Pumpkin spice is the seasoning of the season. Not just for pie and cake. You see the words “pumpkin spice” everywhere, even for things like tea and coffee. Of course you really don’t get the pumpkin, just the spices that go with the pumpkin if you were making a pie.
So for all those pumpkin spice lovers, here’s a REALLY QUICK recipe you can make even an hour before Thanksgiving dinner or anytime at all. It’s for ice cream with all the fresh, warm spices we associate with the season.
This recipe takes about 5 minutes. The only thing you have to do ahead is remember to take the ice cream out of the freezer for about 15-20 minutes to soften.
If you are ambitious and have a few minutes more, spoon it into a graham cracker crust and you’ll have a pie. If you’re even more ambitious, grind up some gingerbread cookie crumbs (1-1/2 cups) mix them with 5 tablespoons of melted butter and press them into a 9-inch pie pan. Refrigerate the crust for an hour, then spoon the ice cream inside and freeze.
Quick Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup mashed pumpkin (canned is fine)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Place ingredients in a bowl and mix ingredients thoroughly to blend them completely until smooth and uniform in color. Return to the freezer until chilled completely. Makes slightly more than one quart