It is definitely possible that I have found a new favorite ice cream. It even trumps the S’mores Ice Cream from last summer. A few weekends ago I was experimenting with the recipe for Gingersnap Cookies because I wanted to see what would happen if I used butter rather than shortening in the cookies. The result was a very crisp gingersnap, the flavor was still great, but the texture was too crisp for my preference. I didn’t want to throw the batch away, so I decided to mix them into some ice cream!
One of the many things I love about ice cream is how easy it is to create a new recipe. I used the basic ratio of egg yolks, milk and cream that I’ve used in the past and then tossed in some molasses and spices to copy the flavor of a gingersnap. I can’t even begin to describe the awesomeness of this ice cream. It is so creamy and has all the same flavors that can be found in a gingersnap cookie.
Gingersnap Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- dash salt
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped gingersnap cookies (homemade or store-bought)
- Combine the milk, sugar, 1 cup of cream and the salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Place the egg yolks in a separate bowl. When the milk mixture is warm, pour it slowly into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 170 degrees.
- Pour the remaining cup of cream in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on the top. Pour the hot egg and cream mixture through the strainer and mix it into the cream. Stir in the vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and molasses then cover and place in the refrigerator until completely cool (for at least 6 hours).
- After the ice cream base has chilled, freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Once the ice cream maker has finished, stir in the Gingersnap cookie pieces. Pour into a container and freeze for several hours until firm. Enjoy!
Just the other day, my husband turned to me and said, “How many times have we actually used our ice cream maker?” The answer was, “Not enough.” I think I just found some inspiration. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I love to hear that someone else wants to start making more ice cream! Please let me know how it turns out for you