Cinnamon Apple Ice Cream

The crisp Fall air brings comfort food and celebrations abound.  Halloween, an election (glad that is over), Thanksgiving, and then onto Christmas.  Fall in my home is also pumpkins, spices, and apples.  I have been able to pick up some black apples in the south (very tart) but I miss the large variety of pick-your-own apples in the North.  That doesn’t stop me from making apple-inspired dishes however, such as Cinnamon Apple Cake and my mom’s famous Apple Crisp.

Given that my favorite apples are hard to find in Louisiana, I decided to make an scoop of apple ice cream flavored with apple butter.  The concentrated taste of apple butter is an easy way to flavor a scoop and avoid an icey texture.  I hope you like it as much as I do.  Enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple Ice Cream
Adapted from recipes in Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home
Makes 1 quart

Apple butter comes in all sorts of varieties. I used a spiced, unsweetened apple butter.  If you use a sweetened apple butter, I would cut back on the sugar in the recipe to 1/2 cup.  If you are using a heavily spiced apple butter, cut back on the spices a little bit.  Test and tweak to until you find your favorite scoop!

2 cups whole milk
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
3/4 cup unsweetened apple butter
1/4 cup honey
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Fill a large bowl with ice water.  In a small bowl, mix 2 Tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch.  In another large bowl, whisk together apple butter, honey, and salt.

Combine the remaining milk with heavy cream, sugars, corn syrup, cinnamon, and ginger in a large saucepan.  Bring milk mixture to a boil.  Cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, 4 minutes. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into apple butter mixture. Whisk until smooth. Set the bowl in the ice water bath and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cool, about 20 minutes. Chill the mixture thoroughly (at least 4 hours or overnight).

Once ice cream base is chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place plastic or parchment over ice cream (to prevent ice crystals) and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.