For a fresh take on a classic thanksgiving dessert, try out these pumpkin pie bite-sized ice cream sandwiches. A creamy pumpkin ice cream sandwiched betwixt two flaky pie crust cookies dusted with golden sugar crystals. Sounds pretty gooood, huh?
The pumpkin ice cream came out really creamy and Cole thought it tasted very close to the filling of a real pumpkin pie.
The cookies came out crispy and dry. Not greasy or mushy.
And together? Sweet, sweet harmony. Pumpkin Piescream Sandwiches. Why not?
Pumpkin Ice Cream
(adapted from David Lebovitz, who adapted from The Craft of Baking by Karen DeMasco & Mindy Fox) Makes about 1 quart.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon freshly-grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree (100% pure) -- measured into pyrex glass lined with paper towel and set aside for at least 30 minutes to absorb some of the extra liquid.
DIRECTIONS
Make an ice bath by putting some ice and a little water in a large bowl and nest a smaller metal bowl (one that will hold at least 2 quarts, 2l) inside it. Set a mesh strainer over the top.
In a medium saucepan mix the milk, cream, granulated sugar, ginger, ground cinnamon, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and salt.
Warm the mixture until hot and the edges begin to bubble and foam.
Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and gradually whisk in about half of the warm spiced milk mixture, stirring constantly.
Scrape the warmed yolks back in to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read between 160º-170ºF (71º-76ºC).
Immediately pour the mixture through the strainer into the bowl nested in the ice bath. Mix in the brown sugar, then stir until cool, then chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.
Whisk in the vanilla, liquor (if using), and pumpkin puree. Press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
PIE CRUST COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
1 ¾ cups of flour
6 tablespoons of butter, ice cold (from the freezer)
¼ cup of shortening (also kept in the freezer)
2 teaspoons of sugar
¾ teaspoons of salt 8 tablespoons of cold water with iced cubes in it
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl mix flour, salt, sugar and mix well with whisk.
Add small slices of iced cold butter into flour mixture and cut in with pastry cutter until the butter is in pea sized pieces and the mixture looks crumby. Add in small slices of the frozen shortening and blend in again with pastry cutter. Add iced water 1 tablespoon into a section of the flower mixture and toss that section lightly with a fork until moistened, move to next dry section and do the same until you have used your 8 tablespoons of water.
Lightly gather the mixture and shape into a round disk (it will still be a bit dry and crumbly but don’t handle it too much the cold butter and Crisco make for a very flaky crust, also too much water makes it like glue, but I usually find I need to use all 8 tablespoons)
Wrap ball into Saran wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, but two is better.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly flour two sheets of waxed paper, take chilled dough out of fridge, unwrap Saran, and put on one piece of waxed paper. Dust disc lightly with flour and cover with another sheet of waxed paper.
Roll the dough with a rolling pin over the waxed paper from the center out and keep turning ¼ turn until it is rolled out to a to a circle a few inches bigger than the top of your pie plate. You may have to turn and roll it a few times to make it large enough. Leave between the waxed paper and put back in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
Remove from fridge gently and slowly peel off top piece of waxed paper. Cut using round any fun shaped cookie cutter you desire (I used mini-scalloped so I could have bite sized sandwiches) to make the cookie sandwiches.
Optional: Brush cookies with mixture of 1 egg white, a tablespoon of melted butter and 2 tsp. of cinnamon sugar.