Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream - The Perfect Ice Cream for Autumn

Pumpkin pie says "Autumn" like no other dessert. But the weather in many places is still warm (and, after six months, I'm still sooo stoked about my Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream-Sorbet Maker), so I thought, Why not make some pumpkin pie ice cream?

The recipe I developed is a simple, no-egg, uncooked ice cream. I haven't bothered to even try making custard-style ice creams because I'm such a fan of custard that it would never make it into the ice cream maker!

I use all organic ingredients. If you can't get organic milk and cream, at least get a brand that doesn't have hormones. Of course, it's tasty without the pie crust, but then it would just be pumpkin ice cream! The pie crust takes it over the top--it is so good! Tastes just like pumpkin pie, only colder.

If you use canned pumpkin, you'll have 3/4 cup left over (a 15-ounce can equals 1 3/4 cups); my next post will tell you what to do with it! What's your favorite way with pumpkin? 

Simple Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

(Makes about 5 cups)

The Ice Cream

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 packed cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 cups milk (I used 2%)

The Pie Crust

2/3 packed cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
3 tablespoons ice water

1 In medium bowl (I use a 2-quart glass measure to make pouring into the machine easier), whisk together pumpkin, sugars, vanilla, spices and salt until the mixture is well blended. Whisk in the cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

2 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In small mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in just enough ice water to make dough come together. Place ball of dough on parchment-lined rimless baking sheet and roll out to about 1/8-inch thick--size and shape don't matter. If your rolling pin isn't handy, just press it out with your hand. If you like, cut out a few shapes for a garnish. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool. Then roughly break into pieces. I made six 2.5-inch-wide hearts and had enough crust left to make about 1 cup of crumbled crust.

3 Assemble the Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream-Sorbet Maker; turn it on. While it is running, pour the chilled mixture through the spout. Let mix until thickened, about 15 minutes. Or follow the directions for whichever brand ice cream maker you have. 

4 Transfer the soft ice cream to a freezer-safe airtight container, layering in the crumbled crust as you go, and place in freezer for at least 4 hours. If it is super hard when you're ready to use it, remove it from the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Garnish each serving with a pastry heart (or whatever shape you prefer).