Author Notes
This ice cream steals all the best flavors—molasses, ginger, punchy-warm spices—from holiday cakes and cookies. And the method, from Sicily: Essentially, you thicken the ice cream base with cornstarch, which creates an extra silky texture, no eggs needed. Serve with chopped, candied or crystallized ginger, or whipped cream, or even "real" gingerbread. —Emma Laperruque
Test Kitchen Notes
Featured in: Gingerbread Ice Cream Is What You Need to Spice Up Dark Winter Days —The Editors
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Ingredients
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2 cups
heavy cream
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2 cups
whole milk
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1/2 cup
sugar
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1/4 cup
brown sugar
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1/4 cup
blackstrap molasses
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1/4 cup
cornstarch
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2 tablespoons
ground ginger
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1 teaspoon
cocoa powder
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1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
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1/2 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
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1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
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Chopped candied or crystallized ginger, for garnish
Directions
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Combine the cream, milk, and molasses in a pot. Set over medium heat. Meanwhile, combine the sugars, cornstarch, ginger, cocoa, pepper, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir with a fork to get rid of any lumps. When the cream mixture is very hot, add a splash to the sugar mixture. Stir with a fork until smooth. Add another splash. Stir. Add another splash. Stir. When you’ve added about half the liquid, pour all that back into the pot. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens, like a thin pudding—the whisk will leave a trail—about 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and press a piece of plastic on top to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the fridge until very cold or up to 2 days.
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Churn for about 25 minutes. Transfer to a container and freeze. Serve with candied ginger sprinkled on top.
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.
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