🏅▷ Chocolate Sorbet {vegan}

People like to say that life isn’t fair. French fries have more calories than salad. Paris is all the way across the ocean. Neither of the Property Brothers will ever propose to me.

But, in some cases life is totally fair. This chocolate sorbet is completely fair. It’s rich, creamy, and easy to make with just a few ingredients you already have in your pantry. Even more, if your fridge is completely devoid of unexpired dairy, you can still make it!

I saw Ina Garten make this chocolate sorbet for her Jeffrey ages ago on Food Network. It looked good, yes, but it wasn’t until I read in an online vegan group (the things I read when I can’t sleep) that it is considered one of the best chocolate ice creams out there—even among people that love heavy cream (people like me). The theory is that the lack of dairy allows for the cocoa powder to shine.  Don’t dull the shine with low-quality cocoa powder, ok?

While we’re at it, let’s pause to talk about ingredient quality. Since this sorbet has few ingredients, each flavor really shines. I love Sugar in the Raw Organic White for this sorbet because it’s minimally processed. Swap it out with sugar in any of your recipes and enjoy a more natural type of sugar. I know I’m always waxing poetically about instant espresso powder, and today is no different. Buy the good stuff. The vanilla I used in this recipe smells so good that sometimes I use it as a perfume. This chocolate sorbet is starting to sound fancy, isn’t it? You’re worth it, trust me.

It took me literally 3 minutes to stir the ingredients together in a saucepan. I did it one morning while still half asleep after taking the dog out at his usual time—the minute that the first sliver of sunlight crosses the horizon. Oy, dog. One day, you will go to puppy daycare so I can sleep past 5:30am. One day.

So, stir together all of your ingredients: sugar, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, vanilla, and then let it chill. Pour it in an ice cream maker to churn a few hours before you want to serve it. I think this sorbet benefits from at least 2 hours in the freezer after churning to firm up into a scoopable mixture. I could be wrong; it’s been unseasonably hot here.

Although Ina herself is inherently perfect, I’m almost positive her recipe was transcribed wrongly when it was published online. I made a few adjustments, because the cinnamon in her original recipe overwhelmed the chocolate like whoa. I eliminated it altogether. I’m normally a fan of
chocolate + cinnamon
, but not here. I’m almost positive that even Jeffrey would agree that a handful of fresh raspberries smashed in right before serving is a definite improvement.

Thanks, Ina. You da best!

This post is sponsored by Sugar In The Raw®. They provided me with sugar, and paid for my recipe development skillz. Compensation for this post was provided by In the Raw via AOL media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of In The Raw® or AOL.