Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Recipe

When it comes to holiday food, I like to stick pretty close to tradition. Brisket? Grandma style. Latkes? Plain and simple. But dessert is where I get to play. By the dessert course your guests are tired and malleable, and it's the only time of the night I can convince the family that bourbon in pie is a good idea.

Speaking of pie, let's talk about pumpkin pie. I know there are many of you who like—nay, love—pumpkin pie. To you I say god bless and good luck, may you enjoy your pumpkin pie forevermore.

I like pumpkin pie, but I find myself eating it more out of a sense of holiday obligation than genuine interest. The starchy creaminess in crust-bound custard just doesn't do it for me the way, say, a lemon meringue does. But if you took that pie custard, churned it in an ice cream machine, and stirred in crushed gingersnaps and candied ginger? Now we're talking. Meet pumpkin pie ice cream, my—and I hope soon to be your—solution to the holiday baking rut.

Dark brown sugar lends a more molasses-y flavor to the ice cream, and a hint of star anise adds subtle but noticeable interest. Instead of mixing in chunks of pie crust, which get clumpy like cold butter when frozen, I stir in gingersnaps and some chopped candied ginger. The cookies soften but don't fall apart, just like a real crust on a pie.

This ice cream receives some definite personality from whiskey: rye for something spicy, bourbon for something more vanilla, or hey why not Scotch because it's your ice cream and you can do what you want? The amounts in the recipe are small, but their impact isn't.

For a pure pumpkin spice ice cream experience, I omit the cookies and add bourbon to round out the flavors. Looking for some chocolate? Here’s a pumpkin ice cream with rich chunks of brownie.