Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream, Vanilla Raspberry Bowls

Valentine's Day calls for special desserts! Ice cream is so easy to make and I especially love making dark chocolate flavors. This variation is swirled with raspberry sauce and served in vanilla cookie bowl. If only I had made chocolate spoons, there would have been no dishes to do!

Intensely rich, dark chocolate ice cream swirled with rich raspberry sauce, served with fresh raspberries in a crisp vanilla bowl studded with crumbled raspberries.

Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream
2 1/4 cup water, divided
1 cup organic cane sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
pinch of sea salt
3 oz bittersweet chocolate chunks
3 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp xantham gum
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
garnish- fresh raspberries, chocolate shavings

Combine 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil, whisking until smooth and continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add in the chocolate and vanilla. Transfer to a blender and blend for 10 seconds. Add the xantham gum and blend for 15 more seconds. Transfer to a bowl and chill until completely cold.
Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturers instructions.
Heat up the jam in a small microwavable bowl to loosen it. Stir it into the ice cream and freeze to allow the ice cream to set up.
Serve in a vanilla raspberry bowl with fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings.

Vanilla Raspberry Bowls
makes 4 bowls
3.5 tbl earth balance vegan butter, melted
1/4 cup organic light brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup ap flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped out
pinch of salt and cinnamon
4 frozen raspberries, crumbled
canola spray

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment and lightly grease with cooking spray.
Combine the melted butter, sugar, maple syrup, flour, extract, vanilla beans, salt and cinnamon and mix into a thick dough. Fold in the frozen raspberry crumbles right before baking off.
Scoop out 4 large balls of dough and flatten into a thin circle about 5" in diameter (the size of a CD).
Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Prepare 4 small glass bowls upside down and lightly grease with cooking spray.
When the cookies are done, immediately use a spatula to gently scoop them up then lay them on top of the bowl and gently push down to form around the bowl. Let cool completely then remove and the cookie will have formed a bowl shape.

update: I now seriously regret not thinking of/making chocolate spoons seeing as I actually have a spoon mold for that specific thing that I have never used! drats!