Oh My! Pumpkin Pie (Ice Cream) for Thanksgiving

Sure, a pumpkin-centric recipe may seem a little late in the game at this point, since it’s Halloween day and all, but its actually perfect timing because this one is pumpkin PIE related. Big difference. 🙂

Anything pie related puts it into Thanksgiving territory, if you ask me. So….who’s up for a little pumpkin pie ice cream?! Click through for the recipe.

Ever since I was a little girl, pumpkin pie has been my favorite Thanksgiving food. Not the kind that you buy at the grocery store though – I only liked the homemade version, specifically the ones that my mom and grandma used to make. And this recipe rivals those homemade family pies and channels ’em into a sugary treat best suited for waffle cones…

Ingredients

• 1 cup of whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 + ¼ cup of canned pumpkin

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the whole milk with the cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until the cornstarch has dissolved. Next, combine the rest of the milk with the heavy cream, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and salt in the saucepan. Set aside.

In a bowl, prepare an ice bath for the saucepan. This will be used to chill the ice cream base afterwards. Move the sauce pan with the milk mixture to the stove and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Once the mixture is at a steady simmer, heat the mixture for 6 minutes, stirring with a whisk.

Reduce heat to low and, while stirring, add cornstarch mixture. Then, increase back to medium heat and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. You should feel the mixture thickening. Remove from heat and stir in the pumpkin into the mixture.

Next, submerge the saucepan into the ice bath. Keep stirring! This will help cool the ice cream base more quickly and evenly. Once the mixture has cooled down place in an airtight container and let refrigerate for an hour.

Then add the mixture to the ice cream maker and turn it on. Make sure you follow the directions of your ice cream maker. It took about 20 minutes for my ice cream to churn and set up. Scoop the ice cream into freezer-safe pans, and cover with airtight lids, and freeze overnight.

Recipe Anissa Saxton
Photography Amelia Tatnall Lawrence
Styling Brittni Mehlhoff

Are you a pumpkin pie fan? What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?