Cherry Amaretto Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I’m officially crazy for cherries. After picking up three pounds at Trader Joe’s recently, I’ve found so many recipes to use them in. This was my first time working with fresh cherries, and I had no idea what a mess I would make while pitting them. With results as delicious as this, I’d say my stained fingers and counter were well worth it. I’ve read that straws work for pitting cherries, but I didn’t want to take any chances and picked up a cherry pitter instead. It reduced the mess some and was very effective.

The first recipe I had in mind before I even bought these cherries was ice cream, specifically something similar to Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. That is, hands down, one of my favorite ice cream flavors, and I knew I had to recreate it. This ice cream is another simple one, no eggs needed. The milk and cream are first infused with the cherries, then the whole mixture is blended, turning the ice cream a beautiful pink color. Additional cherries are added for texture and flavor, and the whole thing is finished with chocolate chips. The amaretto adds a delicate almond flavor and also prevents the ice cream from freezing too hard, which is especially useful when the ice cream is made without eggs. It’s been forever since I’ve had Cherry Garcia, but I think this recipe comes pretty close.