Easy Cinnamon Ice Cream

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To say that I love a bargain is an understatement. I’ve never fawned over the vanilla-scented gourmet kitchen stores at the mall— the ones that sell the high-dollar pan sets, expensive crystal, and pre-made mixes for quick breads and specialty gravy bases. Those stores are filled with lovely things, don’t get me wrong. But you’re more likely to find me pacing the aisles at T.J. Maxx, Home Goods and Big Lots, where I’ve found many a bargain. I’m not talking about low prices for cheap items, but the way. It’s quality at a better price that I want, and I’m willing to take my chances with the unpredictability of these bargain stores’ inventories. 

For example, my Italian-made pasta rolling machine that had been on my wish list for at least two Christmases (if not for the $100+ price tag), jumped into my cart unexpectedly about 12 years ago for the low, low price of— well, zoom in on the picture below and see for yourself. The exact item sells today at the vanilla-scented store for $149.95. I’d rather apply that hundred-dollar savings to the food I will make with the thing and just sniff my own bottle of vanilla at home as I delight in my good fortune.

Likewise, my Braun immersion blender, which is still going strong after pureeing hundreds of soups and cheese sauces for the past 15 years, only set me back $17. Could we please have a moment of silence for Tuesday Morning? Thank you. Oh, how I miss that store.

Another super find that has served me well is my Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-quart ice cream maker, and this was a major scoop at only $49, but wait, it gets better! I bought this when Big Lots was still doing its old rewards program of 20% off an item after 10 purchases of $20 or more. In other words, I only spent $39 for an ice cream machine that retailed for more than double that price. The purchases I made to get that discount were staple items that I would have bought anyway— mostly Bob’s Red Mill products and cleaning supplies.

It’s the thrill of the hunt that I love, but I also enjoy having these quality items in my cabinets because they make it easier for me to produce delicious foods for myself and my loved ones. Plus, I can count on them to last a long time.

This past week, I made my latest ice cream— using my Cuisinart machine, of course— and though I don’t usually post two desserts in a row, I decided to share this right away for a couple of reasons. First, it’s super easy and might take some pressure off my foodie friends as we all plan the various holiday meals on the horizon. Second, it’s a natural follow-up to a question posed by my New Jersey blog buddy, Bernadette, in the comments section of my pumpkin chai blondies post a few days ago. I’m keeping good on my promise. 😁

Here it is, Bern— not maple, but cinnamon, and I think you’re gonna love it! The base takes mere minutes to make, and the ingredient list is short: just cinnamon stirred into sweetened condensed milk (fat-free is totally fine here), then milk and heavy cream, plus a little splash of vanilla (or vanilla bean paste, if you’re me).

It’s worth mentioning that the cinnamon and vanilla bean paste were purchased at Home Goods, in the gourmet foods section. 🙂

I chilled the base thoroughly in the fridge for a few hours, and then my Cuisinart churned it into silky ice cream in about 25 minutes. Into the freezer for overnight ripening, and it was done.

This cinnamon ice cream is the little black dress of the holiday dessert table— versatile and perfect for any type of occasion. It was a great complement to the pumpkin chai blondies, but it would also be a stunning sidekick to my pal Christine’s mile high apple pie, or the festive fig butter cranberry apple galette that I made last fall. How about chocolate cake or pecan pie or— well, what desserts are you making this holiday season that would be good with a sweet scoop of cinnamon ice cream?

Easy Cinnamon Ice Cream

  • Servings: About 8
  • Difficulty: Easy
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This easy-to-make ice cream is creamy, delicious on its own, and pairs nicely with nearly any autumn or holiday dessert.


Ingredients

  • 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (regular or fat-free, see recipe notes)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1 Tablespoon vodka (optional, added in the final minute for improved texture)

Notes: When you mix the ice cream base, add the cinnamon to the sweetened condensed milk first. Ground spices tend to “float” on liquids, so this helps to incorporate it into the mix before the thinner liquids are added.

I’ve found the fat-free version of condensed milk perfectly acceptable for making ice cream, with only one caveat: plan to use the ice cream within a couple of days of making it, or the texture may become more icy than creamy.

Directions

  1. Combine sweetened condensed milk and cinnamon in a large bowl and whisk to thoroughly incorporate the cinnamon. Whisk in milk, cream and vanilla. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, at least a couple of hours.
  2. Set up your ice cream machine. Gently whisk the ice cream base to re-blend any ingredients that may have settled during chilling. Pour the ice cream base into the machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. My Cuisinart gets this done in about 25 minutes. Add vodka during the final minute of churning to make the ice cream easier to scoop directly from the freezer (omit this step if the ice cream will be served to children or other non-drinkers).
  3. Transfer the ice cream to an insulated freezer container and freeze at least eight hours, preferably 24 hours, to ripen.

Fig Butter Cranberry Apple Galette

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I am good at a few things in the kitchen, but pie crust is not one of them. I can make the pastry dough, no problem, and I usually use the food processor to speed things along. Getting the thing inside the pan in one piece, especially for a deep dish pie, is quite another story. Yes, I have seen all the tricks, from folding it into quadrants and then unfolding it into the pan, to rolling it up around the rolling pin and transferring it that way. The problem is, by the time I finish monkeying around with patching cracks and moving it (especially if it sticks to my roll-out surface and it always does), I have usually either let it get too warm so that it loses its flakiness or I have overworked the dough to the point that it becomes tough rather than tender.

