I know, you’re probably thinking, “seriously, ice cream in December!?”. But if you know me at all, ice cream is a year round treat for me. Even if that involves wearing gloves and a winter jacket when I eat it. And this ice cream is no exception.
Coffee ice cream is a newly found love for me. I didn’t like coffee flavored anything growing up, and not even when I actually started drinking coffee. I think because a lot of coffee flavored treats fall short when it comes to the actual flavor. It doesn’t seem quite genuine enough to me. Kind of like when you eat something watermelon flavored. I may hate watermelon, but anything that is flavored like it is like watermelon on crack with a thousand times more sugar. Anyway..
So this ice cream is steeped in actual coffee to gain that wonderful, genuine coffee flavor. Because it’s December, I decided that a little chai spice would be a great addition. So, a little cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg are mixed in. This is an egg-free ice cream, per usual. But don’t worry, it is still incredibly creamy. And without the eggs, it’s a lot easier to make! So, if you want to mix up the December baking a little, this is a great alternative. Of, if you need a fancy ice cream to go with some pie or another dessert, this is the one! And I think this wouldn’t be so bad with a drizzle of melted chocolate or chocolate sauce..
Adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home
Coffee Chai-Spiced Ice Cream
Coffee and chai come together to create the creamiest, dreamiest ice cream you could ever want. Perfectly spiced, perfect satisfying. This ice cream will be in constant rotation through your freezer.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
- 1 Tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup coarsely ground coffee beans
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Whisk 2 tablespoons of milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to create a slurry. In a separate, medium mixing bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt together until smooth. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining milk, heavy cream, sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to a rolling boil, and let boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the coffee grounds. Let steep for 5 minutes.
Strain the coffee/milk mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth into a large bowl. Squeeze the cheesecloth to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the coffee grounds.
Return the mixture to the saucepan and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry and cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Bring the mixture back to a boil and stir with a rubber spatula until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
Carefully pour the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the cream cheese, whisking while you pour. Whisk until completely smooth. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight, or place the bowl in an ice bath to speed the chilling process.
Once sufficiently chilled, pour the ice cream base into the canister of your ice cream maker. Freeze the ice cream according to your manufacturer's directions.
Notes
Store the ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer.
