Homemade Gingerbread Ice Cream

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Sweet, perfectly spiced, and oh so delicious! This Homemade Gingerbread Ice Cream is the perfect frozen treat to enjoy this December. Made with minimal ingredients, but really tastes just like a gingerbread cookie. Every bite is custard-y, sweet, full of gingerbread spice, and makes you feel extra festive! Simply delicious.

About The Recipe

Even though it’s cold outside, sometimes there’s nothing better than a scoop of ice cream!

After our Cinnamon Ice Cream was such a success (if you’ve not made it yet, I HIGHLY recommend!!!), we started to wonder what other spices we could infuse our ice cream with. And, with Christmas right around the corner, we thought there was no better time to try a gingerbread spiced ice cream!

It’s a simple custard base ice cream, which I know can sound a bit intimidating, but I promise that it’s actually REALLy easy! Then, stir in lots of gingerbread spice and just a little bit of molasses.

But the absolute best part about this recipe is that, since we are using ground spice rather than whole spices, there is no waiting for the spices to infuse! It’s an immediate addition of flavor that’s perfect every time.

Though, I will admit, my favorite way to eat this ice cream with a gingerbread cookie! I honestly use the cookie like a spoon and just eat the ice cream.

Between you and me, I’ve even made ice cream sandwiches our of this ice cream with a batch of our Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies!

No matter how you enjoy this ice cream, it will always be delicious and extra festive!

Reasons You Will Love This Gingerbread Ice Cream

• Minimal ingredients.
• Simple to make!
• Perfectly spiced and deliciously sweet.
• The perfect frozen treat to enjoy during December!
• Delicious on it’s own OR makes great ice cream sandwiches.

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• 2 Quart Saucepan
• Wooden Spoon
• Ice Cream Machine
• Ice Cream Container
• Anti-Freeze Ice Cream Scoop

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

• Granulated Sugar – Every ice cream needs just a touch of sweetness!
• Salt – A pinch of salt helps balance out the sugar, as well as bring out the flavor.
• Egg Yolks – Make sure to set the eggs out a few hours ahead of time! Though, don’t throw away your egg whites. Instead, make something like our Meringue Cookies with the leftover egg whites!
• Whole Milk – An important part of ice cream!
• Heavy Cream – Make sure that you’re using a full fat heavy whipping cream for the best results! This is what makes your ice cream luscious and oh so delicious.
• Molasses – Just a splash of molasses not only helps keep this ice cream scoop-able, but it also adds a wonderful undertone to go with the gingerbread spice.
• Gingerbread Spice – The key flavor in this ice cream! Use a high quality gingerbread spice for the best flavor.

How To Make Gingerbread Ice Cream

Step 1: Make the custard

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, and egg yolks until smooth. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat milk and heavy cream until it just starts to bubble around the edges.

Whisk hot milk mixture into egg mixture in small amounts to avoid cooking the eggs.

Return mixture to saucepan. Cook and stir over medium low heat until it coats the spoon, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.

Stir in molasses and spice. Place in a water bath to chill, or cover and refrigerate.

Step 2: Freeze

When cold, pour into ice cream machine. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

If desired, transfer to an ice cream container and freeze until solid.

How To Store

This recipe needs to be kept in a freezer safe, airtight container. It can last up to 2 months in the freezer.

5 Ways You Can Turn This Gingerbread Ice Cream Into A New Dessert

There’s nothing better than a scoop (or two!) of ice cream…but when you have leftovers, sometimes you might wanna do something special. Which, we totally get! Here are a few of our favorite ways to change-up this gingerbread ice cream and make a whole new dessert.

• Make a milkshake! You can combine this ice cream with the milk of your choice and blend until smooth. It creates a delicious treat that’s not only easy to make, but tastes DELICIOUS! Especially if served with Gingerbread Cookies and Whipped Cream.
• Turn it into a no-bake pie. If you’ve never had an ice cream pie, you’re missing out! You can spoon the leftover ice cream into a cookie crust (like our Turtle Ice Cream Pie!) and have a gingerbread cookie inspired no-bake pie that’s a serious crowd pleaser.
• Make some ice cream sandwiches! Yep. Simplicity is almost always better! Bake a batch of Gingerbread Cookies or even our Ginger Molasses Cookies to create an ice cream sandwich that will always have you coming back for more.
• Make an ice cream cake. Love cake and love ice cream? Well, why not combine the two and create a stunning dessert while you’re at it! Make our Gingerbread Layer Cake and use this ice cream in-between the layers, then frost the outside with Chantilly Cream.
• Serve over brownies. Hear me out, there is nothing better than the combination of gingerbread and chocolate. Which is why I LOVE to enjoy a scoop of this ice cream with a warm and gooey brownie.

Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: Eggnog Ice Cream, No-Cook Peppermint Ice Cream, Cinnamon Ice Cream, Gingerbread Cupcakes

Expert Tips

• Do not boil the milk when you’re heating it. Just bring it to a light simmer.
• Don’t skip straining the custard! This helps make sure there’s no cooked egg chunks in your ice cream.
• You can use an ice bath to chill the custard down quickly.
• If you overcook the custard or it just breaks for any reason, whisk it constantly over an ice bath. This will help bring it back together.
• This recipe is naturally gluten and nut free!
• If you want scoop-able ice cream instead of soft serve, transfer to a freezer safe lidded container and place in freezer overnight to harden.

When you make this Homemade Gingerbread Ice Cream, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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