"Drumstick" Ice Cream Cones

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• 12 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil such as safflower, grapeseed, or canola
• 6 waffle cones, homemade or store bought
• 1 gallon vanilla ice cream, homemade or store bought
• 1 cup roasted, salted peanuts, finely chopped

Preparation

Step 1

Melt the chocolate in a medium saucepan over low to medium-low heat, stirring frequently with a silicone spatula to prevent burning. Remove from heat. Stir the oil into the melted chocolate and transfer the mixture to a small bowl.

Remove the ice cream from the freezer to soften. Meanwhile, drizzle about 2 teaspoons of melted chocolate into the bottom tip of each waffle cone; place each cone in a short drinking glass or mason jar to hold upright. Transfer cones to the freezer for a couple of minutes to let chocolate harden.

Working quickly, fill up a cone with softened ice cream, using an offset spatula to press it in and smooth the surface once it reaches the rim. Add a large, rounded scoop on top of the cone, smoothing out and filling the edges with more ice cream if needed. Return the cone to its glass and place it in freezer immediately; continue with remaining cones. Allow the cones to harden for about an hour.

Remove the cones from the freezer. Dip a small silicone pastry brush into the chocolate mixture. Working quickly, spread the chocolate over the ice cream as well as the top 1-inch of the cone. Immediately sprinkle chopped peanuts over the chocolate layer. (I found it easiest to work in small sections, brushing on the chocolate in 1 - 2 inch strokes, adding some peanuts, and then coating another section.) Be sure to fill in the gaps between the ice cream and the cone with plenty of chocolate to prevent any ice cream from leaking down the sides.

Freeze again until the chocolate has hardened, at least 15 - 20 minutes. (These can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Once the chocolate has hardened, wrap the cone and top loosely in plastic wrap and keep in the freezer until serving.