I purchased my ice cream maker late in the summer and therefore the second frozen concoction to emerge from it is a dense, creamy ice cream that manages to straddle the seasons–cooling me off during the still-too-warm days of late summer but welcoming fall with the warm flavors cinnamon and vanilla.
How it is I’ve been on this earth for 31 years without ever tasting a cinnamon-flavored ice cream is a complete mystery to me. Because even though I have tasted so many wonderful gelatos in Italy, (each time exclaiming, “THIS is my new favorite flavor!”), I can now say that this cinnamon vanilla ice cream is the best I’ve ever tasted.
I used the recipe found on allrecipes.com and the main change I made was to use a vanilla bean to replace the vanilla extract in the recipe. Doing this intensified the vanilla flavor and the little specks of vanilla seed add an interesting texture. Amazingly, the vanilla was not overpowered by the cinnamon–the two flavors stand up side by side and complement each other perfectly.
If you excited about the first day of autumn but not ready to let go of the frozen delights of summer, this ice cream is what you need! The recipe is scaled for a 1 1/2 quart ice cream maker, I use the Cuisinart ICE-20. If you’ve been thinking about buying an ice cream maker, just take the plunge and do it, this ice cream will make it worth your while. Just imagine your Thanksgiving apple and pumpkin pies topped with homemade cinnamon vanilla ice cream…need I say more?
Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 C. half and half (can also use light cream or half milk/half heavy cream)
2 eggs, beaten
1 C. heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean
2 t. ground cinnamon
1. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the sugar and half-and-half. When the mixture begins to simmer, remove from heat.
2. Whisk half of the cream mixture into the eggs (whisk quickly so as not to scramble the eggs). Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and stir in the heavy cream.
3. With a sharp knife, cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise then scrape out the tiny seeds on the inside. Add the vanilla bean and the seeds to the cream mixture.
4. Return the cream mixture to the stove and continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
5. Remove from heat and strain mixture into a bowl. Whisk in the cinnamon then set aside to cool. When mixture has cooled a bit, cover and refrigerate overnight or several hours until well chilled (I press plastic wrap over the surface to prevent a skin from forming).
6. Pour cold mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Oh ice cream is a year round food, not just Summer
9:41 pm Sep 22nd, 2006Ice cream over gelato? You really are an American.
9:51 pm Sep 22nd, 2006mac, as soon as i find myself some cinnamon gelato, i’ll take back that statement
10:08 pm Sep 22nd, 2006Oh, wow! I bet this is divine. You could go all-American and put it on some apple pie.
11:04 pm Sep 22nd, 2006That sounds delicious. I’d encourage you to make cinnamon banana ice cream too, it’s a good combination.
11:16 pm Sep 22nd, 2006Wow, this looks so good!
12:05 am Sep 23rd, 2006That combination has been something on my “to try” list for a long time now. SInce it is wtill quite hot here, I maight give it a go this weekend. Great lucious picture.
6:27 am Sep 23rd, 2006Really nice… I love icecream! But it is getting cold here… so I will wait next summer for trying this one.
11:45 am Sep 25th, 2006I surfe a bit in your blog and like it a lot.
Ciao.
Wow. What flavour combination! I will try this Nicole. Sounds an absolute delight! Thanks for the recipe.
Photo’s gorgeous as usual.
4:56 pm Sep 25th, 2006It’s great to uncover a new way to make cinnamon shine.
2:05 am Sep 29th, 2006wow, that right there is my dream ice cream! mmm, cinnamon…
2:01 am Oct 2nd, 2006Is there any way to make this without vanilla beans (say, with extract)? Vanilla beans are so expensive. How much extract would suffice, do you think?
2:56 am Nov 10th, 2006Hi Emily, vanilla extract would be perfectly fine in this recipe. I would add a teaspoon of extract at the end when you add the cinnamon. Then just taste it and see if you like the flavor. You could always add a little bit more if you think it needs it. Hope you try it!
5:32 pm Nov 10th, 2006I am making this ice cream tonight. It sounds delicious!
A good rull of thumb is to use 3 inches of good A-Grade vanilla per TBS of extract in a recipe.
I use 4 inches (10cm) per TBS, but I love vanilla.
Boston Vanilla Bean Company stocks some of the finest vanilla available at http://www.bostonvanillabeans.com
-Steve
8:50 pm Jan 5th, 2007[…] that the winner by quite a large margin was chocolate. Yes, I guess I was hoping deep down that my Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream would have garnered a few more votes (only two people besides myself voted for that one) but I am […]
6:43 am Jul 3rd, 2007This looks and sounds divine. I’ve forwarded it to friends who got an ice-cream maker this year. Thanks!
10:20 am Jul 3rd, 2007Nicole, I live in Australia and we don’t get half-and-half down here. Is there an alternative?
7:09 am Nov 2nd, 2007Kal: half and half is basically half milk and half cream. You should easily be able to substitute 3/4 C. milk plus 3/4 C. heavy cream for the 1 1/2 C. half and half. I’ve edited the recipe with a note to avoid confusion in the future! I often forget that American ingredients are not found all over the world
7:28 am Nov 2nd, 2007thanks heaps nicole!
12:09 am Nov 4th, 2007