Thank goodness for this easy-peasy alternative— the galette!

At first glance, a galette might seem like a fancy-schmancy dessert. Not quite a tart, which usually has egg in the pastry dough and requires a special shallow, fluted pan. Also not quite a pie because it only has one piece of pastry, there’s no blind baking involved and it doesn’t require a pie pan at all. Just a cookie sheet or pizza pan, and almost everyone has one of those. 

This rustic dessert has all the familiar comfort factor of a pie, but without the fuss. You roll the dough out directly onto parchment, then add your filling, fold up the edges and slide the whole thing right onto your baking sheet. I would not recommend trying a galette for a pie that requires any kind of loose, wet filling, but for uncooked apple slices and raw cranberries, the stars of this dessert, it was perfect.

I ended up using only three of the apples and still had a few slices left over.

My recipe is adapted from one that King Arthur Baking Company released just before Thanksgiving. Their version was called Apple Butter Apple Galette, and it did not include cranberries or the tiny flecks of fresh rosemary that I added to adorn the outside of the pastry. I swapped out cinnamon for cardamom because I love the flavor with apples, and I didn’t have apple butter on hand (nor the time to make my own), so I subbed in pre-made fig butter from Trader Joe’s. King Arthur’s recipe already calls for mostly whole wheat flour in the pastry, which makes the dessert feel even more rustic and fall-like.

The pastry dough itself is somewhat unusual as there is no water in the mix; rather, the typical cold butter-and-flour mixture is moistened with sour cream, of all things. That inclusion lent a tangy note that was a nice contrast to the slight sweetness of the apple-cranberry filling. The dough needs a good long rest in the fridge, so it’s best to make it the night before and then shape it up when you have the filling ready.

Shaping the dough goes about the same as any pie crust. It helps to use the end of a rolling pin to slightly beat the dough disk into a slightly flattened shape first, then roll it out onto parchment paper for final assembly of the galette.

The fig butter is spread out onto the rolled pastry, serving as a base for the apple filling. The apples, which I didn’t even bother to peel, were halved top to bottom, then sliced into half-rings for even appearance and easy arranging. A little lemon juice preserved the color and a good sprinkling with maple sugar and a bit of cardamom added warmth and sweetness. I tucked in the cranberries here and there, including up under a few edges of the folded-up pastry dough, and dotted it with butter, just as you would with an apple pie. A little egg wash and the sugar-rosemary embellishment, and off it went into the oven!

A galette feels fancy and elegant but is ridiculously easy to make!

This was a terrific dessert that would work for any meal during the rest of the holiday season. The fig butter, apples and cranberries were a great combination. The sparkling sugar and rosemary made it festive enough to serve for a special meal, but it would be equally nice for a casual weeknight dinner.

Fig Butter Cranberry Apple Galette

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: Average
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Not quite a tart and not quite a pie, a galette is a quick and simple, rustic dessert, and this fig-apple-cranberry combo is just right for the holidays!


Ingredients

  • 1 cup (113g) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1/2 cup (60g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, cold; cut into 1/2″ cubes
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) sour cream

Ingredients

  • 3 medium apples, peeled (or not) and sliced about 1/8″ thick
  • juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar or maple sugar (see ingredient note below)
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup prepared fig butter
  • 1/2 cup fresh (or frozen) cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon cold butter, cubed
  • 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tsp. cold water (egg wash)
  • coarse sparkling sugar
  • 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

Ingredient note: Adjust sugar to taste, depending on the sweetness of your apples. I used Granny Smith and Arkansas Black, both of which are crisp and tart, so I amped up the sugar a bit. If you are using sweeter apples, feel free to back off the sugar accordingly.

Directions

  1. For the pastry dough, combine flours, sugar and salt in a bowl. Pinch cold butter cubes into the flour mix until the whole bowl is filled with crumbs ranging from pea-size to almond-size. Add cold sour cream and blend with a fork just until evenly blended. Shape the pastry dough into a composed disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Roll the edges along the counter to seal it for easier rolling later. Refrigerate overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 425 F, with oven rack in center position. Prepare apples and squeeze lemon juice over them, tossing to help prevent browning. Sprinkle with brown sugar, salt and ground cardamom. Toss to distribute.
  3. Unwrap pastry dough and place it on a lightly floured countertop. Use the end of a rolling pin to gently “pound” the disk so that it flattens slightly. Transfer pastry to parchment paper and roll it out to about 1/8″ inch thickness, approximately 14″ across.
  4. Spread fig butter evenly over pastry dough, to about 1 inch from the edges of pastry dough. Arrange sugared apple slices in concentric circles over the fig butter, approximately 3 inches from the edges. Make radial cuts, about 3 inches apart, from the outer edge of the pastry dough toward the apple filling.
  5. Fold up cut edges of the galette, overlapping as needed to close up the pastry over the filling. Tuck fresh cranberries into layers of apple and under edges of the pastry. Place galette in freezer for 10 minutes to re-chill pastry dough.
  6. Arrange dots of cold butter over the sliced apples. Brush egg wash all over exposed pastry. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar and minced rosemary.
  7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until pastry is deep golden brown all over and apples are tender when pierced with a fork.
  8. Cool to room temperature. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.