Cinnamon ice cream is the perfect summer dessert! Creamy cinnamon spice ice cream proves that simplicity is incredibly delicious.
Back when I was an über geeky freshman in high school with Belinda Carlisle-inspired bleached blond hair and sparkly braces for miles, I somehow allowed my friends to talk me into trying out for the school musical. (Insert High School Musical jokes here.) Sure, I sang in the choir but never, ever did I sing a solo…on a stage…in front of all of the très cool upperclassman. Because goodness knows that every semi-awkward teenage girl should willingly sign up to sing in front of strangers before the school year has even started.
To say that I was terrified would have been kind. I’m pretty sure that I vacillated between terrified and outright petrified the entire day of tryouts. The terror was not without serendipity–while flipping through sheet music along with a herd of other freshman, I met many of the girls that were to become my closest high school friends. We were all terrified, but gosh darn it, we were going to try out anyway. It was leaning against the lockers and giggling every time a cute upperclassman walked by that I met my friend Valerie. Val was one of the few that wasn’t the least bit nervous about the tryout. Her attitude was that if she didn’t make it, then she’d just do something else.
Valerie was then and is now one of the coolest people I know under pressure. She always did her own thing, and didn’t care what anyone thought. Cucumbers have nothing on that girl! She’s just that cool.
Val was always flush with a dichotomy of interests. She’d sing and perform with the rest of us, go camping and get dirtier than anyone else, hold her own (and best!) the ska8erdudes on her board, and then turn around a host girls-only dinner parties at which we’d dress in our best Laura Ashley dresses and eat things like chilled carrot soup off of fine china.
Val and Serendipity 1967 Dodge Coronet.
She bought her first car–a 1967 Dodge Coronet named Serendipity–a full two years before she was legally eligible to drive, tinkering on it well into adulthood.
Val’s going to kill me for sharing this one!
She has parlayed that love of motors and such into thriving consulting career in which she assists such clients as Yamaha, Volkswagon, and many others grow their profitability.
Val & Lenny skate in the south of France.
I should probably also mention that Val and her husband Lenny have made it their mission to sk8 some of the coolest skateparks in the world.
Coolest. Chick. Ever.
When I polled my Facebook fan page about their favorite flavor of ice cream in search of inspiration for new recipe developments for National Ice Cream Month, I couldn’t wait to see what Valerie would say. Given her varied interests, I figured she’d like her ice cream with a ton of diverse flavors like White Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Ice Cream, or Strawberry Colada Frozen Yogurt. I couldn’t have been further off base.
Valerie’s favorite ice cream flavor? Cinnamon. Just cinnamon. She mentioned that cinnamon ice cream is an absolute favorite of her and her husband’s, and yet it is surprisingly difficult to find. Good thing she has an old friend that happens to be a recipe developer, eh?
As it turns out, smooth, creamy, cinnamon spiced ice cream is so simple, and yet completely irresistible. Much like Val’s old car, this ice cream is a happy happenstance–serendipity, if you will.
Cinnamon Ice Cream! Who knew?
So for my long-time friend who remains the coolest chick that I know, Cinnamon Ice Cream for Valerie (and Lenny)!
Go ahead and be like Val & Lenny and enjoy all of the delicious simplicity of Cinnamon Ice Cream all on it’s own.
Or, if you’re feeling frisky, be like me and drop a scoop on top of a warm fudge brownie fresh from the oven, adding a hefty drizzle of chocolate syrup over it. You do you. Just do it fast before all of the ice cream is gone.
Yields 1
Creamy cinnamon spice ice cream proves that simplicity is incredibly delicious. Prep Time: 15 minutes (active), 2 hours (inactive chill time), Cook Time: 10 minutes (active), 2 hours (inactive freezer time), Total Time: 4 hours, 25 minutes
15 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
25 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 C. heavy whipping cream
- 2 C. 2% milk, divided
- 3 Tbs. cornstarch
- 3/4 C. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s guidelines. (For example, my Cuisinart uses a removable freezer bowl that must be frozen overnight prior to use.)
- Pour the heavy whipping cream and milk into a large saucepan. Whisk the cornstarch with the sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt until combined. Gradually whisk the cornstarch mixture into the milks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Cook and slowly stir the ice cream base over medium heat until the sugar has completely melted and the mixture thickens. The ice cream base should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but not so thick as to resemble pudding or custard. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer the ice cream base to a glass bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, ensuring that the wrap touches the entire surface of the base to avoid a “skin” from forming. Chill the base in the refrigerator until it has completely cooled. (About 2 hours.)
- Once the base has been chilled through, transfer it to the ice cream maker and process it according to manufacturer’s guidelines. (My Cuisinart ice cream maker requires the base be churned in the frozen freezer bowl for between 16 to 20 minutes for soft serve.) Serve immediately, or scoop the ice cream into an airtight freezer container. Freeze until firm. (About 2 hours for “scoopable” ice cream or 4 hours for firm.)
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