop the chocolate and place in a bowl. Set aside.

A glass pitcher measuring cup of milk and five small glass bowls of spiced rum, heavy cream, chocolate chunks, raisins, and chopped dates, arranged in two rows on a beige countertop.

Remove pits from the dates if necessary, chop, and set aside.

Measure the remaining ingredients as listed. And don’t forget to make sure your ice cream maker is ready to go before you begin.

Step 2 – Make Custard Base

Add the heavy cream, milk, and 1/8 cup sugar to a medium saucepan, whisking to combine. Bring the mixture to a low boil over high heat, but be careful not to scorch the milk. Remove from heat.

A white milk and cream mixture fills a black sauce pan about halfway, on a beige countertop.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining sugar.

A blue glass bowl of six orange-yellow egg yolks and a pile of white granulated sugar, on a beige particle board background.

Slowly add 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolk mixture. This will temper the mix, so you don’t wind up with scrambled eggs.

A blue glass bowl of beaten egg yolks with a silver wire whisk.

Once combined, add the egg mixture back to the milk mixture and stir to combine.

A beaten egg and cream mixture is in a blue glass bowl with a wire whisk.

Continue to cook over medium heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, approximately 5-8 minutes.

A cream and egg mixture fills a black nonstick saucepan, on a beige countertop.

Remove from heat, then stir in the cocoa powder and chocolate until the chocolate is melted. Allow to cool briefly.

A frothy chocolate and cream mixture topped with air bubbles fills a black saucepan, on a beige background.

Transfer the custard to a medium bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and make sure it touches the surface of the liquid. This will prevent a film from forming.

Step 3 – Chill and Soak

Chill custard base in the freezer for about 2 hours, until completely chilled through.

Raisins and chopped dates soak in spiced rum in a small stainless steel bowl, on a beige background.

In a small bowl, combine spiced rum and dried fruits. Let the fruit soak while the custard base is chilling.

Step 4 – Churn Ice Cream

Add custard base to your ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Top-down shot of a white and clear plastic Cuisinart ice cream maker, blending a brown chocolate mixture.

Strain the fruit, and reserve the rum for another use, if desired.

In the last 5 minutes of churning, add the fruit to the mixture. The fruit can also be folded in by hand if you prefer.

Step 5 – Freeze

Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container, and cover with plastic wrap or a tight-fitting lid. Chill for a minimum of 6 hours before serving.

Oblique shot of a rectangular metal loaf pan filled with homemade ice cream, with a subtle zig-zag pattern on top, on a striped light and dark brown wood background.

Frozen desserts that contains alcohol typically take a bit longer to freeze, or might result in a softer texture. Freezing overnight is recommended, and the timing on this largely depends on the temperature of your freezer.

Boozy, Sweet, and Indulgent Are the Buzzwords of the Summer

When it comes to beating the heat, there’s nothing better than something frozen that’s boozy, sweet, and oh-so-indulgent. It’s incredible how the flavors of spiced rum, dried fruits, and chocolate come together to create the best dessert your taste buds have ever encountered.

Homemade ice cream always tastes better, and this silky smooth version is proof of that. The richness of the bittersweet chocolate comes through in every bite (you can also try our vegan chocolate recipe for a dairy-free base that’s equally as indulgent), and the booziness is something that you just won’t find in the grocery store, where artificial rum flavoring is king.

Of course, if you prefer to make an alcohol-free version, a solution of sugar, water, and imitation rum flavoring could be used to accomplish this.

A scoop of chocolate ice cream studded with raisins in a waffle cone that is standing upright in a stemless wine glass, with a small bowl of dried fruit and a metal loaf pan filled with more of the frozen dessert with a white plastic scooper on top, against a black background.

As is the case with all scrumptious homemade desserts, your friends and family will thank you for making the effort. That is, if you decide to share…

Looking for another boozy dessert to fulfill your craving? Check out these rum punch freeze pops for a new treat to cool off with in the hot weather.

Tell us what memories rum raisin brings to mind for you in the comments below, and be sure to rate the recipe as well. This helps other readers to know how much you enjoyed it!

More ice cream recipes, you say? Take a look at these creamy delights:

Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published by Shanna Mallon on January 24, 2012. Last updated: April 5, 2022 at 9:24 am. With additional writing and editing by Allison Sidhu.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Meghan Yager

Meghan Yager is a food addict turned food and travel writer with a love for creating uncomplicated, gourmet recipes and devouring anything the world serves up. As the author of the food and travel blog Cake 'n Knife, Meghan focuses on unique foodie experiences from around the world to right at home in your own kitchen.

10 thoughts on “Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bowlful of Rum Raisin Chocolate Ice Cream”

  1. Ooh how rad! We (or ok fine, I, Will did not care, sadface) registered for and received the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment for the stand mixer (also a registry gift, yay!). Now we just need to clean out the freezer to make room for the bowl 🙂

    Reply
  2. looks nice and creamy. YUMMERS. and what a fancy-lookin’ ice cream maker! i’ll admit i have the standard freeze-the-container-first version, but i only use the thing a few times a year, so i’m alright with the low-key version, methinks!

    Reply
  3. In our household, we have two makers. Dw is an ice cream fan, I’m now mostly dairy free so my love affair w this cold treat has pretty much ended. Dw’s bff’s grandmother created National Ice Cream day, which is the 1st Saturday in Feb. They celebrate every year, and now I will too, tho with sorbet or soy ice cream.

    Reply
    • National Ice Cream Day! Love that idea! And you’re so sweet to join in. I just read about a recipe at The Kitchn for an ice cream with only three ingredients: fruit juice, coconut milk and starch.

      Reply
  4. Hi Coleman! I can’t tell you what works as a one-to-one substitute for eggs in recipes, but I can give you an eggless cake recipe- search for my Wacky Chocolate Cake. This Depression-era cake is pretty basic, but Tim and I like to make two, slice them in half horizontally, and create a really nice layer cake. Good luck!

    Reply

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