Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ice Cream

Creamy, spiced, and rich — the perfect cozy-meets-sweet frozen treat.

Prep Time: 20 mins (plus chilling & freezing) | Cook Time: 10 mins | Servings: About 1 quart

📝 Ingredients

For the Ice Cream Base:

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 cup whole milk

• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed

• 1 tbsp molasses (optional, for deeper caramel flavor)

• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

• ⅛ tsp salt

• 4 large egg yolks

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1️⃣ Heat the Base

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, milk, brown sugar, molasses (if using), cinnamon, and salt.

• Stir until sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot — do not boil.

2️⃣ Temper the Eggs

• In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth.

• Slowly pour ½ cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly to prevent curdling.

• Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the cream.

3️⃣ Cook the Custard

• Reduce heat to low. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon (170–175°F).

• Remove from heat, then stir in vanilla extract.

4️⃣ Chill

• Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.

• Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

5️⃣ Churn & Freeze

• Churn the custard in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

• Transfer to a lidded container and freeze until firm — about 4 hours.

💡 Tips & Variations

• Extra Cinnamon Kick: Add a cinnamon stick to the cream mixture while heating, then remove before tempering the eggs.

• No Ice Cream Maker? Freeze the custard in a shallow dish, stirring every 30 minutes until creamy.

• Mix-In Ideas: Swirl in crushed cinnamon cookies, caramel sauce, or candied pecans before freezing.

If you’d like, I can also create a “cinnamon roll ice cream sundae” version of this that uses this ice cream as the base with extra toppings and swirls. That could make it even more decadent. Would you like me to add that?