Elevate your favorite fall desserts with this Cinnamon ice cream. Infused with the cozy vibes of cinnamon, this creamy treat is just as delicious served in a cone as it is on top of apple pie.
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Making homemade ice cream is a guilty pleasure of mine! It's rich and creamy and comes together with just a few wholesome ingredients. No additives. Just rich flavor!
Cinnamon ice cream is rich and creamy and perfectly infused with warm spice. It pairs wonderfully with all of your favorite fall desserts.
For a special treat, try this ice cream sandwiched between chewy molasses cookies in these molasses ice cream sandwich cookies.
Ingredients
This ice cream base is made with cream, half-and-half, sugar, and egg yolks. Lots of cinnamon bring tons of warm spice to this ice cream.
Step-by-step instructions
- Add 1 ½ cups of heavy cream, half-and-half, and sugar to a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Add the cinnamon sticks to infuse the cream. Heat for 4-5 minutes.
- While the mixture heats, whisk the egg yolks into the remaining ½ cup heavy cream.
- Slowly ladle some of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking to temper the eggs.
PRO TIP: Tempering means to slowly bring the egg mixture up to the temperature of the warm liquid. This helps to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Next, add the egg mixture back to the saucepan while whisking. Heat until slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to boil.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and ground cinnamon. Let cool for 10-15 minutes while the cinnamon sticks continue to infuse the cream.
- Strain the cream mixture into a heat-proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly down on top of the mixture.
PRO TIP: When chilling a custard (egg and cream mixture), pressing plastic wrap directly down on top of the mixture prevents a skin from forming.
- Refrigerate until chilled, 1-2 hours.
- Transfer the mixture to an ice cream machine. Churn until it reaches the consistency of soft serve. This takes about 45 minutes in my machine (see Equipment below).
- Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until firm, 3-4 hours.
Serving ideas
The warm cozy spice of cinnamon in this ice cream is so delicious no matter how you serve. These are some of my favorite ways to enjoy.
- Serve with warm fall desserts like apple crisp, apple pie, or pecan pie.
- Enjoy with a slice of pumpkin bread or gingerbread.
- Top a warm cider donut with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream and drizzle with caramel sauce.
- Make a cinnamon milkshake.
- Add 2-3 scoops to a waffle cone.
Equipment
Saucepan | Whisk | Liquid measuring cup | Measuring cups and spoons | Mixing bowl | Mesh strainer | Ice cream maker
More ice cream recipes
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Cinnamon Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 2 cups heavy cream divided
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a saucepan placed over medium heat, add the half-and-half and 1 ⅓ cups of the heavy cream. Add sugar and whisk until dissolved. Add cinnamon sticks to steep. Heat the mixture for 4-5 minutes.
- While the cream mixture heats, add the egg yolks to the remaining ½ cup of heavy cream, whisking to combine. When the cream is hot, slowly ladle some of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture, whisking continuously. This tempers the eggs. (Note 1)
- Then slowly pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot cream mixture, while whisking. Cook over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, being careful not to boil the cream mixture.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in ground cinnamon and vanilla extract. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. The cinnamon sticks will continue to infuse the cream.
- Strain the mixture into a heat-proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly on top of the cream mixture. (Note 2) Refrigerate until completely chilled, 1-2 hours.
- Transfer the cream mixture to an ice cream machine and churn until the mixture is the consistency of soft serve. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, approximately 3-4 hours.
EQUIPMENT
Notes
- Tempering is the process of slowly bringing the eggs up to the temperature of the warm cream. This helps to prevent the eggs from scrambling when they are added to the hot cream.
- When chilling a custard (a mixture of cream and eggs), press the plastic wrap down directly on top of the mixture. This prevents a skin from forming on top.
- Yields 1 ½ quarts.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary depending upon the exact amounts and specific ingredients used.
Author's note: This post was originally published in October 2018 and has been updated.
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