brown sugar cinnamon ice cream;
Fall is fair season. It’s been an annual tradition for over 10 years now for us to go to the Bloomsburg PA State Fair. We go every year, and the first thing we get are apple dumplings. Apple dumplings with cinnamon ice cream. So with COVID in the air, and no fairs, we had to make our own fair this year. And I decided to try my hand at brown sugar cinnamon ice cream.
The best part of making your own ice cream is that you have so much control over the flavor. I built on the original recipe from Sugar Dish Me, adding a cinnamon stick to steep in the custard. Plus I decreased the sugar a little because I like less-sweet desserts. Especially with another sweet dessert like apple dumplings.
I’m super happy with how this ice cream turned out. It’s definitely cinnamon-y. Like hit you in the face cinnamon. My sister is a notorious cinnamon-fiend and this recipe got her approval. It probably could have had even more cinnamon for her, but for us mere mortals it’s a delicious amount of cinnamon. It goes so perfectly with baked apple desserts. Think apple dumplings, apple pie, apple turnovers… Of course you could add cinnamon ice cream to any fruit dessert, not just apples! But apples and cinnamon is a classic. Good for breakfast too.
We had to have cinnamon ice cream to go with apple dumplings. They’re our fair breakfast every year. Lucky for us, the group we go to the fair with is laden with bakers. So we just made a lot of fair staples ourselves, including apple dumplings. Myself, my sister, and several of our friends love cooking and baking. It was an amazing weekend, we ate so much. Even despite COVID wrecking our plans, we managed to bake and eat up a storm. A list of some of the things we ate and baked together:
- Cinnamon rolls (check out my recipe for fluffy cinnamon rolls here)
- Apple dumplings
- Homemade cinnamon ice cream
- Stuffed pretzel pockets (want to make homemade pretzels? I’ve got you covered.)
- bloomin onion (purchased)
- fried cheese
- potato pancakes
- crab dip pretzels
- empanadas
- s’mores macaroons
- gyro (purchased)
- feta fries (purchased)
- individual potion drinks for each person! (check out the series here: liquid luck cocktail)
- alcoholic (or not) malted milkshakes
But this ice cream, you guys. Considering it was a last minute addition to the list, it turned out phenomenally. It was creamy and sweet and definitely packed that cinnamon punch. (We like cinnamon ok.) And paired with a fresh and warm apple dumpling… you need this in your life. I want to give you an immediate heads up: this recipe requires an ice cream maker. Make sure you factor that into your plans to make this. I actually ended up borrowing a neighbors kitchen aid ice cream maker which worked out great.
The second thing to note is that often ice cream makes require freezing the basin for churning. So make sure that you prep your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions and get it nice and cold. You can chill it while making the custard since the custard will need to chill as well.
Last, if you like hard ice cream, make sure you factor that into your waiting time. When it comes out of the ice cream maker, it’ll be a sort of soft-serve consistency. If you want a hard ice cream, perfect for cones and scoops, then it’ll need extra freezer time. But don’t worry, it’s worth the wait. That cinnamon flavor packs a punch and is perfect to pair with almost any dessert.
Secrets to Success
- An ice cream maker is required. I want to make sure that’s clear up front, because I don’t want you to be disappointed. Honestly, the custard is delicious by itself. I might have sneaked a couple sips–you know, for taste testing.
- I prefer a cinnamon-forward, slightly less sweet ice cream. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you can add extra brown sugar, up to 2/3 cup total (instead of 1/2 cup).
- There’s a lot of wait time in this recipe, so plan accordingly! Chilling the bowl of your ice cream maker, chilling the custard, and then freezing your final product. You can eat the ice cream immediately after churning for a soft-serve texture. If you prefer that hard scoop, then you’ll need to freeze after churning for 2+ hours before serving.
- If you can find them, add cinnamon chips! Chop them up and fold them into the mixture immediately after churning.
Looking for the perfect pairing? Here are some options to serve with your brown sugar cinnamon ice cream.
- This apple pie taco bar is sure to please! Build your own apple pie tacos, and top with a bit of this delicious brown sugar cinnamon ice cream.
- Turn this cream cheese apple cake from coffee cake into dessert, with a delicious scoop of ice cream.
- Serve with s’mores cheesecake for a fun twist.
Equipment
- ice cream maker
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk (or substitute ¾ cup 2% milk + ¼ cup heavy cream)
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Add 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 1½ tsp ground cinnamon, and ½ cup packed brown sugar to a medium sauce pan. Whisk to combine. Drop in the cinnamon stick.
- Bring cream mixture to a simmer, stirring continuously. When you see bubbles forming at the edges, give it another 1-2 minutes (it should never come to a boil). Remove from the heat.
- Add the 5 egg yolks to a medium bowl and whisk together.
- Add ½ cup of the cream mixture into the eggs, making sure to whisk the entire time. Give it a minute, then repeat this procedure 2x more. Here, we're trying to bring the eggs up to temperature without scrambling them.
- Once you have a smooth consistency, slowly pour the mixture back into the remaining cream mixture, whisking the entire time.
- Cook over medium heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. That means when you dip a spoon into the mixture, the entire back will remain coated evenly, even after excess drips off.
- Optional: It can help the texture of the custard to strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Especially if you see a few small lumps that might be eggy (as opposed to clumps of cinnamon). If you're a custard pro and don't have lumps, you may skip this step.
- Add to a storage container. My batch was about 3½ cups or 850ml of liquid (3 cups and 800ml after straining) and fit in a 24oz mason jar. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Add the chilled base to the canister of your ice cream churn and churn according to manufacturer's instructions.
- You can eat it immediately, but the mixture will have more of a soft-serve texture. For a harder ice cream, add to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 2+ hours or until desired consistency.
3 Comments
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