Gritty Chocolate Ice Cream Texture I made this recipe for dark chocolate ice cream. I did a double recipe, using 3 egg yolks + 1/2 cup cream instead of 12 egg yolks, and I left the cocoa nibs in until right before  churning to try to extract as much flavor as possible. 

The taste was excellent but the ice cream had a somewhat gritty/sandy texture. I am fairly sure that the sugar was all dissolved, as I cooked the custard slowly and whisked constantly. I think the issue is either the cocoa nibs or the cocoa powder. I was originally planning to leave the nibs in for a crunch, but I tasted one after cooking the custard and it was not good - starchy and bland. Why did my ice cream turn out gritty?
I've had gritty chocolate ice cream when I didn't get the chocolate melted all the way. I was using a combination of unsweetened chocolate squares and cocoa powder. I've found that if I heat it on the stove with the milk until it starts to bubble (stirring often), it changes from looking like milk with little specks of chocolate in it, to smooth, consistent, chocolate-colored cream. That's the point to take it off the stove, and it's always super smooth.