Snickerdoodle...Ice Cream

       

Well, not exactly Snickerdoodle Ice Cream, but pretty darn close. We just got back from a vacation (working vacation for me) in Central Oregon. I had hoped to have some time to work in some long-delayed baking projects. Unfortunately, I didn’t get as much time as I had hoped. I did, however, manage to work in this tasty little treat, one I had wanted to try for awhile now.

I first tried my hand at homemade ice cream a few years ago after receiving a new ice cream maker for Christmas. Now, let me just say that I am not a huge fan of ice cream. It’s not something I typically crave, but I do enjoy now and then. I should also admit that I am one of those oddballs that doesn’t like to have a scoop of ice cream served with cake or pie. The only time I’m interested in cake and ice cream together is the Cake Batter Ice Cream they serve at Cold Stone, but I digress…

After making my first few batches of ice cream in my new maker awhile ago, I found that it would be almost impossible to match the creamy goodness that is homemade ice cream with anything I could purchase at a supermarket or even many ice cream shops. No, the stuff from home is so much better. Unfortunately, it is also just a bit time consuming. If you have the time, however, it is well worth the investment to try it yourself.

For this batch, I had actually intended to make a different recipe, but I was lacking some of the necessary equipment. You’ll just have to wait for a later post to learn about that one (tease tease). For now, I decided to try a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com for Cinnamon Ice Cream. The recipe was highly rated on the site and was just different enough from the ‘usual’ ice cream recipes that it was worth a shot.

I have to tell you, it is good. It probably won’t cause me to start craving ice cream, but it is quite delicious. Oh, and if you are counting calories, you can stop here, this is not a low-fat, low-cal ice cream. It is however, creamy, sweet and cinnamony. And a fair warning, a little bit goes a long way. For me, the almost cloyingly sweet goodness was well balanced with a nice cup of strong black coffee.

So there you have it. If it’s time you dug out your rusty old ice cream maker in preparation for summer, give this recipe a try. Don’t like cinnamon? The base custard recipe would work well for any number of flavor additions.  My wife suggested an addition of some chunks of sugar cookie dough, which  would probably make this just about perfect.  Too bad I didn't have any to add at the time.  Oh well, maybe next time around.  For you, go nuts (or maybe add some, if you like).

Cinnamon Ice Cream (courtesy of Allrecipes.com)

1 Cup White Sugar
1 ½ Cups Half and Half
2 Eggs, beaten
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

In a saucepan, over medium-low heat, stir together the sugar and half and half. When the mixture begins to simmer, remove from heat and whisk half of the mixture into the eggs. Whisk quickly so that the eggs do not scramble. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and stir in the heavy cream. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and whisk in vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside to cool.

Pour the cooled mixture into and ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Erik’s added tips and notes:

I would strongly suggest running the custard mix through a fine-mesh strainer before processing to remove any large bits of cooked egg that may have occurred during the tempering process. Refrigerate the custard for several hours before adding it to your ice cream maker. If you do want to add nuts, cookie dough bits, etc., do so at the end of the churning process. Be sure to freeze the finished ice cream for several hours before eating to allow it to set up properly, as well as to allow the flavors to fully develop.

Want a closer look at the photos below?  Just click on them for a larger view.