When you’re in love, you do crazy things. Not that making your sweetheart’s favorite foods is crazy, mind you, but I do think it’s possible to push the envelope quite far, as I have done at times in my quest to tantalize my husband’s taste buds. This dessert might qualify, because not only did I make a homemade version of his favorite ice cream, I scooped that deliciousness right over a chocolate waffle and drizzled it with a homemade cherry syrup.
Les’s all-time favorite sweet flavor combination is chocolate with cherries, and I have mentioned this previously on Comfort du Jour, in these scrumptious posts:
All those desserts were delicious, but when it comes to cherry and chocolate, it is unquestionably ice cream that wins my man’s heart. One of his favorite grocery store ice creams is the Ben & Jerry’s classic flavor, Cherry Garcia, and though I made it back in October 2020 for the triple chocolate-cherry brownie bowls, I felt that it needed a little tweaking, so I didn’t share the recipe at the time. The color of my first batch was off, because I had used my go-to custard base that had a yellowish tint from the egg yolks. And the chocolate chunks were 70% cacao, which proved to be too bitter and a touch gritty in the mix of so much creaminess.
So, I did what I do best and gave the recipe a makeover. And I’m back to share it with you—a homemade version of “Cherry Garcia” ice cream—one that uses sweetened condensed milk in its base, for creamy sweetness without the yellow egg color, a ribbon of sweet-tart cherry syrup that is tinged with a surprise ingredient, and bits of semi-sweet chocolate that bring just the right balance to the sweet cream, vanilla and cherries.
And, in a bold move, I gave it a go with a recipe I’d been eyeing for years on King Arthur Baking’s website—sourdough chocolate malt waffles. This dessert was nothing short of spectacular.
Over the top? Obviously, but c’mon, we’re talking about Valentine’s Day!
Before I get into the making of this lovely dessert, let me acknowledge that a few of you may not be inclined to go this crazy, or maybe you don’t have an ice cream machine yet, or you don’t have sourdough starter to make the chocolate waffles. Please feel free to lift any single part of this dessert for your own celebration, even if it means just making the cherry syrup to drizzle over store-bought ice cream, or serving the ice cream with a store-bought chocolate cookie. I ended up making a second batch of the cherry syrup (with chunks of cherries), and it was fantastic over plain vanilla ice cream.
My ingredients and instructions are all included in a downloadable PDF at the end of the post. Enjoy!
“Cherry Garcia” Ice Cream Base
This is my go-to ice cream ingredient list when I don’t want a custard base. 
No extra sugar is needed for this base because the condensed milk is just right! 
Add the whole milk to the condensed milk and whisk them together first. 
These two ingredients are so different texture-wise that I want them to be thoroughly blended before adding the cream. Too much whisking would make the cream frothy. 
My vanilla extract was a brand new bottle, and I made a total mess while taking this picture! When are they going to put dropper lids on these things? 
I ended up using more vanilla than I intended, but it turned out fine as a backdrop to all the cherry flavor yet to come. 😉 
If you happen to have a jar of these cocktail cherries in the fridge, add some of the syrup to the ice cream base. 
It’s dark, rich, sweet and so ridiculously CHERRY! I added two full tablespoons to my base. 
I hardly ever add food color to anything, but the cherry syrup made my base look grayish. A few drops of natural red coloring helped correct it. 
Finally, blend the heavy cream into the base. 
The color was a pretty pink and the flavor was perfectly cherry-sweet-vanilla. Cover and refrigerate several hours to overnight.
Cherry Swirl Syrup
Pulse half of the frozen cherries in a food processor (or chop them roughly by hand) and transfer them immediately back to the freezer. You’ll mix them into the ice cream later. 
Add sugar and real cherry juice to the remaining frozen cherries, and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. 
A few tablespoons of light corn syrup prevents the sugars from crystallizing when it’s cooled. 
My secret ingredient! Les and I picked this up in a gourmet shop on a recent trip to Alexandria, VA. The balsamic intensifies the sweet cherry flavors in the sauce. 
Finally, just because almond pairs so nicely with cherry, I splashed in about an ounce of amaretto. Skip this if you’re feeding kids or non-drinkers. 
Scoop out the cherries (I’ll come back to them later) and strain the syrup through a mesh sieve to filter any solid bits. 
If you have small squeeze bottles, transfer 1/2 cup of the syrup into one for easy layering into the ice cream later.
Sourdough Chocolate Malt Waffles
Adapted from Chocolate Malt Waffles | King Arthur Baking
I lined up all the ingredients for King Arthur’s “Chocolate Malt Waffles,” including the overnight starter. I made a half-batch and still had enough for three Belgian waffles. 
When I was mixing the starter into the fudgy liquid mixture, it reminded me of the sourdough chocolate cake I made a few weeks earlier. 
And I remembered that my blog buddy Sandy suggested the Danish dough whisk for mixing the sloppy ingredients together. I’m teachable, so I grabbed mine for this work! 🙂 
This was much easier than folding with a spoon or spatula. Thank you, Sandy! 
I held my breath, hoping the mini chocolate chips would not stick to my Belgian waffle maker. (They didn’t.) 
I didn’t use enough batter in the first waffle, and it spread unevenly when I flipped the iron over. 
It was very lacy and it twisted out of shape when I pulled it from the iron. Oops! 
Second waffle was better but still very delicate and tough to remove. King Arthur cautioned that they’d be very soft right after baking, and they weren’t kidding. 
Third time’s a charm! This one was perfect, and all we needed for our over-the-top dessert. After cooling a few minutes, the waffle crisped right up.
Freezing the Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
When the ice cream base is completely chilled, pour it into your machine and follow manufacturer’s instructions for freezing. Mine takes about 25 minutes. 
When the ice cream is soft-serve consistency, add the frozen cherry bits and churn until they are incorporated. 
A splash of vodka in the final minute ensures a perfectly scoopable texture, straight from the freezer. This is optional and I would not recommend it if you’ll be serving kids or non-drinkers. 
Time to layer the ice cream! Pour about 1/3 of the mixture into an insulated container. 
This time, I used semi-sweet chocolate chunks, rough-chopped a little smaller. 
Scatter 1/2 of the chocolate bits and squeeze a generous drizzle of the cherry syrup. 
Second verse, same as the first… Then, top it with the final 1/3 of ice cream. Save remaining syrup for topping ice cream, or add it back to the original cherry sauce. 
Just to be fancy, I used a spatula to swirl the top just a bit. Cover and freeze overnight.
Chocolate-Cherry Heaven, Coming Right Up!
The vodka mixed in at the end made this ice cream a dream to scoop. If you skip the vodka, take the ice cream out of the freezer about 10 minutes early to soften slightly. 
I don’t need to explain this, right? 
For our later servings of ice cream, we served scoops with some of that scrumptious reserved cherry sauce. 
Grab a spoon!
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