Gingerbread ice cream

Can you imagine what it must feel like to celebrate Christmas in a hot country? I’d definitely be eating no-bake cheesecake and gingerbread ice cream ;). Delicious gingerbread-and-rum ice cream with a perfect creamy texture and wonderfully festive flavour. Maybe the perfect Christmas dessert for your holiday guests…?

Ingredients for gingerbread ice cream:

• 375 ml whole milk (3.2%)
• 375 ml double cream
• 170 g sugar
• 6 egg yolks, from large eggs
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 cup finely crushed gingerbread cookies

Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Heat gently until almost boiling.

Meanwhile, place the egg yolks and sugar into the bowl of a mixer. Beat with whisk attachments until pale, thick and fluffy. Add the rum and gingerbread spice mix and beat again. Pour half of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture while mixing constantly. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining milk and heat gently over low heat, stirring constantly with a spoon. Cook until the custard slightly thickens and lightly coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat immediately — do not allow the mixture to boil or it will curdle. Cool completely, cover with cling film and chill in the refrigerator until very cold.

Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. At the very end, stir in the crushed gingerbread cookies. Transfer to a container and freeze for several hours.

Without an ice cream maker:

Whisk the chilled ice cream base, pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze. During the first 3 hours, blend or stir the mixture every 30 minutes to prevent ice crystals from forming and to keep the ice cream light and creamy. Fold in the crushed gingerbread cookies at the very end, then freeze until firm.

Enjoy!