Cinnamon ice cream is the perfect ice cream for the fall (or summer)—especially if you add it to warm apple or pumpkin pie. And let’s be honest we all need a break from pumpkin. My favorite part is just how easy homemade ice cream is to make. No expensive equipment, no cooking eggs, no frills.
Cinnamon gelato rocked my world on a single day in Cinque Terre, Italy. Last fall we went on an all-day excursion through the 5 tiny villages of Cinque Terre. The 4th stop was in Vernazza, home to the best gelato I have ever had in my life, in a tiny shop called Gelateria Il Porticciolo. They’re famous for their cinnamon gelato. It’s life changing and I didn’t taste anything like it during our entire trip.
I’m a gelato snob.
I refuse to eat grocery store gelato because it does not even come close to fresh gelato (especially in Italy). Even in Italy—Rome, Florence, Amalfi Coast etc., there is really good and really bad gelato (yes, I went as far as taking a few bites and trashing my gelato and moving on to the next place. When in Rome, amirite?). The gelateria shops with lots of neon lights and 50 different flavors? Yes, that gelato is most likely going to suck.
I found the mass produced gelato to be gritty and icy rather than dense and creamy. Stick with the small hole-in-the-wall shops with 10 or 12 flavors for the best Italian gelato.
So obviously, this cinnamon ice cream is not technically gelato, but I tried to replicate my experience as best I could without over complicating the process, ingredients and without an ice cream machine. Lots of ground cinnamon folded into a simple, extra creamy ice cream with a touch of vanilla. I think that’s one of the most notable characteristics of gelato—it’s very dense and creamy and served a little warmer than ice cream, so it extra smooth.
One lick and you’re hooked.
Prep Time:
Yield:
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PinIngredients
- 3-4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together condensed milk, vanilla extract and salt. Set aside.
- Whip the cream with a mixer on medium-high speed until firm peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.
- Fold 1 cup of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture using a rubber spatula until combined.
- Fold the condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream until fully combined. Stir in the cinnamon until fully mixed throughout using a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Pour mixture into a chilled 9×5 inch metal loaf pan, cover, and freeze for 4-5 hours.
Notes
You can add more or less cinnamon to taste depending on how much cinnamon flavor you want. I recommend starting with about a 1/4 cup.
