Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

This Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream, complete with pie crust pieces, is a delicious and flavorful fall treat recipe anyone can make.

Back in August, I had the opportunity to visit Hoffman Family Farms, a dairy farm in Potter County, PA. Inspired by the fall season, my visit to the farm and chatting with Josh Hoffman (the farmer), today I’m sharing a recipe for Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream that I’m sure you are going to love.

Before I do that, let me tell you a bit about the dairy farm and how it inspired me to create this recipe.

As you probably know, I’ve been working with America’s dairy farm families and importers to share dairy-inspired recipes here on Inspired by Charm. They thought it would be fun for me to visit a local dairy farm to learn more about where our milk comes from and how it’s produced. I was totally on board with the idea, so up to Hoffman Family Farms, I went.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by the Hoffman Family. Three generations of them to be exact. Did you know that 97% of dairy farms are family-owned and operated? Tricia, one of the farmers, led the tour. She showed me around the different areas of the farm, including the barn that holds most of the cows. The Hoffman Family Farms has over 850 cows that get milked three times a day. They produce about two million pounds of milk per month. The milk goes to local plants which make things such as Butter and Yogurt. You might not be aware that milk is produced in every state, and that on average most milk only travels 300 miles from farm to store. So, the milk you drink has likely come from a farm that’s not too far from your home.

I also had a full tour of the calf barn where I saw a calf that had been born only a few hours earlier. I even got to bottle feed a few calves. They were so sweet.

To finish off the tour, I was invited into the milking parlor. While I didn’t get to actually milk any cows, I learned a lot from watching the process from start to finish.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the dairy farm and came away with a greater appreciation of our nation’s farmers. I’m so thankful to be able to enjoy food and dairy that is produced locally by such hard-working farmers.

I also noticed the pride the Hoffman Family Farms has in their work and how well they treat their animals. Comfortable cows produce the best milk, and their cows certainly look happy.

Now you’re probably wondering how this inspired me to make ice cream. Well, not only am I obsessed with everything pumpkin-spice at the moment but during my tour, one of the farmers mentioned that his hobby is making ice cream. His siblings went on and on about how delicious it is, so I thought I would give it a go.

My goal with this recipe was to create something that tasted exactly like pumpkin pie. I wanted the creaminess of the custard, the spice from the cinnamon, and the crunch of a buttery pie crust. So that’s what I created.

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream:

If you’ve never made ice cream before, you should know it does take time. It’s pretty simple, but since cold ingredients are key, it requires hours in the fridge and freezer to get it right.

For my ice cream base, I started with heavy cream and egg yolks. Then I sweetened things up with sugar and dark brown sugar (for added color and flavor).

Seasonal spices were added to enhance the pumpkin flavor. I used cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Of course, pumpkin puree was essential. To get the pumpkin pie crust crunch that I wanted, I baked up some of my Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crust Cookies and tossed those in at the very end of the ice cream churning. They were the perfect addition to this recipe.

After the ice cream firmed up in the freezer, it was ready to serve. I couldn’t resist a large bowl topped with a few more pie crust cookies for garnish.

Fall dessert perfection!

You guys. This stuff is amazing. It’s easily the creamiest ice cream you’ll ever eat. Not only that, but it tastes exactly like pumpkin pie. Better, if that’s even possible.

I love the bits of pumpkin pie crust scattered throughout the ice cream. The leaf-shaped Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crust Cookies make the perfect garnish.

You will definitely want to add this recipe to your fall “must-make list.”

Looking for more pumpkin-based treats? Try these:

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
• Pumpkin Spice Cream Horns
• Pumpkin White Chocolate Bread Pudding
• Pumpkin Slab Pie
• Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies
• Pumpkin Whoppie Pies

Do you see those little bits of pie crust in there? It is so good, so creamy, and so fall. If you get as excited about “Pumpkin Spice Everything Season” as I do, this Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream is going to be your new best friend.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and the glimpses of my visit to Hoffman Family Farms. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend visiting a farm in your area. You will learn firsthand about where your food comes from and the vital contributions of our nation’s farmers.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Recipe:

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

This Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream, complete with pie crust pieces, is a delicious and flavorful fall treat recipe anyone can make.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dessert, ice cream, pumpkin, pumpkin pie

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 6 hours hours

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (1/2-inch pieces) Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crust Cookies* (link to recipe in Notes section.)
• Extra Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crust Cookies for garnish

Instructions

• In a 2-quart pan over medium heat, combine 2 cups of the cream, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, and 1/4 cup sugar. Cook 5-6 minutes until bubbles form around the edges of the pan.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and the remaining 1/2 cup of cream and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve.
• Once ready, remove the cream mixture from the heat. Gradually whisk about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Then, pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Do not allow this to boil. Cook at a low simmer until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and leaves a defined line when a finger is drawn through it. This will take 5-7 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.
• Place the bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water. Stir until cool. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on top of the pumpkin mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate to chill for at least 3 hours. The colder, the better.
• Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and process according to your machine’s directions. (I have an electric ice cream machine and processed my ice cream for about 20 minutes.) During the last minute of churning, add your Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crust Cookies to combine. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze until firm. This can take 3-5 hours, but I recommend overnight for a firm ice cream.

Notes

You can find the recipe for the Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crust Cookies HERE.