Ah, cold weather and cold ice cream. That brings back some great memories! I remember when the weather started turning cold when I was in college in Florida (if you could really call it cold, that is…those southerners should believed it was!), some of my fellow cold-weather westerner friends (mainly those from the Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Montana region) and I would wear short sleeves and skirts then sit on a wall outside the commons hall with ice cream cones. Then we’d giggle at the tightly-bundled southerner students that walked by us–shivering and gawking at us like we were crazy. As a native Coloradan, I jokingly thought THEY were the crazy ones! I mean, seriously, weather in the 50’s temperature range, that’s like shorts, tank top, and flip flops weather for me!

So, just because it’s fall and the temperature maybe is starting to drop (depends on where you might be located in the world) means that ice cream is officially off the dessert menu…right? But, really, why? It’s creamy and delicious. And, well, THIS recipe has the all-time fall flavor favorites (say that three times fast) of PUMPKIN and PUMPKIN SPICE! So why not continue to indulge in this decadent frozen treat just because it’s chilly outside? Put on your favorite sweater, wrap yourself up in a warm blanket, and cuddle up in front of a toasty fire…with a big bowl of homemade vanilla bean and pumpkin ice cream, of course!

This easy-to-make pumpkin ice cream combo can be accomplished with either plain canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree using fresh pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, the pumpkin corner of your garden, or the box of edible fresh pumpkins at your grocery store or farmer’s market (that’s a lot of pumpkin mentions in just one sentence)! And it can be made in an ice cream maker if you’re fortunate enough to have one (I have a totally awesome Nostalgia Electrics ice cream maker) OR you can make it WITHOUT an ice cream maker.

And, before I dive into the recipe and while you’re now salivating for fall friendly ice cream , be sure to also check out my Maple and Bacon Ice Cream recipe (yes…BACON…in ice cream).

Homemade Vanilla Bean and Pumpkin Ice Cream

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Course 13:0

Cuisine n/a

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

2 c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk
1 c. coconut sugar or 1 c. white sugar
1 tbsp. unsulphured blackstrap molasses
4 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of Real Salt
1 can (15 oz.) or 2 c. homemade pureed pumpkin
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 vanilla pods

Instructions

Cook the cream, sugar, and molasses in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar and molasses are completely dissolved and mixed in.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and spices. Ladle about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture and pour into the egg yolks, whisking quickly to prevent it from coagulating. Once mixed, add it all back into the saucepan.
Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the pumpkin and vanilla extract. Cut the vanilla pods open vertically and, using the tip of a paring knife, scrape out all of the vanilla beans. Stir the vanilla beans into the mixture.
Cover and refrigerate the pumpkin custard in the refrigerator overnight or until completely cool.
Pour into your ice cream maker and make the ice cream as directed in the manual OR <a href="http://measuringflower.com/how-to-make-homemade-ice-cream-without-an-ice-cream-maker/">make without an ice cream maker</a>.
Serve with some whipped cream and garnish with equal parts of pumpkin pie spice and sugar mixed together and sprinkled on top.