Pumpkin ice cream 4 ways

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (the cult-like PSL) is the most popular seasonal beverage in the company’s history, with more than 424 million cups sold and its own Twitter account. This iconic taste of fall in a cup is festive, provides a sense of belongingness and connectedness, and like it or not, subconsciously urges you to imbibe before it’s no longer available. Following the craze started by the coffee chain, brands continue to stock grocery shelves each year with novel pumpkin spice products (pumpkin-spice cheesy powder on your Kraft Mac and Cheese, anyone?) promising us comfort and all the cozy fall feels. “Should-never-have-been-invented” variations aside, I’m all for extending the pumpkin season beyond the obligatory Thanksgiving pie. Give me pumpkin in breads, pancakes, cookies or basically any baked good, as well as in my coffee—and especially in my ice cream. 

I first ate pumpkin ice cream thanks to my husband’s family. His mother would make a pumpkin ice cream dessert with a graham cracker crust every Thanksgiving. We were living in Arizona at the time and a cold holiday dessert hit the spot when it was pushing 80 degrees outside. Where were you then Pumpkin Crème Cold Brew?

A few days ago I dug out my mother-in-law’s recipe and decided my first foray into pumpkin this fall would be ice cream. Here’s the original version:

Grandma Leah’s Pumpkin Ice Cream

1 1/2 cup graham crackers

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (15 oz can of Libby’s)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cloves

1 quart softened vanilla ice cream

Crush graham crackers and whisk in bowl with sugar. Add melted butter and press mixture into bottom of 8” square pan. Add brown sugar and spices into pumpkin, mixing well. Fold pumpkin mixture into softened ice cream and pour into crust. Cover with foil and freeze until firm. 

I made just the pumpkin mixture per the recipe without the graham cracker crust. (I was haunted by flashbacks of needing a chainsaw to serve up this spicy frozen block of a dessert.) Instead I mixed in chopped up oatmeal cookies. You can use store bought (which I did) or try this similar recipe.)

Here are three ways to enjoy the ice cream:

1.     Pumpkin Ice Cream Bars. I poured the ice cream & cookie mixture into these molds. Just pour and freeze for at least 4 hours. Place under hot water to release.

I used a touch of my highly prized Pumpkin Carriage Sprinkle Mix to spice things up!

I put the rest of the ice cream in a Tovolo glide-a-scoop container. Trust me, with this container and a good ice cream scoop, you’ll feel like a pro behind the counter of a gourmet ice cream shop.

2.     Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches. I guess those graham crackers were still haunting me. That, and I came across a recipe for Spiced Chai Graham Crackers from Platters and Boards—and thought ice cream sandwiches! Perfect. This recipe should have been quick and easy, but I’ll warn you. It says to use a food processor, but don’t. It seized up my Cuisinart and then I had to transfer the sticky blob to my Kitchenaid mixer where I used the dough hook. Phew. Graham crackers salvaged. The rustic homemade-goodness of the crackers was worth it. The thinner you roll them out, the crispier they’ll be. They’ll be more cookie-like if you roll them a bit thicker. I sprinkled sugar on a few, Sous Salt sweet & savory salt on others, and added Jacobsen’s Vanilla Bean Salt (pictured) on the rest. I ended up really liking the touch of salt from the sweet and savory mixture. 

And yes, another cameo appearance from my sprinkle mix.

3.     Pumpkin-Spice Affogato. Brilliant idea if I do say so. Even better than a latte. If you’ve never had affogato (Italian for “drowned”) or don’t know what it is, basically it’s gelato or ice cream with espresso poured over it. For this version, all I did was put a big scoop of ice cream in a mug; topped it with a little whip cream, a drizzle of caramel and sprinkle of cinnamon; and then poured a shot of hot coffee over it. Mmm. Tasty. Pumpkin drowned in coffee. It’s meant to be.

And because why not, I used a royal icing pumpkin from my sprinkle mix to add a gourd-geous touch to my affogato creation.

4. Pumpkin popsicle affogato. Then I took it a step further. How fun is this unexpected little dessert? Pour a small amount of strong black coffee or espresso in a heatproof glass and place a pumpkin ice cream bar into the hot coffee. Buon appetito!

Starbucks PSL, you have nothing on me. Unless you count the 424 million lattes minus one.