NEW YORK, March 22 ― The summer after I moved back to Brooklyn from Manhattan, I created a weekly ice cream ritual.

I’d run 2 1/2 miles to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, order a chocolate malted and devour it on the sweaty walk home. Surely the 5-mile round trip would mitigate some of the damage done, I’d tell myself.

I always asked for a double portion of malted milk powder blended into the drink. It made it sweeter and more intensely malty, and so thick I could barely suck it through the straw. Imagine chocolate soft serve, but frothier, with a more complex taste.

This recipe captures the essence of that treat. It’s got the same chocolaty, creamy and malty flavours, churned into a satiny ice cream that’s veined with fudge sauce to create gooey, bittersweet ripples.

Just as in the soda fountain drink, the main source of malt flavour for the ice cream is malted milk powder. But because malted milk powder is made with heaps of sugar, there’s only so much one can add before the mixture turns cloying.

So to increase the malt factor without ending up with something that hurts your teeth, I augmented the malt powder with barley malt syrup. A sticky, dark amber liquid that’s heady and thick but not too sweet, you can find it in health food stores and online. And it’s well worth seeking out for its toasted, caramelised character. (If you can’t find it, you can just leave it out; the ice cream will still be malty, though not quite as deeply so.)

Malted milk fudge.

I also add the malt syrup to the fudge sauce, where it does double duty. The syrup adds great flavour, and its viscosity helps keep the fudge sauce supple in the ice cream, so you end up with soft ripples and not rock-solid seams.

Make sure to use a light touch when folding the fudge sauce into the just-churned ice cream. Go for distinct marbling, not a thorough mixing. Otherwise you’ll lose the pleasure of your spoon hitting those discrete, dark pockets of fudge. Or skip the ripple and serve the ice cream with the fudge sauce on top.

Of course, you can also use the ice cream as a base of a fantastic chocolate malted. Just put it in the blender with a little milk and let it all whirl.

Milk is prepared to add to malted milk powder, to make fudge.

Malted Milk Fudge Ripple Ice Cream

Total time: 35 minutes, plus 7 hours’ chilling and freezing

Yield: 1 1/2 quarts ice cream

For the ice cream:

2 1/2 cups (590 millilitres) heavy cream

2/3 cup (90 grammes) malted milk powder

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup (120 millilitres) whole milk

1/2 cup (100 grammes) light brown sugar

2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) barley malt syrup (optional)

Pinch salt

6 large egg yolks

For the fudge ripple:

1/2 cup (100 grammes) sugar

1/3 cup (80 millilitres) barley malt syrup (or substitute light or dark corn syrup)

6 tablespoons (50 grammes) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For serving:

Whipped cream or crème fraîche

Crushed malted milk balls or more malted milk powder

1. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups (470 millilitres) heavy cream, the malt powder and the vanilla. Set a mesh strainer over the bowl. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat remaining 1/2 cup (120 millilitres) heavy cream, the milk, the sugar, the malt syrup (if using) and the salt over medium heat.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed yolk-milk mixture back into the saucepan.

4. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon or heatproof plastic spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until mixture thickens and coats the spatula, about 5 minutes. Pour the custard through the strainer into the malted milk-cream mixture and whisk well. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, at least 4 hours.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the fudge: Whisk together sugar, malt syrup, cocoa powder, salt and 1/2 cup (125 millilitres) water in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges.

6. Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, covered, before using. Fudge can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

7. Freeze the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. To create the ripple effect, dollop large spoonfuls of fudge ripple into your ice cream storage container. Top with a layer of freshly churned ice cream, then another layer of fudge. Repeat until all of the fudge and ice cream are layered. (If you have any fudge left over, serve it on top of the ice cream.) Give the mixture a quick stir to swirl together the fudge and ice cream, but don’t overdo it. You’re looking for marbling. Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

9. Serve ice cream topped by dollops of whipped cream or crème fraîche, crushed malted milk balls or malted milk powder, and any leftover chocolate fudge. ― The New York Times

Eggs are prepared to add to malted milk powder, to make fudge and ice cream.