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Saturday, October 5, 2013

Weekend Cooking: Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

I have two terrific bloggers to thank for this post:  Candace, who sponsors the Weekend Cooking meme, and Trish who is hosting the October Pin It and Do It challenge.  I am actually writing this in advance of the weekend - a first in many years - and I feel terrific!

It is officially fall, so says the calendar, but weather in the midwest is confusing.  There are mornings when we are greeted with chilly temperatures in the 40s, but then the afternoon highs reach the low 80s.  It is definitely not time to change over the closets to sweaters and turtlenecks, and unfortunately, we shouldn't change our diets to hearty soups and stews.  If anything we need to learn to adapt and just go with the flow.

But I love fall!  I love the rich jewel-tone colors, I love the cozy sweaters and colorful scarves, and I look forward to simmering pots of chili and pumpkin desserts.  I had my heart set on the first pumpkin pie of the season ... but the weather dictated something lighter.  So I wondered.... what about pumpkin pie ice cream?

I did a quick Pinterest search, which yielded several different recipes.  I settled on this one, however, because it seemed the easiest with pure ingredients.  However, as is my typical method... I decided to adapt the recipe from the start.  In fact, I have a feeling I created my own recipe here. but I will give inspirational credit where it is due.

The original Pinterest recipe called for five simple ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1-15 oz can pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

But I knew I wanted a pumpkin pie flavor - and the lack of spices in this recipe made me a little nervous.  And while I am trying to cut down on refined sugar, I knew that 1/2 cup would not be enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

I have a CuisineArt ice cream maker, which came with its own booklet that has a number of tasty recipes.  The one I tend to make most often is Simple Vanilla:

  • 1-1/2 cup whole milk (I use 2 cups 2% milk)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 cups heavy cream  (I use 2.5 cups half and half)
  • 1-1/2 Tablespoons vanilla

I decided to combine these two recipes, the one from Pinterest and my adaptation from the manufacturer, and then added 2 Tablespoons -  Pumpkin Pie spice.  Surprisingly, it actually tastes like a creamy version of pumpkin pie!  My version definitely has an "ice milk" texture, which I normally don't mind in order to avoid the fat and cholesterol, but it froze a bit too hard for my taste.  I definitely plan to make this again later this fall, probably using 2-1/2 cups whole milk and 2 cups of heavy cream.

Hmmm.... I just had a thought... I wonder what it would taste like as an a la mode topping for apple pie?  I think I may need to find a pinterest pie recipe this week :)


15 comments:

  1. I can't believe I have never had pumpkin ice cream; yours sounds so yummy.

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  2. Yay you for writing a post ahead of time. I need to do that more often!

    I have the same ice cream maker and love the flavor of pumpkin. Now I'm thinking I have to have the ice cream. And on apple pie with apples picked fresh from a local farm?

    Okay, I think I'm on my way to heaven.

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  3. I have never tasted pumpkin pie ice cream. I think it would be delicious. Looks like an easy recipe too. I love fall too. :)

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  4. Enjoyed hearing about your pumpkin ice cream adventure. The best part of Fall, besides beautiful changing leaves, is making pumpkin and apple recipes.

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  5. I love the pumpkin ice cream from Trader Joe's. I haven't been successful in my ice cream making endeavors yet.

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  6. I've never had pumpkin ice cream before, but it sounds good.
    Here's A Link To My WC Post

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  7. Molly, such an interesting ice cream - in New Zealand pumpkin is only generally used in savoury dishes - roasted or in soup.

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  8. This would be perfect for Thanksgiving!

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  9. There is no such thing as too many pumpkin desserts, but can you believe I've never had pumpkin pie ice cream?? I'm sure this recipe was better with your modifications - no spices in the original?? I wonder if they actually used pumpkin pie filling instead of puree.

    Kudos for writing posts ahead of time!

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  10. Interesting would be the word I would you too for the same reasons Carol mentioned!

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  11. sounds yummy. I am getting very tempted to try making my own non-dairy icecream. The pumpkin would add that extra creaminess.

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  12. Delicious. With weather getting warmer in my part of the world, I've already started using my ice cream maker a few times. I've always like the idea of trying a pumpkin pie ice cream, but here in New Zealand we can't get canned pumpkin puree. Guess I should just make the effort to cook up some pumpkin.

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  13. Oh dear, I think it would be positively SINFUL (in a good way!) with apple pie. YUM. Please report back if you try that combo!

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  14. Oh yes--I don't know if you can have pumpkin ice cream without the pie spices!! Good call on adding them. And I bet this would be DELICIOUS over apple pie. Combining two of the best fall flavors. ;)

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  15. That looks and sounds Delicious. I agree with Trish having it over apple pie or crumble or something similar would be a good idea

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