Pumpkin Spice Coffee Ice Cream

With Fall comes the pumpkin craze, and although I think pumpkin-flavored food can go a little overboard this time of year, I cannot deny my love for the pumpkin spice flavor.  Pumpkin spice coffee is must for me.  Not the syrupy sweet lattes at Starbucks, but just a simple cup of flavored coffee in the morning.  I prefer my cup of morning joe with small bit of milk, but I do have to admit that the sweetened coffee can be pretty tasty sometimes, particularly as an ice cream flavor.

I love the flavor of coffee ice cream, so while I was enjoying my cup of pumpkin spice coffee one morning it dawned on me that the flavor would also lend itself well to a scoop of ice cream. And boy was I right!  I hope you enjoy this Fall-inspired coffee scoop.

Pumpkin Coffee Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart

Flavored coffees are packaged as ground coffee, so ground coffee is used in this recipe.  If you can find pumpkin spice coffee in whole bean form then use it — add coffee beans with milk and spices and increase steeping time to one hour.

1 ½ cups whole milk, divided
3/4 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
5 whole allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup ground pumpkin spice coffee
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 ¾ cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/4 cup milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. Heat until steam begins to rise.  Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 20 minutes. Add ground coffee, stir and steep for 10 to 20 minutes (adjust for taste).  When steeping is complete, pour through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl.  Discard coffee and spices.

Fill a large bowl with ice water.  Combine remaining 1/4 cup milk and cornstarch in a small bowl, whisking well.  Pour coffee-infused milk into a medium saucepan, add cream and warm over medium heat.  Bring milk mixture to a low boil.  Cook over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and off the heat, gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture.  Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened (draw a line on a spoon), about 1 minute.  Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into a medium bowl.  Set the bowl in the ice water bath, and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.  Add vanilla. Cover and chill overnight.

Once chilled, pour ice cream base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.