Homemade Caramel Gingersnap Ice Cream
This is the perfect ice cream for fall or winter: creamy, comforting, and full of warm flavors. The smooth vanilla base, with a hint of cinnamon, is mixed with rich caramel and finished with crunchy gingersnap pieces. This was invented by my daughter and remains one of our favorite ice cream recipes many years later.
Yes, there are a lot of steps. But honestly, reading the recipe makes it seem harder than it is. Once you’ve mastered basic homemade ice cream, you’ll see that tweaking and adding things is no biggie.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
I never buy whole milk specifically for ice cream. If I have 2% in the house, I use that, and it’s fine. But, whole is best and will give you the creamiest finished product. I strongly recommend using a candy thermometer if you have one for cooking the custard. It will help you avoid undercooking (which won’t thicken) or overheating it (which can scramble the eggs).
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This will make enough for 8 servings. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Just make sure your ice cream maker is big enough, or do it in batches.
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Hand mixer
- Fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth
- Plastic Wrap
- ice cream maker
- Candy thermometer (very helpful when cooking the custard)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- pinch salt
- ½ cup jarred caramel sauce (store-bought is fine)
- 20 crumbled gingersnaps
How to Make Caramel Gingersnap Ice Cream
Give yourself plenty of time. If your machine base isn’t chilled long enough or your custard isn’t chilled long enough before churning, it just won’t work.
Step One: Heat The Milk, Cream, And Some Of The Sugar
Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Stir until warm and steaming, or about 170 degrees.
Step Two: Beat Egg Yolks With Remaining Sugar
Beat the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar until they are light yellow in color and well combined. They will noticeably change color when mixed enough. (A hand mixer on low will work well.)
Step Three: Temper The Eggs And Cook The Custard
Add half of the hot milk into the eggs, stirring as you go. Then add the eggs back into the pan with the rest of the milk and cream. Cook the custard on medium heat, constantly stirring, until it thickens and reaches 185 degrees on a thermometer. Do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and add a pinch of salt and vanilla extract.
Step Four: Strain And Chill
Put a strainer over a bowl and pour the custard in the strainer. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for 4-24 hours so that it will be very cold.
Step Five: Churn
Churn it in the ice cream maker according to the instructions. When it has reached the consistency of soft serve ice cream, pour in crushed cookies and let the machine mix them in.
Step Six: Add Caramel
Scoop the ice cream into a loaf pan. Pour in the caramel and mix it in gently with a knife. Make a few strokes so that it is swirled, not completely mixed in. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until firm.
Serving & Storing
Serve in crispy waffle cones, or with a slice of warm apple pie or old-fashioned gingerbread.
You’ll need to store this (obviously) in the freezer, but keep in mind it won’t keep as long as store-bought ice cream since there are no preservatives.
We like to eat it within a week. Take care to press the plastic wrap on the surface to keep out any air.
Questions and Troubleshooting
Nope! You can still make this recipe if you don’t have an ice cream maker. Pour the chilled custard into a freezer-safe container and stir it every 30 minutes for 4-5 hours. It takes longer, but it will still taste good.
It’s probably too cold. Let the caramel warm up so it’s pourable but not hot. This will help it swirl into the ice cream without clumping or freezing up.
This happens when the custard isn’t chilled enough before churning or when there’s too much water in the mix. Using full-fat ingredients and chilling completely will stop this.
More Ice Cream Recipes
Once you get the base down, you can make any flavor you want.
- My strawberry ice cream is a must-try – it’s light, refreshing, and perfect for warmer days.
- Add some fudge and caramel at the end for a vanilla caramel fudge ice cream.
- This honey ice cream is your classic base with a sweet touch of honey.
- Add cocoa to your base to make chocolate ice cream.
- Make this caramel pecan ice cream – an old-fashioned ice cream shop classic.
Printable Recipe
Caramel Gingersnap Ice Cream
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Hand mixer
- Fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth
- Plastic Wrap
- Candy thermometer very helpful when cooking the custard
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- pinch salt
- ½ cup jarred caramel sauce
- 20 crumbled gingersnaps
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Instructions
- Prepare the milk and cream mixture. Combine the milk, cream, ½ cup sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Then, heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is steaming (approximately 170°F). Remove from heat.
- Beat the egg yolks. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining ¼ cup sugar until the mixture is pale and thick. You can use a hand mixer on low speed for efficiency. The color should visibly lighten.
- Temper the egg yolks. Gradually add ½ cup of the warm milk to the egg yolks, whisking continuously to prevent curdling. Repeat this process until you’ve incorporated about half the milk mixture. Then, slowly pour the tempered egg yolks back into the saucepan, whisking constantly.
- Cook the custard. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the custard thickens and reaches 185°F. You’ll know it’s ready when it coats the back of a spoon, and you can draw a clear line with your finger that stays intact. Do not let the mixture boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Strain and chill the custard. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a large bowl to remove any solids. Then, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours until thoroughly cold.
- Churn the ice cream. Once chilled, pour the custard into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The mixture should reach a soft-serve consistency after churning.
- Mix in the gingersnaps. Gently fold the crumbled gingersnaps into the churned ice cream by hand to make sure they are distributed evenly.
- Swirl in the caramel. Transfer the ice cream to a loaf pan or storage container. Then, drizzle the caramel sauce over the top and use a butter knife to create swirls in a figure-eight motion. Be careful not to overmix; the goal is to create distinct ribbons of caramel.
- Freeze until firm. Cover the container with plastic wrap or a lid and freeze for at least 4 hours or until the ice cream is firm.
Notes
Nutrition
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